Line #58 Series/ArchieBunkersPlace


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3	In which [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist Archie Bunker]] gets to loudly voice his opinions at his bar instead of at home.
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5	''Archie Bunker's Place'' was a WorkCom (with some {{Dramedy}} elements) and a continuation of the classic sitcom ''Series/AllInTheFamily'', which began airing on Creator/{{CBS}} in 1979. Although never as popular or acclaimed as its predecessor, this show still maintained a large enough audience to last four seasons, ending its run in 1983.
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7	Following from the previous series, Archie ([[Creator/CarrollOConnor Carroll O'Connor]]) and his wife Edith (Creator/JeanStapleton) continued to nag each other and deal with Archie's ''very conservative'' views, all while attempting to raise their adopted grandniece Stephanie Mills (Danielle Brisebois), who was rapidly growing up. The major difference in this series was that most of the stories were set at the eponymous [[LocalHangout neighborhood tavern]], which Archie had purchased in the eighth-season premiere of ''AITF''. The tavern was the place for him to sound off on current issues, get support from his friends, and argue with liberal, Jewish co-owner Murray Klein (Creator/MartinBalsam) and wisecracking cook Veronica Rooney (Creator/AnneMeara).
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9	The series, like its predecessor, was set in the UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity borough of Queens. The opening and closing themes used re-scored [[InstrumentalThemeTune instrumental]] versions of the songs from ''AITF''.
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11	Although lacking the involvement of ''AITF''[='s=] creator Creator/NormanLear – who pretty much {{disowned\|adaptation}} it and even tried to prevent it from going on the air – and unavoidably standing in the shadow of the earlier series, ''Archie Bunker's Place'' still had a number of memorable moments. The show is probably best known for its heartbreaking second-season premiere, "Archie Alone", which deals with the aftermath of Edith's offscreen death from a stroke (Stapleton having already left the series midway through the first season, due to her belief that she'd done all she could with the character); the episode earned O'Connor two UsefulNotes/{{Emmy Award}}s for his performance, as well as the prestigious Peabody Award.
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13	----
14	!!Archie Bunker's Tropes:
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16	* AfterShow[=/=]FromTheAshes: It's a retool of ''Series/AllInTheFamily'', shifted away from the family life of the Bunkers and their children and simply onto Archie and his wife. And later, just Archie.
17	* TheAlcoholic: Veronica is a recovering one, though she temporarily falls OffTheWagon in season 2's "Tough Love".
18	* AllJewsAreCheapskates: Archie gets off on the wrong foot with Murray in the very first episode by making a crack about this.
19	* TheBusCameBack: The season 1 episode "[[ThanksgivingEpisode Thanksgiving Reunion]]" has the Stivics (from ''AITF'') returning for a visit from California, while the season 3 two-parter "Gloria Comes Home" has Gloria returning to reveal that she and Mike divorced, which was done to set up ''Gloria.'' And season 4's "Store Wars" has Murray returning to sell off his share of the bar.
20	* CampGay: Veronica's nephew Fred, who worked as a waiter for Archie in season 1.
21	* CelebrityLie: Inverted in the episode "The Return of Sammy".
22	* CerebusSyndrome: While ''All in the Family'' itself got more serious in its later seasons, this incarnation was more dramatic in tone yet.
23	* CharacterDeath: Edith dies off-screen between seasons due to a stroke. A major part of the Season 2 opener is Archie trying to cope with her death.
24	* ChristmasEpisode: The "Custody" two-parter (season 2), "Father Christmas" (season 4).
25	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: After being a semi-regular since the ''All in the Family'' days, Archie's pal Hank Pivnik disappears without explanation following season 1. Veronica Rooney disappears early in season 4, as does Ellen Canby.
26	* ContinuityNod[=/=]IronicEcho:
27	** Murray calls Archie a "meathead" in the first episode.
28	** While arguing with Mike in "Thanksgiving Reunion", Archie brings up his inviting a draft dodger for Christmas dinner and getting a vasectomy, both of which happened in ''All in the Family'' episodes.
