Archie Bunker three-year old Gloria with her. The inspiration for Archie Bunker was Alf Garnett, the character from the BBC1 sitcom "Till Death Us Do Part", on which "All in the Family" was based. When first introduced on "All in the Family" in 1971, Archie is the head of a family consisting of his wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), his adult daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), and his liberal son-in-law, college student Michael "Mike" Stivic (Rob Reiner), with whom Archie disagrees on virtually everything; Archie frequently characterizes Mike as a "dumb Polack" and usually addresses him as "Meathead" because, in Archie's words, he is
Black sitcom Black sitcom A black sitcom is a sitcom in American culture that features a primarily or entirely African American cast or in the lead role. Although sitcoms with primarily black characters have been present since the earliest days of network television (and indeed predate network television, as popular radio sitcoms included "Beulah" and "Amos 'n' Andy"), this genre rose to prominence in the 1990s. The favorite programs of television audiences tend to reflect their different ethnic origins and affinities. The exposure of the black community on US TV has been greater than that of other minorities but continues to reflect