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Released By: Shout! Factory
Released On: 01/11/2011
Cast: Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers
Sure, the way Glenn Miller played was fabulous. And that old LaSalle did run great. But remember when television was worth watching? When the good shows outweighed the bad by a wide margin, and you didn't need to shell out an extra 50 bucks a month for a premium "package" to get the channels that the good shows were on? Those were the days.
In 1971, a new kind of television show appeared on the small screen....a situation comedy set in Queens, NY, concerning a blue-collar WASP and his dislike for everyone who wasn't just like him. And while Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) was the main character of this new form of controversial "reality" TV, All In The Family's success can also be attributed to a strong supporting cast in the form of Jean Stapleton as his wife, Edith, Sally Struthers as his daughter, Gloria, and future director Rob Reiner as son-in-law, Mike Stivic, as well as some outstanding writing.
What made All in the Family so different from the other shows at the time was it's head-on attack of relevant issues; racism, homosexuality, as well as personal and sexual politics…and that was just in the first season. The dialogue was also controversial, with Archie, illustrating his character of equal-opportunity bigot, running through every racial epithet imaginable. Critics lambasted the show for not turning a blind eye to real-life issues throughout its eight season run, and for presenting such a despicable person as the protagonist.
Remaining true to it's roots throughout the majority of the episodes, Season 8 managed to address a few things that, even seven years after the first episode, still weren't being discussed on television. “Cousin Liz†turns out to be a lesbian, “Edith's 50th Birthday†involves a sexual assault, and “Archie's Bitter Pill†comes in the form of a feel-good amphetamine that leads to Archie's hospitalization and drug withdrawal. And while most television shows are creatively spent as the last seasons wind down, All in the Family managed to work it's way back up to #4 in the ratings after a lacklustre showing in Season 7 (slipping from #1 to #12) and won a few Primetime Emmy Awards along the way.
Thankfully, even though Sony Pictures decided to stop releasing the show on DVD, Shout! Factory has picked up the ball and they bring All In The Family: The Complete 8th Season to DVD for 2011. The set contains all 24 episodes from the season on 3 discs.
Video/Audio/Extras:
“Taped before a live studio audienceâ€, All in the Family is not ever going to be used to show off your HDTV. But Shout! have done a great job with the materials. Some minor interlacing and compression issues aside, the picture quality is sharp and consistent.
The 2.0 audio track works well for the material, which consists mainly of dialogue. Though the tapes are over 30 years old, the soundtrack is free of hiss and other artefacts, with an adequate dynamic range.
A Shout! Factory promo reel highlights some of the other TV shows that Shout! has released is the only extra you will find on this set.
The Final Word:
Still classic over 30 years after its original run, All In The Family also has the distinction of being the first show to feature social issues that some shows still have a problem addressing today. Shout! has done a great job of carrying on this show for the fans.
