The character of Maude Findlay was loosely based on creator Norman Lear's then-wife Frances. She first appeared on two episodes of "All in the Family" as Edith Bunker's cousin. A "Cousin Maud," with a similar role, had also appeared on an episode of "Till Death Us Do Part", the British series on which "All in the Family" had been based. Maude represented everything Archie Bunker did not: She was a liberal, a feminist, and upper-middle-class, whereas Archie was conservative, sexist, and working class.