Day #16 of the 30 Day Television Challenge

[shadowkat]

This Day #16 of the 30 Days of Television Challenge

The prompt is A politically/socially innovative or inspiring series, mini-series or special that you would recommend (old or new)

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[atpo_onm]

All In The Family

This one was quite (in)famous in its day for really stirring things up, and getting people thinking and talking about subjects that previously were rarely if ever brought up on prime time broadcast television.

Clip from a DVD box set promo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBam7gQ8vCY

Clip with a (much older!) Rob Reiner about a favorite moment in making the show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIs-cBotymM&list=PLec1JlpXJ5LwWJK7TfuEATjJC2rWcayq3&index=165

Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_in_the_Family

[shadowkat]

All in the Family is possibly one of the better satires and reflections on working class Americana and the socio-political gap between the generations. Archie's working class foul-mouthed, sexist and racist patriach vs. Meathead's intellectual, highly educated middle class son-in-law who got off on arguing politics with his father-in-law.

Most of it is still, unfortunately, relevant today. There are a lot of Archies who work for my company. This was equaled by the Jeffersons, which demonstrated that sexism and racism wasn't specific to one race, and the differences between races were only skin deep if that. George Jefferson sounds and acts just like Archie. Norman Lear's ability to see that - and depict it on television is rather amazing. Also, depicting George as the more successful of the too - is even more ground-breaking.