Sitcom Comparison

When asked to compare "All In The Family" to a contemporary family sitcom, the first one that came to mind was one of my favorite shows, "Two And A Half Men."

"All In The Family" is set in the 1970's in the Queens borough of New York City and depicts the family of Archie Bunker, a stubborn, white, heterosexual, conservative Christian who dismisses anyone who opposes his values. His wife, Edith, and daughter, Gloria, act as foil characters to Archie with their contrasting gentle and understanding natures, while Gloria's hippie-esque husband Michael often clashes with Archie over political and social issues such as homosexuality. We see the relationships between husband and wife and the differences between the way Gloria and Michael lovingly interact and the way Archie demeans Edith as well as anyone else who humiliates or challenges him.

 In contrast, "Two And A Half Men" is set in the 21st century in Malibu, California and depicts decadent bachelor, Charlie Harper; his divorced brother, Alan; and Alan's son, Jake, all living together in Charlie's Malibu home. There are no permanent female characters in the Harper household aside from their sarcastic housekeeper, Berta, so the family structure is very different from that in "All In The Family." The dysfunctional family structure in "Two And A Half Men" can also be traced to Charlie's womanizing and drinking antics, which frustrate Alan, who tries so hard to raise Jake to not be like Charlie.

While the shows are quite different from each other, they do contain some similar elements. They both have central characters who are likable despite their obviously bigoted thoughts and questionable morals. Both shows contain characters whose personality thrives off sarcasm and and facetious comments, and both also have characters that possess the ditzy, screwball personality that create a light-hearted comedy that contrasts the snarky comments made by other characters.

"All In The Family" dealt with issues of topics such as sexuality and racism in a time when doing so was not considered suitable for television. In contemporary sitcoms like "Two And A Half Men," sexuality and racism are not as controversial as they were in the "AITF" days, but television networks still have to be wary of the content released in their shows. The prospect of homosexuality and racism is seen as more of a comedy bit than a controversial subject as long as it's within certain bounds. "Two And A Half Men" highlights more on male humor and how two men and a boy deal with every day life together whether it's dealing with women, work, partying, etc. The show focuses on manhood and, in Jake's case, becoming a man. There has been controversy over Charlie Sheen (Harper) and his on-again-off-again engagement with rehab for his alcohol and drug addictions, with reports of the show being adversely affected if he could not get his act together.