Archie Meets Raymond

     Upon its inception in the 1970s, "All in the Family" quickly became one of the most influential family-based sitcoms in America. Unlike those before it, "All in the Family" boldly tackled controversial issues such as racism, women's rights and homosexuality while keeping a comedic and likeable tone. One of many sitcoms for which "All in the Family" helped paved the way is "Everybody Loves Raymond." While Ray & Co. may have left the airwaves several years ago, I have chosen "Everybody Loves Raymond" as a show that I watched heavily with my own family during its years on the air.
     Both shows center around a "man's man" patriarch and his interactions with the rest of his family, as well as with a few buddies here and there. In both sitcoms, Archie and Raymond tend to be the character at fault within a given episode, be it based on a malformed opinion or bumbling actions. While "All in the Family" was willing to take its fatherly satire to more extremes than "Everybody Loves Raymond," both shows tackle issues of family and social matters. In the episode of "All in the Family" that we viewed, you see Archie displaying intense homophobia, whereas you might find Raymond being chauvinistic and criticizing his wifes stereotypical behaviors of taking too long to get ready or not allowing him enough time to play or watch his favorite sports. Both shows are satires in which we eventually see that the main man is in the wrong and his family members are the ones who have it right.
     However, while "All in the Family" was one of  the first in its class to truly take bold steps to heavily satire controversial issues, "Raymond" takes a step back and never goes as far in Ray's one-mindedness or in his use of possibly offensive terms or jokes. Ray is a lighter character than Archie; by episode's end, he tends to concede to his wrongdoing and take what is actually his less powerful position in the family structure. The shows are also different in how the wives are portrayed. Both are housewives, but Debra (Ray's wife) is a much more powerful feminine figure than Edith (Archie's wife) who is lampooned as a complete airhead. Also, in "Everybody Loves Raymond," you actually see Ray's father, Frank as a crasser figure, displaying some of the older prejudices and stereotypes of an earlier generation, one more in tune with Archie Bunker's time.
     While both "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "All in the Family" are satirical family sitcoms, "Family" took controversial issues than any show before it, and likely farther than any show to come. Networks today tend toward political correctness, knowing that even in issues of satire in which opinions stated in the show are meant to be viewed as wrong rather than right, people would more likely be offended than amused. "All in the Family" took nearly every social issue of its time by the horns, using Archie Bunker as a vessel to spread what can be seen as hate on the show, but what is actually a step toward acceptance in the real world. Shows like "Everybody Loves Raymond" don't go to these extremes, but family sitcoms and satires will remain a major form of television media for years to come.