Based on last week's showing of "All in the Family", I was instantly reminded of "That 70's Show". Archie in "All in the Family" is very blunt and expresses how he feels about issues without considering whether it will hurt other people's feelings; he thinks is always right since he is the man of the house. Red Forman in "That 70's Show" is a similar character since he is the man of his house hold. He is outspoken just like Archie, and also very unemotional towards his family as well. Both Archie and Red seem very prejudice against anyone who doesn't represent the typical white, Republican American.
"That 70's Show" has a wider range of characters compared to "All in the Family" and also uses a different sense of humor. The Circle of friends is a larger focus on "That 70's Show" than the parents, Red and Kitty Forman. Also Fez is an international exchange student who usually gets picked on, the main character is the son Eric Forman, and Donna is a feminist. The characters in "All in the Family" are more generic and the show's main character is Archie. Another difference is the sense of humor used in the shows. "That 70's Show" uses more of a dry, sarcastic sense of humor compared to "All in the Family" which has a more crude sense of humor that reflected ideologies and was appropriate to that time frame.
"That 70's Show" and "All in the Family" are also different in terms of context and the topics in question. Some of the context in "All in the Family" cannot be aired on television in our present day due to legal issues. The episode where Archie referred to Michael and Gloria's friend as a "fairy" because he assumed he was a homosexual would be considered very offensive and prejudice. If that episode was aired today, there would be law suits and protests and the producer, the network, the writers, and probably even the actors would end up fired. Although today's television shows explore more controversial topics, the way they are presented is played out very carefully.
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