“All In The Family” redefined the sitcom because it dealt with controversial social issues in a way that no show of the format dared to touch on. Today, All in the Family continues to rival mainstream family-centered shows as far as subject matter they were willing to tackle.
“All in the Family” is different from similar shows such as today's “Modern Family” in many ways. Firstly, the prevalence of a deeply racist and bigoted protagonist in today's network television programming is virtually non-existent. “Modern Family” contrast “All in the Family” because it branches out of the “traditional” family structure and includes characters such as a gay couple with an adopted child.
There's some things that remain the same within these sitcoms. Both “All in the Family” and “Modern Family” are centered around the concept of the family; hence the titles. Both of these shows also tackle societal issues through comedy.
“All in the Family” explored issues such as race, homosexuality, anti-antisemitism, and even rape. In one episode, Edith Bunker escapes from an attempted rape. This content was definitely ahead of its time, and isn't shown in today's network sitcoms. Rape is still on television shows such as “The Sopranos” on HBO, but for network television “All in the Family” had some very dark content.
Sitcoms have clearly adapted to society as time goes on and new issues become more prevalent, but “All in the Family” will remain a pioneer in this respect.
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