All in the Family debuted in 1971 with modest ratings, finishing its first season at No. 34. However, it quickly gained traction during summer reruns, and by its second season, it had climbed to the top spot, where it remained for six consecutive seasons. Despite the show’s success, Rob Reiner, who played Mike “Meathead” Stivic, found himself growing weary of the role as early as Season 2.
In a 1972 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Reiner, the son of actor and writer Carl Reiner and a writer on All in the Family, expressed his frustrations: “I’m tired of doing the same character over and over. What’s hard is coming up with a different script every week. It’s a grind to be stuck with 23 minutes every week; I think we’ve done enough shows. We’ve said it. We’ve shown bigotry to be wrong. There are cross burners and there are people like Archie.”
The following year, he expanded on his dissatisfaction in an interview with The Lincoln Star: “All in the Family is a good show, but in terms of what I can do as an actor, Mike Stivic barely scratches the surface. I also want to do movies, movies made for TV and to direct and produce.”
Reiner’s discontent was not limited to the creative constraints of his role. In June 1973, he told the New York Daily News that he felt exploited by the show’s merchandising success, noting that while others profited from items like T-shirts, posters, and the book The Wit and Wisdom of Archie Bunker, he saw none of the financial benefits despite contributing significantly to the scripts.
“I’m not disturbed about the T-shirts and the posters that capitalize on the show,” he said. “What bothers me is something like the book The Wit and Wisdom of Archie Bunker. All the material in it was taken from the television scripts — and I wrote a good hunk of the jokes in them. Yet I don’t get a penny from the sales, and neither does any writer on the show.”
Reiner also pointed out the inequity in profits from a record album featuring moments from the show, which had sold over a million copies. “Money doesn’t really interest me that much,” he explained. “Getting my fair share does … All in the Family won’t ever make me a rich man. I even had a bad residual deal. But the show does enable me to live comfortably. But I’m not just an actor. I can write, direct, produce and think up ideas for movies and TV series. Actually, it’s hard for me to work week in and week out as an actor. There are so many other things I want to do, but there’s never enough time. It has nothing to do with All in the Family. Even if I weren’t on it, I’d watch it every week. It’s just that I want to write more and can’t work it into my schedule.”
Despite these frustrations, Reiner remained with the show until its ninth season, leaving just before it transformed into Archie Bunker’s Place. Over time, he found a sense of peace with his role and the show’s impact.
In a 1978 interview with The Atlanta Constitution, Reiner reflected on his journey: “I needed the change. I needed the stretch. I loved doing All in the Family. It couldn’t have been a better creative working situation, better people to work with. For the first season, it was exciting to be doing something that we knew was good. Even though it wasn’t a hit yet. Then the second season, it was a big hit and there was the excitement of that. About the third year, the excitement wore off and we were beginning to think, ‘How long is this going to go on? Will we be doing the show for the next million years?’ But by the fourth season, I made peace with myself. I decided that we’re doing good things, we’re saying something important and we’re making people laugh. That is satisfying.”
Reiner’s time on All in the Family ultimately set the stage for his successful career as a director and producer, proving that sometimes the challenges we face can lead to unexpected and rewarding paths.
