Customer Reviews

All in the Family: The Complete Eighth Season

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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!

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.

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!!!

Although both the characters & controversy mellowed considerably, there was still much to laugh at in Season 8. By now, the characters of Archie, Edith, Mike & Gloria were so familiar to T.V. viewers that they felt like members of our own families. They were as worn & comfy as Archie's living room chair. After eight seasons, the show was still excellent in writing, performing, and tackling modern issues, some of them quite dark: Forgery, lesbianism, rape,self employment, pill addiction, the KKK, hate crimes, marital problems, estranged siblings, and so on. Special kudos to the wonderful actress Jean Stapleton for showing strength, humor & vulnerability in both powerful two-parters "Edith's 50th Birthday" and "Edith's Crisis of Faith". Even Carroll O'Connor--who became such a beloved T.V. icon--showed surprising sensitivity in the two-part "Archie and the Bitter Pill", a great performance. The two-man episode "Two's a Crowd" had a locked-in-the-storeroom Archie & Mike (sans Edith & Gloria) hashing out feelings which led to a startling revelation for Mike when a drunken Archie reveals the harsh childhood he had at the hands of his own father. And of course, there's the season ender "The Stivics Go West", the tearful episode which brought down the curtain on one of T.V.'s great foursome casts, and paved the way as the show eventually morphed into the amiable "Archie Bunker's Place".
Many fans consider this season as the pivotal one, as it was the last for the original cast, and the final season was really a warm-up for the impending ABP. SHOUT! Factory did a fine job of taking the reins from Sony Pictures in producing these last few seasons. Another DVD collection which made me laugh hard & brought back some sweet memories. "Those Were The Days", indeed!

Any volume of "All in the Family" that you may choose to buy will offer an equally rewarding dose of laughter, tears, and wonderful memories. This groundbreaking series continues to shine as an powerful impetus for so many ensuing television successes in the '70s, '80s and beyond. But, you already knew that.

Now, a few words about a two-parter included in season #8 entitled "Edith's 50th Birthday." No TV viewer in 1977 could have possibly been prepared for the content of this gripping entry. As our loveable Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton in a BRILLIANT performance) is alone in her home, making preparations for her birthday milestone, an intruder posing as a police officer enters and begins a slow but calculated sexual assault. Suddenly the usually cheerful and congenial Edith must think quickly on her feet and summon newfound courage and strength from deep within her soul. Even as this tense and serious situation unfolds, there is still room for a few moments of "comic relief"---albeit uneasy and nervous comic moments. The skillful blending of comedy and drama were, of course, always trademarks of this great program. However, we are treated here to two boldly extreme ends of the emotional spectrum. Things were never quite like this in the Bunker household before. Edith was such a sweet, gentle and beautiful lady. How could something as terrifying as this be happening to her? Remember, Edith was not simply a character on television. Edith Bunker was our mother, or sister, or aunt, or next door neighbor. Most of us have had an Edith in our lives. I am willing to bet that there were several million viewers on the night of this episode's premier (myself included) who were on the edge of their seats in horror and with a profound desire for swift vengeance.

***No "spoiler" here*** Edith's ultimate retaliation on her assailant produces the longest (and loudest) audience roar in the history of the series. Absolutely unforgettable! Make no mistake about it---this is television at its most powerful and memorable. This is entertainment at its very best!!!

If you have been following the series, you undoubtedly know that while these episodes had some serious issues, they were for the most part really funny.

By the 8th season, things started to take a turn for the tragic. The episdoes became much sadder and a lot more serious. The season starts with Archie buying the bar, and faking Edith's signature on a document that puts their house up as collateral.

Keeping in the tragic cycle, Edith is sexually assaulted. (And on her birthday of all days.) While these episodes are getting sadder, seeing Edith suffer like this is especially painful, and almost unwatchable.

When Archie opens the bar, things don't go so well, and it's especially sad seeing him turn to drugs. While he was always lovable and had some redeeming features, he's really turning into a tragic character now.

Going down the same sad path, Edith has her faith shaken when her friend Beverly LaSalle is brutally murdered around Christmas. (He was trying to save Michael during a mugging.)

Going on, when it finally looks like Archie's new bar is taking off, he is robbed on a big day.

In an interesting episode "Two's A Crowd," Michael learns Archie was an abused child and also discovers other sad things of Archie's past.

And of course there is the sad 3 part episode where Michael and Gloria say goodbye. (That was an especially sad episdoe to end the series with. Though at least Archie and Michael finally made some peace.)

The only really hilarious episode in this season is "Edith and the Commercial." Edith proves there is such a thing as 'just a little too honest' when she blows a new career and lots of money for her family.

Overall, it's a good season. But it does take a turn for the more depressing.

