All in the Family

Present-day comedy sitcoms seem to be situated around many of the same situations, either awkward situations for the main characters or something involving some type of sexual innuendo. Personally, I was taken aback by the blunt nature of  "All in the Family". 

The language used throughout the show is what really surprised me. I would have never imagined hearing the word 'fag' used so loosely in a present day sitcom on a major television network such as ABC or NBC. It didn't necessarily seem like a lack of censory, because there still wasn't use of explicit language. The reason may have been the lack of an LGBT movement during that time period. Now, it seems that using the term 'fag' would be a hot button issue and cause many rifts between viewers and the network. 

"All in the Family" seems to have the same plot formation as any modern day sitcom. There is a conflict introduced early on in the show and then a resolution following near the end. With the occasional joke and inserted audience laugh, there are very similar parallels to sitcoms that I grew up watching such as "Friends" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". I suppose it's the same structure as any other story told in new media or print. Even "The Odyssey" seems to follow the same structure… and that's ancient.

Most subjects for TV shows seem to be dependent on the current status of the social structure. Things that may have seemed appealing during the 70s, won't be as appealing now. TV shows, especially sitcoms, seem to shed a light on certain hot-button issues and use euphemisms or sarcasm to lighten up the issues. "All in the Family" took a very conservative standpoint on the issue of LGBTQ individuals in America, when considering Archie's perspective. In the current state of TV, it would have been assumed that any person could be part of the gay community regardless of their physical appearance. Although, the ending of the episode did seem to elude to acceptance and Archie's realization that it was ok for his friend to be an ex-football player and still a homosexual man. I doubt that "All in the Family" would have brought up modern day issues within the LGBTQ community, such as marriage, equal rights, and adoption. Mostly because those issues weren't prevalent during that time period.