Rating: 
Summary: Classic Show, Third Rate DVD
Review: A lot of the political references may be dated, but a great show is a great show. I was surprised that this set--containing so many episodes--was so cheap, and now I understand why. There are a lot of glitches in the picture--wavy lines in some spots, color and picture quality changes from scene to scene, and bleeding is evident throughout. And why on earth can't they release a season of episodes of any show that includes a "Play All" feature??? I hate having to select play after every episode. All in all, however, All in the Family was a great show, and I'm happy to have so many early episodes. The first few seasons of a show are always the best.
Rating: 
Summary: great show, but where's the rest of the seasons?
Review: a true classic tv-show! I really loved it; I had taped several episodes from tv, but they were broadcasted randomly, but with this release I was looking forward to have the episodes on dvd, and in the correct order.
I don't understand the complaints about the picture quality; it looks fine to me!
the only thing I want now is to complete this series, but I guess I can dream on, because according to some reviews the release of the rest of the seasons is cancelled.
It makes me really mad, why do they do that?!!!
I can't stand to own an incomplete set, and now I've got this one incomplete, the jefferson series incomplete, and I'm also collecting Cheers, I love Lucy, Sandford&son, married with children and good times. I do hope they will release all seasons of these series, and a little quicker than 2 or 3 seasons a year. My God, at this rate it will take 5 years to complete the series, if they don't get cancelled again after 2 season.
Columbia, shame on you!
Rating:
Summary: Classic TV at it's best !
Review: After thoroughly enjoying the first season of All In The Family, i couldn't wait for the second season to come out on DVD. They don't make televison shows like this anymore. From the introduction of Bea Arthur as Maude to a guest appearance by Sammy Davis Jr., this show never fails to deliver great comedy.
I look forward to seeing all of the seasons being released of this ground breaking comedy series. I highly recommend this DVD set. It is definitely worth every penny!
Rating:
Summary: Season 3?
Review: All in the Family is arguably the greatest show of all time. I'd say it's my second favorite show behind only "The Sopranos." The second season is probably the series at its' best. When are we going to get season 3? It seems as if Columbia is bringing out only one a year. At that rate the whole series will be out by 2012. I can't wait that long. Please bring these sets out faster.
Rating:
Summary: How can you not love it?
Review: All In The Family: What an incredible show! It entertained while at the same time exposing the stupidity and ugliness of bigotry and the ignorance of those how claim to have a monopoly on the truth, as Archie Bunker did. It also showed how the "intellectual types" also need to keep a check on themseleves as Michael "Meathead" also showed a bit of his imperfect side from time to time. I have the complete First and Second Seasons. My favorite episode in this group is "The Saga of Cousin Oscar", an episode which dared to make death a funny subject. In episode number 10, "The Insurance is Cancelled", we see how "The System" can really screw us all up at one time or another. The CD set itself is fantastic and I like the way episodes are chosen on the interactive menu screen. The only thing I regret is that it is not dubbed into Spanish to show my friends in Spain so that they can witness a quality American TV sitcom. But it does include Spanish subtitles. Let's hope the complete Third Season comes out soon.
Rating:
Summary: For Season 2 of All in the Family its personal not political
Review: All things considered, the Second Season of "All in the Family" ends up being the best year of the classic situation comedy that gave birth to the Relevance Era of prime-time television programming. After all, the show was originally a mid-season replacement and there were only 13 episodes that first season. In 1971-72 "All in the Family" was the top-rated program on television, earning a 34.0 Nielsen rating, and winning second consecutive Emmy awards for Outstanding Series: Comedy and Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series: Jean Stapleton, as well as Carroll O'Connor's first Emmy for acting, one for Sally Strothers in her supporting role, and the awards for Directing (John Rich for "Sammy's Visit") and Writing (Burt Styler for "Edith's Problem"). Poor Rob Reiner, the forgotten figure in the ensemble (as if being Carl Reiner's son was not enough of an onus). The second season continues to provide the ranting and raving of Archie Bunker, but it is the entire family that emerges