All in the Family

Watching All in the Family was a staple of my childhood Saturday nights.

I was just ten years old when the show first aired. Although a massive hit for CBS, the series also sparked a sizable cultural backlash. The show's characters regularly sparred over some of the most sensitive subjects of the era. The Vietnam War. Racism. Antisemitism. Abortion. Homosexuality. No subject was sacrosanct when it came to the Bunkers, a working-class family from Queens.

The on-screen battles usually featured Archie, a blue-collar WWII veteran, and Mike, his progressive and opinionated son-in-law. Carroll O'Connor and Rob Reiner were both masterful in bringing these roles to light, each winning multiple Emmy awards for their portrayals. 

Reiner would go on to even greater success behind the camera. But when I hear his name I still picture the corduroy-donned, cheesy-mustache wearing, "Meathead" of my youth.

RIP Rob Reiner. You will be missed.....

"I could win the Nobel Prize and they'd still write "Meathead wins the Nobel." - Rob Reiner