Tough Love

I was never a fan of "Archie Bunker's Place" and rarely watched the show when it initially aired. This was because it was basically a continuation of "All in the Family"...stripped of all its important social satire and sharp edges. Archie's foil, Michael, was not on the show (he and Gloria left "All in the Family" late in its run-- she returned briefly to "Archie Bunker's Place") and in season two, Edith was killed off. In their places was a 'cute' little girl and lots of folks working with Archie which would seem to indicate that he's inexplicably no longer a bigot--a Jewish partner, a black housekeeper, Hispanic kitchen help...the list goes on. The bottom line is that the character was NOT Archie any more and the show was often quite boring as a result.

I say all this because in light of my hatred of the show, it's striking that I really liked "Tough Love". While it lacked the old Archie, it was a wonderful portrait of substance abuse. Plus, it gave excellent examples to the viewer on how to deal with the alcoholic or addict. Well written, very touching and an odd aberration for an otherwise weak and dull show.