29	* CousinOliver: Stephanie, though she was introduced in ''AITF''. Though instead of being used as a ploy to keep innocent and childish storylines prevalent, she actually brought a lot of dark episodes, and matured and grew up like any adolescent.
30	* CrappyHolidays: In "Thanksgiving Reunion", Mike and Gloria come home to visit from California, but at dinner it's revealed that Mike lost his job after participating in a nude anti-nuclear protest, causing Archie to (naturally) hit the roof and storm out of the house. They do ultimately patch things up, however (including one last heartwarming scene between Archie and Mike), and the episode ends with a nice scene of the Bunkers and Stivics enjoying leftover turkey together in the kitchen.
31	* DisappearedDad: Stephanie's father, Floyd Mills. He had appeared on and off since the final season of ''AITF'' to beg the Bunkers for money and/or to try to take his daughter back. His final appearance came in the 1981 episode "Growing Up is Hard to Do", where a now 13-year-old Stephanie is celebrating her bat mitzvah. Floyd shows up drunk and to beg for more money... which Stephanie finally obliges. Her act of selflessness (which impresses Archie) marks the last time Floyd is seen or heard from... his fate left unresolved (perhaps a nod to real life).
32	* HeroicBSOD: Edith's death numbs Archie so much that he spends most of the second-season premiere stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the reality of her death (signing off on her insurance, cleaning out her belongings, etc) or even discussing the matter. He breaks down when he's alone at the end of the episode, though, and laments that he didn't know [[spoiler:she died until he tried to wake her by shaking her body]].
33	** Norman Lear had one in real life, as he had grown so attached to the characters on that he felt like he was killing a real person.
34	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Archie softens up a bit in later seasons, especially when he gains custody of Stephanie.
35	* LeftHanging: The show was abruptly cancelled at the end of the fourth season without resolving all the loose plot threads from the series.
36	* LoveCannotOvercome: It's revealed that Mike's political views (and infidelity) overwhelmed Gloria and finally broke their marriage.
37	* MouthyKid: Stephanie was sometimes this with Archie, at least early on.
38	* NotSoDifferentRemark: When asked why he should get custody of Stephanie, Archie says that whereas Stephanie's mother ran away from a life of leisure and married a bum, his own daughter not only stayed in poorer conditions but moved in a husband (one he considers a better man than Stephanie's father). This turns out to strike a chord with Judge [=McGuire=], as he later talks about his own family: his father is described as similar to Archie and his two daughters took vastly different paths in life.
39	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The Season 2 opener features a genuinely heartbreaking scene where the usually gruff, cantankerous, and uncaring Archie breaks down and sobs at the loss of his wife of over thirty years, Edith. Despite all the crap he gave her, Carroll O'Connor's [[TearJerker tear-jerking]] monolouge when Archie discovers a slipper of Edith's he forgot to throw out shows he really did love her and doesn't quite know how to move on.
40	--> '''Archie:''' It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be the first one to go. I always used to kid you about you going first. You know I never meant none of that and that morning when yous was laying there. I was shaking you and yelling at you to go down and fix my breakfast. I didn't know. You had no right to leave me that way ... ''(holding the slipper to his face, he starts to cry)'' ... without giving me just one more chance to say I love you.
41	* OutOfFocus: Edith Bunker, who appears in just four season 1 episodes. Again, this was due to Jean Stapleton's belief that the character had exhausted her potential and her subsequent decision to leave the series.
42	* ParentalSubstitute: A big reason that Judge [=McGuire=] rules to let Archie keep custody of Stephanie. As he says, two years is a long time to establish a parental relationship and not something to casually rip apart.
43	* PassedInTheirSleep: The [[Tearjerker/AllInTheFamily tearjerker episode]] "Archie Alone", which explained Edith's death due to a stroke suffered in her sleep. When Archie finally lets go of his emotions, he bemoans being unable to figure out why she was unresponsive as he shook her repeatedly, hoping to wake her up so she could fix breakfast.