in these two dozen episodes as we get beyond Archie arguing with Mike, telling Edith to stifle, and Gloria to stop crying . There are also the show's most notable guest stars in terms of Sammy Davis, Jr., David Soul, Cleavon Little, Beatrice Arthur, and, in one episode ("The Elevator Story," January 1, 1972) Roscoe Lee Brown, Eileen Brennan, and Hector Elizondo. Clearly this was the hottest show on television and the entire idea of Archie driving a cab part-time was used mainly to set up an excuse for Archie Bunker to meet Sammy Davis, Jr. There are several possibilities for the key episode in Season Two, including "Flashback: Mike Meets Archie" (October 16, 1971) where we discover that even when Archie drove Mike from the house by singing "God Bless America," the conflict between the two is much more father and son-in-law than ideology. Life continues to deal Archie a series of blows at the start of the season as his sponging cousin Oscar drops dead in the bedroom upstairs ("The Saga of Cousin Oscar," September 18, 1971), he is arrested along with a group of radicals at a protest rally ("Archie in the Lock-Up," October 2, 1971), and his house is broken into ("Edith Writes a Song," October 9, 1971). But the biggest problems come from his wife, Edith, who suddenly becomes moody and irritable as she beings menopause ("Edith's Problem," January 8, 1972), and Edith's radical liberal cousin, Maude ("Cousin Maude's Visit," December 11, 1971). However, the sweetest moment of the season comes with the Bunkers dancing to "The Moonlight Serenade" after they are forced to live on their own for a week with the kids out of time ("Archie and Edith Alone," February 5, 1972). Mike has enough troubles without taking into account his constant verbal sparring with Archie. Gloria poses in the nude for one of his artist friends ("Gloria Poses in the Nude," September 25, 1971), has an old girlfriend dumping off a four-year-old boy she claims is his son ("Mike's Mysterious Son," January 22, 1972), and becomes temporarily impotent worrying about his grades ("Mike's Problem," November 20, 1971), in what was the most controversial episode since the show's original pilot because of the, uh, touchy subject. Although it was a supporting part, the show did puncture Mike's liberal views the same way it did Archie's conservative diatribes. If anyone emerges from Archie's shadow it was Edith, who asserts her individuality by leaving a note on a car after she accidentally dents it with a large can of cling peaches (in heavy syrup) ("Edith's Accident," November 6, 1971), and who ends up arbitrating a dispute between her husband and the owner of the Laundromat (Jack Weston), who knows Edith is honest, even if Archie does not ("Edith the Judge," February 26, 1972). I always thought that Carroll O'Connor's mugging grew over the years as an attempt to stop Jean Stapleton from constantly stealing every scene from him. However, if there is anybody who takes Archie down a peg or two during the second season, it is Archie himself. It is Archie who has let his voter registration lapse ("The Election Story," October 30, 1971), Archie who lays off the wrong person at the loading dock when he picks the Puerto Rican instead of Stretch Cunningham ("The Insurance is Cancelled," November 27, 1971), Archie who loses his Christmas Bonus ("Christmas Day at the Bunkers," December 18, 1971), who betrays a long-standing friendship ("Archie and the FBI," January 15, 1972), and who refuses to get involved when he witnesses a mugging ("Archie Sees a Mugging," January 29, 1972). Still, there were those who thought Archie Bunker was the conscience of the nation, and applauded his conservative politics ("The Man in the Street," December 4, 1971). By the time Season Two ended with what was the pilot for the spin-off series "Maude" (March 11, 1972), with the Bunkers attending the wedding of Maude's daughter Carole (who was played by Marcia Rodd and not Adrienne Barbeau at that point), "All in the Family" was the best show on television. It is the only series in the history of television to finish #1 in the Nielsen ratings five seasons in a row. "I Love Lucy" did not do that and neither did "Gunsmoke" or "The Cosby Show." But then all of those shows had an impact on their respective genres while "All in the Family" made relevant topics viable on every program on the tube.
Rating:
Summary: Bonus!
Review: Although several reviewers complain about the lack of "extras", these discs do have what I would consider "bonus footage". For TV syndication a brief "final act" for each show had been cut. The episodes on the DVD are complete. The final scenes of each episode contain some very funny material that I have never seen before, knowing these shows only from syndication.
Rating:
Summary: 'Bout time - Season Two ended it's year #1 in the ratings!!
