"All in the Family" is considered by many to be one of the most important television shows of all time. It was groundbreaking in its content and commentary and it helped usher in a new era of television. The series was very influential on many family based sitcoms that came after, including the show "Home Improvement". Now while "Home Improvement" has not been on the air for over a decade, I have chosen to compare it to "All in the Family" because I do not watch new television series. However, I do view "Home Improvement" as "contemporary" since it was only ten years ago and it is still popular in reruns. I believe that while the two TV shows had two decades between them, the two characters are somewhat the same, but they deal with their problems in different ways.
Both TV shows are centered around the father as the main character. Both Archie Bunker of "All in the Family" and Tim Taylor of "Home Improvement" are do it yourselfers and are reluctant to seek help of another, especially a woman. They resiliently believe in "man power" and how that power should be evident in the home. Both men are womanizing and faithfully preach and practice the act of not letting women do "man's work". Neither of them feel comfortable about sharing their deeper feelings and emotions and this seems to be the source of problems at one time or another. Archie and Tim are very stubborn in their beliefs, though Archie is more so than Tim, and are reluctant to allow their spouses, or anyone else for that matter, teach them a new lesson or give them a lecture. Male viewers usually can relate to these two main characters because they represent opinions and thoughts that are found in many males. Most men have no problem relating to Tim's reluctance to step away from the football game or Archie's stereotype and phobia of homosexuals. While it seems the entire world is attempting to be politically correct, it is refreshing to see two characters that seem totally disinclined to care.
However, while Archie seems to never budge from his viewpoints let alone his chair, Tim becomes more willing throughout each episode to change his perception or bad habit to reach resolution. This is simply the personality of each character, as both are surrounded by people who relentlessly attempt to alter their viewpoints. In "All in the Family", Archie Bunker is lectured to mostly by his daughter and son-in-law while Tim Taylor's talks are usually between his wife and neighbor. Archie's wife, non-opinionated housewife Ethel, is almost the exact opposite of Tim's wife Jill, who works and goes to school and is not afraid to tell her husband exactly what she thinks. This presentation of the wife reflects the changing times of the late 20th Century, as Ethel is forced by Archie to be the last surviving housewife and Jill is the woman of '90s who is determined to succeed in the workplace. Naturally, the same goes for Archie and Tim, as both men are forced to realize the changes taking place in the home or society, and both men react differently. Archie holds firm in his beliefs and values while brushing off new acceptances in the rest of society to be wrong and stupid. He also refuses to watch "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". On the other hand, Tim realizes that it's the '90s, and he needs to learn to understand and cope with the changing of times.
Although, throughout the years, I have never seen a "Home Improvement"episode that commentated on national affairs like "All in the Family" did. In many episode of the latter, Archie commentates and critizizes former President Nixon on what the President was actually doing at that point in time; "Home Improvement" never strived to center their problems around something political but rather focused on family and social issues. In fact, most episodes of "Home Improvement" were centered around family issues and how to deal with them. While I'm sure there is one, I have never seen an "All in the Family" episode that gave Archie enough sentiment to put his daughter Gloria on his knee and teach her a lesson about drugs like Tim did with his son Brad. Both fathers were caring for their families, the character of Archie was incapable of uttering words of compassion in most episodes, while Tim did so in most of "Home Improvement's" run.
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