All in the Family premiered on CBS on the night of Jan. The first pilot for the show was submitted to ABC under the title of "Those Were the Days." ABC thought it was funny, but made them too nervous. They withdrew from the project only to have CBS order 13 episodes. Not only was All in the Family one of the most successful sitcoms in history, it was one of the most influential and important series to ever air on television. The setting for the show took place in Bronx, New York, which of course gives the show a little edge to it. Out of the many sitcoms in the 70's to address difficult and political issues, it was the first. Therefore it opened the eyes of the nation to new ideas and issues never seen on television before. .
Since CBS had been so nervous about the new show and its new type of content, it put a message on the screen for the first six episodes, as it was read by an announcer: .
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WARNING: The program you are about to see is "All in the Family." It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter, we hope to show - in a mature fashion - just how absurd they are.
The Nielsen ratings showed the viewing audience was extremely small when the show premiered, but within five months the viewing audience had already been growing. By January 1972, an estimated 50 million people a week were watching. A number such as that was not bad for a show that was predicted to fall within the first few weeks. .
The show's central character, Archie Bunker (played by Carroll O"Connor), was a working-class family man who held bigoted, conservative views. Archie has a problem keeping his friends, because he doesn't like them if they do not share his narrow views of the world. He works as a foreman at the docks and a taxi driver on the side as an extra cash income. His wife, Edith Bunker (played by Jean Stapleton), was the complete opposite.