Product Details

• Actors: Carroll O'Connor, Rob Reiner
• Directors: Norman Lear
• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Shout! Factory
• DVD Release Date: January 11, 2011
• Run Time: 570 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00465I13S
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,731 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "All in the Family: The Complete Eighth Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

All 24 Original Half-Hour Episodes from 1977-1978

Season Eight of the award-winning television series from Norman Lear earned Emmys for Carroll O’Connor, Jean Stapleton and Rob Reiner, not to mention the award for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series.

This second to last season finds Archie (O’Connor), Edith (Stapleton) and the Stivics (Reiner and Sally Struthers) battling some difficult issues when Archie buys a bar he cannot afford, Edith questions her faith and Mike and Gloria plan a move to California. As dark as the plots run at times, the laughs always shine through in this perfectly balanced and performed sitcom that inspired spin-offs Maude and The Jeffersons.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These Are The Days...the last days of Mike and Gloria, October 11, 2010

By 

Reconnecting To My Childhood "Time Won't Let ... - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: All in the Family: The Complete Eighth Season (DVD)

Finally!!! Season Eight is being released in January 2011, supposedly on the 11th. The last true season of the show as fans know it. While the show continues with a ninth season and respectively spins off into the enjoyable Archie Bunkers Place it was always the simplisticly genius combination of Archie, Edith, Gloria and Mike that made the show what it was.

This season is surprisingly still full of classics even after the show had already aired seven years. While Archie had always worked on the loading dock and been an underdog it was nice to finally see him get his due and become the owner of his own business. There are lots of nice moments between Archie and Mike, Gloria and Mike continue to deal with real marital troubles and Edith deals with two of the most traumatic experiences in her life, Jean Stapleton does a terrific job as does the whole cast. It all builds up to the sentimental goodbye of Mike, Gloria and their baby Joey as they move to California and leave their roles as series regulars behind. This set will be 3-discs and contain the following 24 episodes (575 minutes):


Archie Gets the Business (1) - When Kelsey finally decides to sell his bar, nothing will stop Archie from getting it--even if it means forging Edith's signature against her will.

Archie Gets the Business (2) - Edith is upset when she discovers Archie has forged her signature to get the bar. But Mike will influence Mrs. Bunker to change her mind.

Cousin Liz - When Cousin Liz dies, Edith and Archie learn more about her than they ever thought. When a roomate of Liz, Veronica, comes out of the closet to Edith, she also admits that she was more than just roomates with Liz.

Edith's 50th Birthday (1) - The family all prepare for Edith's surprise 50th birthday party but while they are all over at Mike and Gloria's Edith gets an unexpected visit from a policeman claiming there is a rapist in town. Edith invites the officer in only later realizing he is the rapist when he holds her at gunpoint.

Edith's 50th Birthday (2) - In the aftermath of her sexual assault Edith tells the family what happened but is told by Archie not to tell the police despite Mike and Gloria insisting she should. Edith then deals with after effects when she won't confront her issues so Gloria has a talk with Archie.

Unequal Partners - Archie must delay his weekend fishing trip with Barney when Edith announces that she has invited people from the SunShine Home to attend an elderly couple's wedding at 704 on the same day Archie planned to leave.

Archie's Grand Opening - Harry the bartender quits on the eve of Archie's opening night at the bar. When the family all helps him out on opening day things quickly get out of control, Mike not knowing how to mix proper drinks, Gloria getting hit on and Edith trying to sing.

Archie's Bitter Pill (1) - When business at the bar isn't going well Archie is down until he takes some pills passed onto him by a friend. When the pills wear out Archie becomes more depressed than before about his dream falling apart.

Archie's Bitter Pill (2) aka Archie's Road Back - A despondent Archie retreats to his bedroom, until Harry offers to bail him out with a partnership offer for the bar. Will Archie swallow his pride?

Archie and the KKK (1) - When Mike write's an article a new club who disagrees with it asks Archie to join. Only after joining does Archie realize the club is the Kweens Kouncil of Krusaders.

Archie and the KKK (2) - Archie devises a plan to prevent the Klan from burning a cross on Mike and Gloria's lawn, will it work?

Mike and Gloria Meet - A flashback episode. The family relives Mike and Gloria's blind date where they first insulted each other and ended up having sex in the kitchen.

Edith's Crisis of Faith (1) - Edith's religious faith is shaken after her friend, female impersonator Beverly LaSalle, is brutally murdered by street thugs at Christmas.

Edith's Crisis of Faith (2) - Mike is put in the hospital and Beverly LaSalle is murdered by a thug at Chistmas.

The Commercial - Edith is chosen to appear in a tv commericial but finds herself unable to lie when she begins to doubt the quality of the sponsor's detergent.

Super Bowl Sunday - Archie's Place is held hostade and robbed on Superbowl Sunday, the busiest day of the year.

Aunt Iola's Visit - Archie refuses to let Edith's elderly aunt move into their spare bedroom, even after she's been turned away by every other relative.

Love Comes to Butcher - Archie is jealous when a lonely butcher lavishes attention on Edith.

Two's A Crowd - Mike and Archie have a long talk after they find themself locked in the storeroom of Archie's Place. (A Fantastic episode that Carol O'Connor claimed to be a favorite, delves deeply into Archie's character).

Stalemates - Mike and Gloria are sure the romance has gone out of their marriage when even a weekend in the Poconos fails to reignite the spark.

The Brother - Archie's estranged brother returns, after twenty-nine years, to smooth things over before he enters the hospital for a serious operation.

Mike's New Job - The Stivics prepare to move to California after Mike is offered a teaching position in Santa Barbara. (Sherman Hemsley does a quick cameo as George Jefferson!).

