Don't Touch That Remote! A Knowledge Cards Quiz Deck on 1970s and 1980s TV Sitcoms

Sample Card Text: This show, based on the British TV series Till Death Us Do Part, was number one in the Nielsen ratings for five of its first six years on CBS. What was it?

Answer: All in the Family was almost an exact copy of the British version, substituting American stereotypical characters for their British counterparts. Producer Norman Lear later relied on a British predecessor in developing Sanford and Son. All in the Family dealt with issues considered taboo by television. The comic interplay between the bigoted father Archie (Carroll O'Connor), his liberal son-in-law Mike (Rob Reiner), and their wives Edith (Jean Stapleton) and Gloria (Sally Struthers), included frank discussions of racism, homosexuality, the women's liberation movement, and other hot-button topics never before treated in an American prime-time series.

All four actors won Emmys. Loved by critics and Middle America, All in the Family was one of the most popular TV series ever despite appearing on four different nights in its first six years. It spawned five direct spin-offs and two spin-offs of spin-offs during its nine-season run (1971-1979) on CBS.