Throughout the numerous TV programs I have watched over the years, I've found it to be a rare feat for a show to, after experiencing a dip in overall quality, crank things back into that upper echelon again. Usually, the slippery-slope of quality is a one-way street: downhill.

This eighth season of All In The Family is a big exception to that rule. After 4-5 seasons of brilliance, this show began noticeably showing its age in seasons 6-7. Thus, in all honesty, I didn't expect much from Season Eight. Boy, was I ever shocked at the return to comedy/dramatic genius!

In previous seasons, the focus of the show shifted in favor of Edith (Jean Stapleton) and the Stivic Family (Rob Reiner & Sally Struthers), with Archie (Carroll O'Connor) often relegated to "peanut gallery" comments. Season Eight brings the focus back to Archie, or right where it needs to be. Not to say that the other characters aren't developed, because they certainly are, but when the comedy/drama of AITF runs through Mr. Bunker, everything just seems to fall into place.

In all honesty, this season includes some of the greatest moments in show history, including:

-Archie mortgaging his home to purchase Kelsie's Bar (and forging Edith's signature to do so).

-Edith's terrifying encounter with a rapist and how it scars her emotionally.

-A very candid, albeit drunken, conversation between Archie and "Meathead" in which Archie reveals a bit more about his own childhood and how he was treated by his father.

-The Stivic's tearful farewell as they leave for California due to Mike's new professor job. I consider the last five minutes of this episode to be the best single scene in show history.

Thus, while previous seasons perceptibly tilted towards pure comedy (1-4) or drama (5-7), this effort combines both emotions to provide perhaps the best all-around season the show ever produced.

Had this season been another disappointment, I would have been tempted to skip the upcoming Season 9 (released in May 2011) altogether. Now, however, I'm fired up again for AITF and will be finishing out the string come May!

It's such a relief that Shout! Factory picked up the slack and released the last three seasons of All in the Family on DVD. I had been waiting for season 8 to be released for quite some time, and for a while it looked like it would never happen. Unlike season 7, the first AITF set to be released by SF, season 8 is one of the very best seasons of the entire series, perhaps even the best of them all.

Season 8 contains the best story arc of the entire series--Archie quits his job on the loading dock and opens his own saloon. Taking Archie out of the house and having him face the struggles of trying to run his own business is a huge breath of fresh air for the show, which was beginning to grow stale since the Stivics moved next door at the beginning of season 6. The episodes that deal with Archie running his bar are sometimes hilarious ("Archie's Grand Opening"), sometimes heartbreaking ("Archie and the Super Bowl"), and sometimes equal doses of both (the sublime two-part "Archie's Bitter Pill").

Besides having such a strong overall story arc, this season is packed with some of the most memorable episodes of the entire series. "Edith's 50th Birthday" is the famous episode where Edith nearly gets raped in her own home, but gets saved by her own quick thinking. "Archie and the KKK" features Archie trying to stop the Ku Klux Klan from burning a cross on the Stivics' lawn. "Edith's Crisis of Faith" may be the most progressive of all--it features the death of drag queen Beverly LaSalle, family friend of the Bunkers, with Edith becoming so heartbroken she questions her own faith in a Christian God.

Finally, there's "Two's a Crowd," where Archie and Mike get locked in the storage room at Archie's Place and end up having a drunken, hilarious and revealing conversation about Archie's past. Carroll O'Connor himself declared it his favorite episode of All in the Family.

Despite featuring such a strong set of episodes, perhaps indicating the show had truly found its second wind, season 8 was the last great season of AITF. It would also be the last season that was taped in front of a live studio audience, who were such an integral part of the show's energy and live feel. (Season 9 was pre-taped, then played for a live audience to get the laugh track.) Also, Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner left the show as regular cast members after this season, though they do appear as guest stars in season 9.

Nevertheless, this season is essential for those have collected the previous sets; it's simply remarkable how the show was able to still produce so many amazing episodes in its eighth season on the air. Now that it's finally on DVD, without syndication cuts, it should not be missed by any fan of All in the Family or any fan of great television.

I am a big fan of All in the Family from the 70s. However I hate, passionly how Sony never group this series in a deal. Not only that how they release each and every season months aparts. Its just insane to make fan waits years to get a series when other series have made made into a box set.But nevertheless the show itself was groundbreaking and showed the growth of its characters and gave us spins off of -- The Jefferson, Good Times, and Maude so I cannot and will not hate on the show. I guess I just have to wait like everyone else for the Ninth Season, etc, etc, etc.

In my opinion, THE best series ever produced for TV. The actors chosen to play the Bunkers and the Stivics created a perfect chemistry that worked beyond belief. I think that this is proven by the fact that after the departure of the Stivics (the end of this 8th season) for California, the show just wasn't the same; at least not for me and my hubby. Folks either loved or hated this show; don't think there were any in betweens. I highly recommend this season of "All in the Family"!