44	* PoorlyDisguisedPilot: "Gloria: The First Day" was intended to be one of these for the ''Gloria'' spinoff. But CBS rejected it, and when the show was finally picked up, it was given a completely re-written pilot episode instead (The original was subsequently included in the syndication package, however).
45	* PutOnABus: Murray gets married and moves to California at the end of season 2.
46	** PutOnABusToHell: Mike Stivic, albeit offscreen. In "Gloria Comes Home", it's revealed that she and Mike divorced after he left her and Joey to join a commune with another woman.
47	* RearrangeTheSong: The show features new, [[InstrumentalThemeTune instrumental]] versions of ''AITF'''s opening ("Those Were the Days") and closing ("Remembering You") themes.
48	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Judge [=McGuire=], who takes charge of a custody battle between Archie and Stephanie's wealthy and snobbish grandmother Estelle over Stephanie. He acts very impartial, as is willing to give each side a voice. He eventually decides in Archie's favor.
49	--> '''Estelle:''' What can he do for her now? He's a totally uneducated man!
50	--> '''[=McGuire=]:''' Mrs. Harris, my father was an ignorant laborer and he drank too much and I became a judge. I raised two daughters. One is an attorney and the other dropped out of high school and is handing out flowers at the airport. We all do the best we can. And I'm sure Mr. Bunker will do okay!
51	* RunningGag: Archie (or sometimes other characters) greeting the blind Mr. Van Renseleer and waving a hand in front of his face.
52	* SassyBlackWoman: Ellen Canby, who Archie hires as a housekeeper following Edith's death.
53	* SecretlyWealthy: Mr. Van Renseleer, the blind patron of Archie's bar.
54	* SequelSeries: To ''Series/AllInTheFamily''.
55	* SitcomArchNemesis: [=McFeeney's=], a (topless) rival bar and grill in the same neighborhood.
56	* SpecialGuest: Creator/SammyDavisJr (who'd previously guested on ''AITF''), in season 1's "The Return of Sammy"; Reggie Jackson, in season 3's "Reggie 3, Archie 0".
57	* StudioAudience: As with the final season of ''AITF'', this show was ''not'' taped live in front of an audience. Instead, episodes were shot on a closed set and then screened after completion for audiences attending live tapings of ''[[Series/OneDayAtATime1975 One Day at a Time]]'' so that their reactions could be edited in.
58	* TransatlanticEquivalent: ''All in the Family'' started off as an adaptation of the British sitcom ''Series/TillDeathUsDoPart'', but ''Archie Bunker's Place'' was a completely original continuation of ''Family''. However, ''Till Death'' creator Johnny Speight thought a sequel program like ''Place'' was such a good idea that he developed one for his own show, ''In Sickness and In Health'', which premiered in 1985 and ran intermittently until 1992. In fact, several episodes of ''Sickness'' were adapted from ''Place'', including their own version of "Archie Alone", which was written after actress Creator/DandyNichols, who played Else Garnett, [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim died in 1986]].
59	* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Much like in the original series, the source of most of the comedy comes from Archie's usually-reactionary (and always loudly expressed) cultural and political opinions, and his resulting arguments and conflicts with other characters.
60	* VerySpecialEpisode: Several relating to teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol use, although much like its predecessor, none of them were specifically called "very special episodes". And then, there was the episode where viewers learned about Edith's death.
61	* VitriolicBestBuds: Archie and Murray's relationship kind of approaches this over time, similar to Archie's relationship with Mike on ''AITF''.
62	* WhatTheHellHero: Billie is uninterested in "Father Christmas" over her estranged father now trying to reconnect with her. After hearing one too many complaints, Stephanie finally unloads on her, calling her ungrateful and saying she wishes her own father cared enough to just send a card.
63	* WorkCom: Overlapping (somewhat) with DomCom in the first season.

Context Series / ArchieBunkersPlace