Maude

This show centered around Bea Arthur's Maude character. This is without a doubt the highlight of Bea's career. She took Maude & developed her into a larger than life liberated woman.

Bill Macy & Adrienne Barbeau are strong support, & this show dealt with women's liberation which was taboo on TV until this show. People forget that even in the early 1970's, employers still discriminated against women in the workplace. The major ones try to cover it up now, but those women who lived then know better.

This show was not always as well done as All in the Family, but was very socially relevant in its time. Another well produced Norman Lear sit-com.

The controversy of "All in the Family" continued with this original spin-off. The titled character (Beatrice Arthur), Archie Bunker's (Carroll O'Connor) cousin, was everything that the aforementioned was not. She was a wildly independent feminist who was on her fourth marriage (with appliance store owner Bill Macy) and cut others with a dry wit that was quietly malicious, but admittedly hilarious at the same time. Adrienne Barbeau was a dominant fixture as Arthur's daughter and neighbors Rue McClanahan and Conrad Bain just added to the overall adequacy the show had. "Maude" was in constant scrutiny. One episode dealt with the freedom of choice issue (a woman's right to have an abortion) and that definitely remains the most fiery and politically-incorrect (especially for the time period) episode of the series' seven-year run from 1972 to 1978. Never did reach as high as "All in the Family", but was a legitimate envelope-pusher that still strikes a nerve in many conservative circles. Good series overall. 4 stars out of 5.

"Maude" was a chance for the people of "All in the Family" to tackle the female side of the issues... by creating a powerful, subtle and humorous woman that had just as strong views as Archie Bunker.

Bea Arthur has since become well known for her humor and the looks at the camera... she was the perfect choice for Maude... noone else could have pulled it off.

Throughout the years "Maude" tackled many issues and caused controversial uproars, just as it's parent show "All in the Family" did.

When naming a list of the most memorable shows, "Maude" should be listed at the top... although it hasn't earned the respect as it should have now.

If you get a chance to watch this series... do it...

I really want to like this forward-thinking show from legendary TV creator Normal Lear, but the more episodes I've consumed in syndication lately, the more irritated I am getting. There's so much bickering and yelling over one another on this show that it's giving me mad anxiety.

I've barely made it through the 4th season and I am just about ready to tap out. Their British maid Mrs. Naugatuck is especially unbearable and quite possibly one of the worst casting decisions in all of television. Most shows tend to get better in their 3rd and 4th seasons as they continue to hone their craft, but this show appears to have gotten worse as it goes on. At least Adrienne Barbeau's career was launched with this series, but even here she's given little to do and reduced to jokes about her ample bosoms. Mind you, they are real and they are spectacular, but I doubt that's enough to keep me watching.

Maybe if I keep the headache medicine handy I can hang in there and finish the series, but it seems unlikely. There's plenty of other programming out there that won't drive me batty from marital bickering.

Lady Godiva was a freedom rider...

And when the country was falling apart, Betsy Ross had it all sewn up...and then there's Maude (repeat,) right on Maude.

That was part of the opening theme song of this very popular show of the 1970s brought about by Beatrice Arthur visiting Archie and Edith Bunker's home on "All in the Family." Go know that Edith and Maude were cousins. The hilarity broke loose when Maude's liberal views were tested with Archie's ultra-conservative leanings. Arthur was such a success on the show that she was given her own show "Maude."

While Maude is very liberal, the film showed that her home was anything but functional. I guess that the same can be said about any liberal or conservative.

The show was highlighted by another great supporting cast with Bill Macy and Adrienne Barbeau as husband and daughter to Maude, respectively.