All in the Family was pretty different from most family-comedy shows made today. First off, Archie's bigotry is something that would never make it to the final product. Today, Archie's actions, even to make a point on how bigotry is bad, really isn't acceptable. Another point of disconnect is the fact that the entire show is based around the message the author is trying to deliver. Shows today wouldn't repeat the same lesson over and over, they try to branch out more.
However, some things haven't changed since All in the Family. First of all, comedy is first and foremost. Writers then and writers now know that in order to get an audience to listen to your point, you have to grab their attention with good, funny writing. Another thing they have in common is the conflict within the family. In most episodes of shows like this, they get into an argument, and by the end of the show, it's resolved, and somebody's learned something.
All in the Family deals with quite a few issues that don't get so much airtime anymore. Things like race, gender identity, and bigotry don't often make appearances on family comedies anymore. Part of the reason for this is that the issues involved have been worked out. There aren't many Archies around anymore, and minorities for the most part have equal rights that used to be a subject with so much controversy around it. Another reason we no longer bring up such issues is that people have gotten much more sensitive about them. No one wants to offend anyone, and writers are under pressure to not make anything to stir up controversy.
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