When All in the Family debuted in 1971, it had a modest start, ranking No. 34 in the ratings. However, during summer reruns, it captured the audience’s attention and soared to the No. 1 spot by its second season, where it remained for six consecutive years. Despite the show’s success, Rob Reiner, who played Mike “Meathead” Stivic, found himself growing weary of the role by Season 2.
In a 1972 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Rob, son of actor and writer Carl Reiner, shared 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 echoed these sentiments to 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.”
Rob’s discontent wasn’t solely creative. By 1973, he expressed to the New York Daily News feelings of exploitation, highlighting the financial gains others were making from the show’s merchandise. “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.”
He also pointed out a record album featuring moments from the show that had sold over a million copies. “Money doesn’t really interest me that much,” Rob remarked. “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, Rob stayed with All in the Family until its ninth season, departing before the show transitioned into Archie Bunker’s Place. Reflecting on his time with the series, he told The Atlanta Constitution in 1978, “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.”
Rob Reiner’s journey with All in the Family reflects the complexities of balancing creative fulfillment with career opportunities. While he initially struggled with the constraints of his role, he eventually found peace and satisfaction in the impact and quality of the work. This period set the stage for his remarkable career as a director and producer, showcasing his versatility and ambition beyond the character of Mike Stivic.
