All in the Family broke ground in its depiction of issues previously considered unsuitable for a U.S. network television comedy, such as racism, antisemitism, infidelity, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, religion, miscarriages, abortion, breast cancer, the Vietnam War, menopause, and impotence. Through depicting these controversial issues, the series became arguably one of television's most influential comedic programs, as it injected the sitcom format with more dramatic moments and realistic, topical conflicts. The show was an American version of an earlier British show, the BBC sitcom "Till Death Us Do Part", with Archie Bunker modeled after his British counterpart, Alf Garnett. "All in the Family" is
Archie Bunker not consummated until a month after their wedding night. Edith elsewhere recollects that Archie fell asleep on their wedding night and blurts out that their sex life has not been very active in recent years. On another occasion, Edith reveals Archie's history of gambling addiction, which caused problems in the early years of their marriage. Archie also reveals that when Edith was in labor with Gloria, he took her to Bayside Hospital on the Q5 bus because "the subway don't run to Bayside". According to Edith, Archie's resentment of Mike stemmed primarily from the fact that Mike was attending college,