All in the Family could be returning to TV, but don’t expect to see Archie Bunker at the heart of it.
According to Variety, Norman Lear, the legendary TV creator behind the original series and other iconic shows like Maude, The Jeffersons, and Good Times, is in talks with Sony to revive the classic sitcom with a contemporary twist.
“Forget the Bunkers, forget the characters you know,” Lear, now 92, remarked during a conversation with Netflix’s Ted Sarandos at the Paley Center in New York. These sentiments were echoed during his visit to MSNBC’s The Cycle. “We’re talking about doing something new, something like All in the Family 2015. An entirely different family—not the same, but a modern version,” Lear explained when asked if Archie Bunker would resonate with today’s audience.
A source informed E! News that while discussions about rebooting All in the Family have taken place, it remains uncertain whether the project will be a new TV series or a special.
The reimagined All in the Family, tentatively titled All in the Family 2015, is likely to feature a Latino family, according to Lear.
The original series centered around Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor), the bigoted head of a working-class white family in Queens. Archie lived with his wife Edith (Jean Stapleton), their daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers), and Gloria’s husband Michael (Rob Reiner), whom Archie famously dubbed “meathead.” Running from 1971 to 1979, the show produced over 200 episodes. Archie’s character even got a spinoff, Archie Bunker’s Place, which aired for four seasons. The show inspired several other spinoffs, including 704 Hauser, a short-lived 1990s sitcom featuring a multicultural family living in the old Bunker house.
This potential reboot joins a wave of classic revivals hitting the small screen. CBS is preparing a new version of The Odd Couple starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon for midseason, NBC is working on a Bewitched remake focusing on Samantha’s granddaughter, and a Married…With Children update/sequel series is in development. Additionally, networks are converting several movies into TV shows, with projects based on Big, Marley & Me, Rush Hour, and more in the works.
Norman Lear’s vision for a modern All in the Family promises to bring fresh perspectives and new dynamics to a beloved classic, continuing his legacy of pushing boundaries and sparking conversations through television.
