
"All in the Family" is touted as the series that brought reality to prime-time TV entertainment. The lead character, Archie Bunker, is a loudmouthed, uneducated bigot who believes in every stereotype he has ever heard. His wife, Edith, is sweet but not the sharpest knife in the drawer. They and their daughter, Gloria, and her husband, Mike, all live in a working-class home. Unfortunately for Archie, he can't avoid the people he disdains: His son-in-law -- whom Archie calls "Meathead" -- is an unemployed student and of Polish descent; the Jeffersons next door are black; Edith's cousin Maude is a feminist; and, later, his partners in a local tavern are Jewish.

It is Archie's birthday, and he is more surprised by his birth certificate than by his surprise party.

Archie anticipates seeing his old buddy, Joe Tucker, after a separation of more than 18 years.

Mike learns the hard way that games are not always child's play.

Archie suspects that Edith is turning Catholic when she starts wearing a religious medal and attending Mass.