It is, All in the Family, I feel which is to blame for the end of the golden era of the live-action situation comedy with very few exceptions after 1971 (Frasier being the gold nugget in a sea of mud). Before 1971, situation comedies had wonderfully imaginative concepts--genies, talking pigs, martians, stupid nazis losing every week, and so much more. They could be in the past, the future, or a fantasy world! They were innocent, fun, and comfortable while not being afraid to embrace and stick to a single concept. Then, as a mid-summer replacement, All in the Family came along with things that have plagued most sitcoms to this day: social relevance, hackneyed angst in the name of "realism," unappealing protagonists, boring and uncreative set and costume design, and the slaughter of the "concept" comedy. It also pretty much ended the fun verbal wit and slapstick (again, Frasier being the exception, as well as a couple of persistant shows like Here's Lucy) that sitcoms had embraced before. With its mean-spirited and unimaginative scripts somehow finding huge audiences--it led to numerous spinoffs that were equally tepid and uncreative. And, to this day, you will struggle to find a situation comedy without a) a louse male lead tolerated by his loving wife b) special episodes with very little laughs c) ordinary families with no talking animals/supernatual additions d) real-life present-day settings. e) "shocking" twists like deaths, abortions, etc. Just as I feel Law & Order turned mystery shows from Matlock to CSI, Millionaire shattered and splintered gameshows, and Survivor crushed creativity in general on the air, All in the Family is to blame for the death of the great concept situation comedy on TV. Here's hoping a new golden age of clean, imaginative, fun-loving, formula-embracing sitcoms will come soon!