Summary

• All in the Family was the genesis of 7 spinoffs, shedding light on minor characters in the iconic sitcom's universe.
• Shows like The Jeffersons and Good Times continued the legacy of cultural relevance in the 1970s.
• Despite varying success, the spinoffs of All in the Family extended the impact of the groundbreaking sitcom era.

All in the Family is one of the most iconic sitcoms of the 1970s, and was so popular that it spawned a grand total of 7 spinoffs, fleshing out the on-screen lives of many minor and supporting characters with shows of their own. Produced by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, the working-class sitcom was set in Queens, New York and was based on a British sitcom called Till Death Do Us Part. All in the Family is famous for its prejudiced patriarch, Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), who was used as a device for commentary on social issues in the 1970s.

The Bunkers and their neighbors, the Jeffersons, developed relationships with other characters throughout All in the Family, many of whom got spin-offs of their own. With the series' cultural relevance and fandom, it's no surprise All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and Good Times were also revived for a live performance special in 2019. Looking back on decades past, it's remarkable how seven shows followed All in the Family and belong to its universe.

All In The Family (1971-1979)

The Groundbreaking Sitcom That Started It All

All in the Family primarily takes place at the Bunker residence on 704 Hauser Street. Archie and Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton) share their home with their daughter, Gloria (Sally Struthers), and her husband, Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner). Archie and Mike are always butting heads since Archie is politically conservative and Mike is usually portrayed as being liberal.

Archie's bigotry was never meant to be accepted.

Another sparring partner for Archie is neighbor George Jefferson, and the two criticize one another's race. Archie's bigotry was never meant to be accepted. Rather, the entire sitcom was meant to "throw a humorous spotlight" on human "frailties, prejudices, and concerns," as a disclaimer before the first episode said.

All in the Family featured 205 episodes across its nine seasons on CBS. It had such a cultural impact that it was referenced for decades in multiple other shows, including The Simpsons and That '70s Show, and Archie and Edith's chairs are now an exhibit at the Smithsonian. The show also won multiple Golden Globes and Primetime Emmys during its original run, including the Globe for Best TV Show - Musical/Comedy for 3 years in a row between 1972 and 1974.

Maude (1972-1978)

The Hit Spinoff Starring Bea Arthur

The first All in the Family spinoff was almost as popular as the original show, thanks in no small part to the legendary Bea Arthur in the titular lead role. This show was, of course, Maude, which ran for 141 episodes across six seasons between 1972 and 1978. Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) first appears as Edith Bunker's cousin in a 1971 All in the Family episode called "Cousin Maude's Visit." Maude arrives at the Bunker home to help out when the family gets hit with the flu. Maude becomes yet another person for Archie to disagree with politically.

After a 1972 backdoor pilot on All in the Family, Maude got a show of her own. Like its predecessor, Maude dealt with some serious issues during its day. Maude was almost as critically acclaimed as the original show too. It was nominated for multiple awards, including Emmys and Golden Globes, as evidenced by the fact that, in 1973, the only reason Maude didn't win Best TV Show - Musical/Comedy at the Globes because All in the Family beat it.

Good Times (1974-1979)

The Spinoff Of A Spinoff

One of the key themes of All in the Family was race relations, as was exemplified by the relationship between Archie and his neighbor George Jefferson. The second spinoff of All in the Family was Good Times, and it did even more to bring the lived experience of Black Americans to households across 1970s America (although, technically, it was a spinoff of Maude). Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) was Maude Findlay's maid in Tuckahoe, New York, and Good Times moved on to develop Florida's life with her family in Chicago. They live in a public housing project and struggle to get by at times.

While Florida's husband on Maude was a firefighter named Henry (John Amos), her husband on Good Times was James, a hard worker often taking on multiple jobs to support the family.

While Florida's husband on Maude was a firefighter named Henry (John Amos), her husband on Good Times was James, a hard worker often taking on multiple jobs to support the family. Amos continued in the role of James until the character's death. Florida and James have three children: J.J., Michael, and Thelma. Another interesting connection of the sitcom universe is that Mike Evans (who played Lionel Jefferson on All in the Family and The Jeffersons) created Good Times with Eric Monte. Just like Maude, Good Times lasted for 6 seasons, although had slightly fewer episodes at 131.

The Jeffersons (1975-1985)

The Bunker's Neighbors Move To New York For Their Own Show

While Good Times was a spinoff of Maude, it did use the All in the Family universe to shed light on the experience of Black Americans at a time when it was almost controversial to do so. The next spinoff, The Jeffersons, did the same, though was drawn directly from characters in All in the Family (and was arguably much more successful than Good Times). The parent show would have been completely different without the Jefferson family in the neighborhood, and so it's no surprise that they got their own spinoff.

On their own show, the Jeffersons interact with new friends and neighbors while inhabiting a new lifestyle.

