On this episode of Our American Stories, when All in the Family premiered in 1971, even its stars didn't think it would last. The show was abrasive, political, and unlike nearly anything Americans had seen on television. CBS was so nervous about offending viewers that it opened the first six episodes with a warning. Then America discovered Archie Bunker.
Soon, Norman Lear's unlikely sitcom was watched by nearly one-third of the country. But beneath the shouting and dysfunction were characters audiences recognized and loved. Our own Greg Hengler shares how All in the Family went from a television gamble to the "Super Bowl of sitcoms."
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