"All in the Family" and "Modern Family": two family sitcoms separated by time. Even with this separation of 40 years, there not only exists a stark contrast of differences between the shows themselves and the issues they address, they also share some similarities that show an interesting bridge between these shows and the past that constructs them.
One key difference is the staging of the shows. "All in the Family" is edited in a way that is linear and shot so that it feels like a play. These elements show a continuation of the 50's thought that liveness should be a component of television. In contrast, "Modern Family" is non-linear in its editing style and is more cinematic than its counterpart. This type of presentation calls upon the system of telefilm, mostly credited to Desilu, and the higher production values that these shows were supposed to have.
Beside the styles of the shows, the issues that they address (or don't address) adds more difference between the shows. "All in the Family" choose to center much of its conflict around the fact that an adult married couple are still living with their parents where "Modern Family" doesn't not have this family dynamic within any of the three families depicted. Conversely, "Modern Family" shows adds cultural diversity with Manny and Gloria, but "All in the Family" depicts lacks this diversity. Both issues were present in both decades, but the shows depiction of a certian issue over another demonstrates what issues were important to the time period over another.
Despite all of these differences, "All in the Family" and "Modern Family" do share some common ground. Probably the most interesting similarity is the addressing of homosexuality. Even though the treatment of the issue has dramatically changed, the representation of gay people alone is a testiment of both shows to push boundaries by challenging social norms. A more important similarity lies with the generational struggle that both shows depict. The tentions between the younger occupants versuses the elders create friction between characters within a household.
So while the differences between the 1970's family sitcom "All in the Family" and contempoary sitcom "Modern Family" have more differences than similarities, both aspects create a bridge not only between eras in TV history, but also speaks to a broader evolution of social issues within America.
Here's the episode of "Modern Family that I reference to:
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