The Dinner Guest - Edith is crushed when Mike and Gloria make their other plans after she's prepared a special farewell dinner in their honor.

The Stivics Go West - The Bunker house is the scene of many tearful good-byes when Mike and Gloria finally leave for California.


There you have it, a fantastic season of a classic show, possibly 'the' most classic sitcom. While not as consistent or rapid fire as earlier seasons the show evolved by this point to have a nice pace. It aged well and each episode's premise always remains humorous, interesting and fresh (even when revisiting similar topics). The characters have been so established by this point that fans like myself watch each episode just to feel as if we're visiting old friends. Thanks so much to Shout! for getting the rights to this series and finally releasing it, now please release the ninth season as well and as quickly as you released the eighth after the seventh. Maybe then start working on the rights and release of Archie Bunker's Place, seasons 2-4. Thanks!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thankfully, Shout Factory Gets It Right This Time!, October 11, 2010

By 

Kasey G (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All in the Family: The Complete Eighth Season (DVD)

Wow! Sony drops the ball over three years ago when they quit releasing the most groundbreaking, influential TV sitcom ever; and Shout! Factory picks it up and keeps running with it.

In a three-month span, Shout! will have released Seasons 7 and 8 of our beloved "All in the Family". They brought us Season 7 on October 5, 2010 and now the fantastic Season 8 has been announced for January 11, 2011!

While I was thrilled when I heard Shout! acquired the DVD rights to this show, Season 7 was never one of my favorites, though I still bought it.

This release, on the other hand, contains most of my absolute favorite episodes of the entire series!

By 1977, many thought "All in the Family" had its best days behind it. The show had sat atop the Nielsen ratings for FIVE consecutive seasons from 1971-76. During 1976-77, it toppled from #1 down to #12. Mike and Gloria had moved out of the house. They gave the Bunkers a grandson. Archie and Edith took in a boarder. It seemed that the show was on the verge of losing steam.

At the start of the 1977-78 season, Archie bought Kelsey's Bar. But the fresh idea of Archie as his own boss is not the reason for the upswing this season. It has to do with a handful of brilliant episodes that dealt with controversial subjects (as this show did plenty) that were written with such depth and heart, they are still powerful over 30 years later. The series rebounded back into the Top 5 in the Nielsens on the strength of these episodes.

On this set we get "Edith's 50th Birthday" where America was mortified to see their favorite frumpy TV housewife the victim of a rapist in her own home. If you haven't seen this one, it packs a wallop and Jean Stapleton gives a legendary performance.

Jean also shines in the hour-long "Edith's Crisis of Faith", this year's Christmas episode that has Edith beside herself over the tragic and unnecessary death of her female impersonator friend Beverly Lasalle.

Another of my favorites this season is "Cousin Liz", with guest K Callan as the newly widowed partner of Edith's lesbian cousin who has a big favour to ask, but Archie stands in her way.

The season-finale is one that will have you reaching for the Kleenex as Mike and Gloria prepare to move to California. The final exchange between Mike and Archie is one of TV's most touching moments, ever IMO.

For their work this season, Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton and Rob Reiner all took home Emmys (Sally Struthers lost the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award to Julie Kavner of "Rhoda"). The writers and directors of "Cousin Liz" and "Edith's 50th Birthday" also won top honors in their respective categories, and "All in the Family" won for best series.

This set is thankfully not plagued with the authoring problems that marred the Season Seven DVDs, so the picture doesn't suffer and looks like its original video broadcast, only sharper and clearer. The one-hour episodes are also presented as they were in 1977, with a "Stay Tuned" appearing on-screen at the end of the first half, instead of being presented as the two parts they were split into for syndication.

Like all previous releases, this is a barebones edition with no bonus features, but I still give a BIG thank-you to Shout! Factory for bringing us these gems, uncut, and in MORE than a timely manner. We are one season away from having this landmark series complete on DVD.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Entire Series Soon To Be On DVD!", October 13, 2010

By 

Terry Richard "Terry Richard" (Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: All in the Family: The Complete Eighth Season (DVD)

With the announcement that Shout! Factory will be releasing "All in The Family- Season 8" in January, 2011 comes the fact that the entire catalogue of "All in The Family" episodes will be made available on DVD. Season 8 is the second to the last season of this groundbreaking sitcom and Shout! has committed itself to releasing the last three remaining years after Sony refused to do so.

Many critics and fans regard season 8 of "All in The Family" as the last great year the series had as well as one of the show's finest seasons. After a dismal fall in ratings in season 7 that saw the show fall out of the Top 10, season 8 brought renewed popularity to "All in The Family" and the sitcom finished the 1977-1978 season at #4. With improved writing the sitcom also received its most Emmys ever in a single year winning awards for Jean Stapleton for Best Actress in a Comedy, Carroll O'Connor for Best Actor, Rob Reiner for Best Supporting Actor, and the writing team won an Emmy for the two-part episode "Edith's Birthday" where Edith deals with an attempted rape.

This also marks Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner's final year as Mike and Gloria and the season's finale where they go off to California with baby Joey for a new life is not to be missed.

Other wonderful stories told this season were ones in which Archie buys Kelcey's bar and his attempts at making it successful, Edith questioning her faith when her friend Beverly LaSalle (a female impersonator) is killed, Archie's dealing with the KKK, and the episode where Mike and Archie are locked in a storage basement as Rob Reiner and Carrol O'Connor are the only ones appearing on the show.

This set includes all season 8's 24 episodes, and like previous sets there are no special features. However, as fans of one of the greatest television shows ever broadcast on network TV we should be thankful the seasons are being released in their entirity. I for one am ecstatic!!!