Review: At last, Season Two of "All in the Family," arguably the best comedy series ever made, is coming to DVD! Here are the episodes from season two, as they were aired and in the order they should be on on DVD: #1 The Saga of Cousin Oscar -- Archie is incensed when his sponging cousin Oscar has the nerve to drop dead in the upstairs bedroom. #2 Gloria Poses in the Nude -- Mike has second thoughts after he agrees to let Gloria pose as a nude model for one of his artist friends (David Soul). #3 Archie in the Lock-Up -- Archie suffers his ultimate indignity when he's arrested along with a group of radicals at a protest rally. #4 Edith Writes a Song -- SOOOO funny!! A pair of burglars (Cleavon Little and Demond Wilson, who would go on to be Lamont in "Sanford and Son") holds the family at bay with Archie's own pistol. #5 Flashback: Mike Meets Archie -- On the Stivics' first wedding anniversary, the family recalls the day Archie and Michael met. #6 The Election Story -- Mike and Gloria campaign for the liberal candidate in a local election, while Archie places himself in the opposing camp. #7 Edith's Accident -- A priest pays a call to reward Edith's honesty for leaving a note on his car after she accidentally dents it with a large can of cling peaches. #8 The Blockbuster -- An unscrupulous black real-estate salesman tempts Archie to sell his house to a black family at an inflated price. #9 Mike's Problem -- Gloria is upset when Mike's nervousness over his grades causes him to become temporarily impotent. #10 The Insurance Is Canceled -- Archie lays off a Puerto Rican worker during a cutback at the dock; and his homeowner's policy is canceled when his neighborhood is redlined as a bad risk. #11 The Man in the Street -- Archie Bunker anticipates becoming the voice of the American working man when his man-on-the-street interview is scheduled to appear on Walter Cronkite's Evening News. #12 Cousin Maude's Visit -- Edith's feisty cousin, Maude (Bea Arthur), drops in for a visit during a flu epidemic at the Bunker House. #13 Christmas Day at the Bunkers -- Archie casts a pall on the family's Yuletide spirits when he complains that he was passed over for this year's Christmas bonus. #14 The Elevator Story -- Archie gets caught in an elevator, along with a pregnant Puerto Rican and her husband, an aging hippie, and an erudite black businessman. #15 Edith's Problem -- Edith is suddenly moody and irritable with the approach of menopause. #16 Archie and the FBI -- Archie's paranoia during a mysterious government investigation drives him to betray a long-standing friendship. #17 Mike's Mysterious Son -- An old girlfriend of Mike's suddenly arrives at the Bunkers' with a four-year-old boy who she claims is his son. #18 Archie Sees a Mugging -- Archie refuses to get involved with the police, even though he's the only witness to a neighborhood mugging. #19 Archie and Edith Alone -- The Bunkers are on their own for eight days after Mike and Gloria go off to spend a week at a commune. #20 Edith Gets a Mink -- Archie is too proud to let Edith accept a mink stole from her cousin Amelia, until he sees a chance to make a $300 profit. #21 Sammy's Visit -- Sammy Davis, Jr., encounters Archie Bunker in all his glory when the star ventures out to Queens to retrieve a briefcase he left in Munson's taxicab. #22 Edith the Judge -- Edith arbitrates a dispute between Archie and the irate proprietor of a laundromat. #23 Archie Is Jealous -- Archie is disturbed to discover that Edith once spent an entire weekend with an old beau. #24 Maude -- The Bunkers attend the wedding of cousin Maude's daughter, Carol. This episode served as the pilot for "Maude". The second season of "All in the Family" gave us a more sympathetic Archie to care about, and was also when the entire ensemble of actors came to work together, completely in their characters now. Few tv comedy shows ever came close to it, either before or since, and what a pleasure to have these on DVD! Let's hope maybe there are a few nice "extras" on this set though, as Season One had ZIP!
Rating:
Summary: Columbia TriStar has done it again
Review: Columbia TriStar has done it to us again. They present us with 1 or 2 seasons of a classic television show, and then stop. In addition to All in the Family, The Jeffersons appears to have been abandoned as well. I was really looking forward to purchasing Good Times, but don't want to begin another incomplete collection. I believe I speak for a lot of people who collect classic TV on DVD. These classics should be released in their entirety. They are our only escape from today's prescribed politically correct crap.
Rating:
Summary: Stop Complaining
Review: Everyone is whining about the poor picture quality about this DVD. All In The Family, like many other sitcoms of the era, was recorded on videotape, a cheap alternative to film, but it also aged quickly. Videotape uses a magnetic method of storing images; north and south, on and off, etc and tape slowly demagnitizes. Film doesn't. So over 30 years later, there's bound to be some degradation of picture quality. These look exactly the same as the Nick At Nite airings, contrary to an earlier review. Bottom line: this is as good picture quality as it gets. On the DVD itself: I love this show. Evry single episode is hilarious. Carroll O' Connor is 100000% perfect for the role of Archie Bunker, All-American. I just wish that there was even a lousy commentary track by the surviving members of the cast. Anyway, get it.
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