Although Archie and George (Sherman Hemsley) argue a lot, Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) is a dear friend to Edith Bunker, and it's hard for the two to say goodbye when the Jeffersons move away. George owns a profitable dry-cleaning chain, so he and the family move to a nice apartment on the Upper East Side of New York City in a backdoor pilot on All in the Family. On their own show, the Jeffersons interact with new friends and neighbors while inhabiting a new lifestyle.

The Jeffersons was one of the longest-running broadcast sitcoms, lasting an impressive 11 seasons consisting of 253 episodes. It's one of the few All in the Family spinoffs that was arguably more successful than the original show, and had an equally impactful cultural legacy. Unfortunately this didn't translate to awards success in quite the same way, though it could be argued this was also due to prejudices at the time — prejudices that The Jeffersons was actively trying to combat.

Checking In (1981)

The Short-Lived Jeffersons Spinoff That Didn't Even Manage A Season

While many of the shows connected to All in the Family did extraordinarily well, Checking In only lasted for four episodes. The show was a spin-off of The Jeffersons, though it managed to capture none of the charm and appeal of it's parent show or any of the other All in the Family spinoffs like Maude or Good Times. Low ratings were given as the reason for Checking In's cancelation.

As with Maude and Good Times, the main character of the new series was a maid on her previous series. Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs) worked for the Jefferson family on their show, but Checking In focused on her life as the executive housekeeper of the St. Frederick Hotel in New York City. Florence Johnson returned to The Jeffersons after Checking In ended. When Florence returned to her original show, it was explained that the St. Frederick Hotel had burned down.

Archie Bunker’s Place (1979-1983)

The Continuation Of All In The Family

All in the Family took a leaf out of its own book and spawned yet another sitcom after the series ended. Archie Bunker's Place started out with both Archie and Edith, but Jean Stapleton left the show and was killed off shortly after the series began. Unlike the other All in the Family spin-offs, Archie Bunker's Place was a direct continuation of the parent show, and was something of a sequel of sorts (though this unfortunately didn't make it as popular as All in the Family, or other spinoffs like The Jeffersons and Maude).

Archie Bunker's Place extended Archie's role to over twelve years on television.

Even before All in the Family ended, Stapleton expressed a desire to distance herself from the role of Edith. Edith's death in the context of the spin-off made Archie a widow, and though he missed Edith terribly, he continued on with his pub and focused on taking care of Edith's young relative, Stephanie Mills (Danielle Brisebois). Archie Bunker's Place extended Archie's role to over twelve years on television.

Gloria (1982-1983)

Another Short-Lived All In The Family Spinoff

Sally Struthers was next to get her own All in the Family spinoff as Gloria Bunker Stivic, Archie and Edith's daughter. She reprised her role several times on Archie Bunker's Place and then took center stage on Gloria, the last series to focus on a member of the Bunker family. The series began after a backdoor pilot on Archie Bunker's Place called "Gloria: The First Day." Gloria and Mike are no longer together, so Gloria and her son, Joey, leave California and go home to New York. Gloria works as the assistant to two veterinarians.

Like Checking In, Gloria had an incredibly short run compared to other All in the Family spinoffs, although did manage to reach 21 episodes instead of 4. It also wasn't anywhere as near as critically acclaimed as the original show or shows like Maude and The Jeffersons. Notably, one of Struther's costars on Gloria was Burgess Meredith, better known for playing The Penguin in the 1960s Batman TV series and as Mickey Goldsmith in Rocky.

704 Hauser (1994)

The Final Spinoff Was Also One Of The Least Successful

The final spin-off of this world of Norman Lear shows is 704 Hauser. The location is the only concrete link from All in the Family to the series, but it's a strong one despite the fact that 704 Hauser was only on the air for five episodes. The Cumberbatches are a Black family moving into the Bunkers' old house in Queens. John Amos (who played James Evans on Good Times) is the father, Ernie Cumberbatch. In a reversal of All in the Family, Ernie is liberal while his son is quite conservative.

Unfortunately this lack of animosity wasn't enough to make 704 Hauser a success

The series gave John Amos and Norman Lear another chance to work together after tensions on set led Amos to leave Good Times. Amos revealed that 704 Houser was a much better experience behind the scenes than Good Times (via EW):

"At Good Times, I thought we should’ve had more Black writers on staff... I felt I should’ve been more involved in the development of scripts. But we don’t have those fights on 704 Hauser. Lear is more willing to listen nowadays. He’s mellowed. We’ve both mellowed. We actually enjoy working together."

Lear called the 704 Hauser characters "responsible" and explained they knew what they were talking about in arguments. Unfortunately this lack of animosity wasn't enough to make 704 Hauser a success, and it became one of the least successful spinoffs of All in the Family.