what have we always said is the most important thing? >> breakfast. >> family. >> family. >> yeah. >> family is key to the sitcom -- mama! >> it's something that we all can relate to. >> shake, shake, shake up the -- >> in these people's homes for years. you're a part of the family. >> one good thing about moving here is i have no friends and no distractions. that's why i got all -- grandma, what does fonzie say? >> hey. >> the family sitcom brings people together in a really unexpected way. >> there's so many different dynamics at work in families. >> i want you here. it will give us a chance to get reacquainted. >> that implies we are acquainted at one point. >> there's a lot of pain. a lot of laughter. you sort of recognize your dynamic in there and go -- well, their family's just as crazy as mine. >> i don't care who kissed who and who's got a pimple on her head and who is wearing an outrageously inappropriate dress. we are going to get together and act like a normal family for one tenth of a freaking succeed and do it right now. let's go. >> it's amazing to track the history of the family sitcom because you can really see so much about culture throughout the years now looking back. ♪ >> you know, it was "i love lucy" that kicked it off. >> first offering this evening, we expect that and go back and sit down. [ laughter ] >> it was a show about a ditsy woman who wanted to be in show business. >> have you ever considered acting? >> has she ever considered act acting? >> her husband who was latin and a musimusician. >> i don't want my wife in show business. >> why not? >> lucille ball was always trying to emachines pate herself from the -- emancipate herself from the wife and homemaker role. [ laughter ] >> every time she gets the opportunity, something goes awry. >> lucille ball was fearless in her physical comedy. women were supposed to be demure, dainty, and in their place. >> lucille ball was one of my favorites for timing her bits. >> what do you think you're doing? well? >> "i love lucy" became a phenomenon instantly. >> when you think about the era that lucille ball came up in and what she was able to achieve, it's astounding. >> i'm a father, i'm a father! >> when lucy and ricky had a baby, it was, like, huge. it was the highest-rated show of the series. it changed the dynamic, because all of a sudden it became centered around the family unit. >> i think "i love lucy" was the "big bang" of the family sitcom. >> the family moved to the suburbs. >> gee, isn't this exciting? we're in our very own home. >> that mirrored what was happening in america at the time. >> advertisers wanted to cater towards that new suburban family that needed to buy that kitchen appliance or needed to buy that vacuum. >> after "i love lucy," there was a formula for what the american family should look like. ♪ >> "ozzie and harriet." >> i just loved everybody in it, actually. >> bring it in, i'm starved. >> it was a happy, gentle, american family of the 1950s. >> how much do you need? >> never mind, pop, that's okay. >> don't worry about it, you can pay me back. >> honest, pop, i don't want it. >> what's wrong with you, david? you got rocks in your head? >> the kids were very polite. everybody was very nice to each other. those were not real people, but they entertained and delighted us. >> all right, kids. dinner's on, we're sitting down. >> when you get to "father's knows best," it's patriarchal. dealing with tiny little problems. >> ah, a quiet evening at home. i can use it. >> and i played bud. bud usually had a problem with truth-telling on some level. >> what was all that racket upstairs? >> i didn't hear anything. >> "father knows best" represented the good life, the american dream. >> i'll read you one story, then off to bed you go. >> then "leave it to beaver" enters the sitcom realm until 1957. >> what's that? >> a haircut, i think. >> the real key to "leave it to beaver" is that it's written from a child's point of view. >> why don't you let stanley cut your hair? >> i lost all my money. >> you have the character of beaver, and you have wally, who is his older brother who usually does things right. beaver is always the one that gets in trouble. >> and there were the parents to teach them, show them the right path. >> we want you to feel that you can come to me or to your mother with any problem, and we'll understand. >> in the 1950s, sitcoms were really giving us an idealistic version of america. >> but as we get into the '60s, we'll see different types of family sitcoms. >> i'm sure i'll be able to handle a little washing and cooking the occasional meal. (vo) get verizon business unlimited from the network businesses rely on. like manny. event planning with our best plan ever. (manny) yeah, that's what i do. (vo) with 5g ultra wideband in many more cities, you get up to 10 times the speed at no extra cost. get verizon business unlimited from the network businesses rely on. ♪ ♪ this is the moment. for a treatment for moderate-to-severe eczema. cibinqo — fda approved. 100% steroid free. not an injection, cibinqo is a once-daily pill for adults who didn't respond to previous treatments. and cibinqo helps provide clearer skin and less itch. cibinqo can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. do not take with medicines that prevent blood clots. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, lung, skin and other cancers, serious heart-related events, and blood clots can happen. people 50 and older with heart disease risk factors have an increased risk of serious heart-related events or death with jak inhibitors. this is the moment. but we've only just begun. speak with your doctor about cibinqo today. an innovation from pfizer. this is the ergo smart base from tempur-pedic. and it responds to snoring - automatically. so no more nudging your partner. or opting for the couch. because the tempur-ergo smart base is our first system that detects snoring and automatically adjusts to help reduce it. your best sleep. all night. every night. don't miss our best offer of the year, with savings up to $700 on select* adjustable mattress sets, and experience the deep, undisturbed rest of tempur-pedic. learn more at *tempurpedic.com i'm a bad mommy. >> no, you're a disaster, mom. >> you're a big [ bleep ], [ bleep ]. your sister is an [ bleep ] and your other sister's great. >> aww, thanks, mom! >> "better things" is about a single mom raising her three daughters on her own. >> you're my mom. i want you to know if i have sex or if i want to get high. >> it's dirty. it's funny. >> no, hide things from me! please! >> "better things" is a fascinating example of the way the family sitcom has adapted to the 21st century. >> mom, where's the broom? >> what are you being, a witch? >> no, i'm going to be a useless housewife from the '50s. >> i love that! >> throughout the years the boundaries have been pushed back and the walls have come down. if you look back to the '50s there was a lot of confines on what family looked like and what was acceptable and what wasn't. >> hi, jacks! >> "my thr mie tmy three sons w show that deviated from the perfect "pleasantville" nuclear family. >> are you going to blow up the stove again? >> no, eddie. i don't think i'll make that same mistake again. >> it was a show about a single dad. he was a widower with three boys trying to raise them in an all-male household. everyone had to do something. everyone had to pitch in. we did dishes. you know, we were darning socks. these are things that you never saw in the "ozzie and harriet" show, or "donna reid," or "leave to it beaver." >> hey, that's mine, i got it! >> when you watch a show based on losing someone, that adds a deep-rooted truth to the hardness of life. and then it gives comedy even more of a reason to go as crazy as you want to go. >> i think that shirt's done. >> my shirt! >> well, you'll just have to wear your pants higher. >> in the '60s you see the sitcom move away from telling stories that are solely focused on the nuclear suburban family. >> divorce, of course, had become more prevalent in the '60s, had become more part of normal american life. but it took awhile to be reflected in sitcoms. ♪ the brady bunch ♪ >> "the brady bunch" is the story of two separate families being glued together. >> a man with three boys, a woman with three girls. the man would be a widower and the woman divorced. but divorce was a taboo topic on television, so they said, let's just leave it so you don't know. >> hey what are you yelling about, huh? >> she stole our ball. >> i'm just trying to find out what they did with my scuba boards. >> "the brady bunch" was an evolution of "leave it to beaver." it was shown from the kids' point of view. >> will you lend me your skate key? >> i'm not lending anything to a snitcher. >> it was all about what children are having problems with. their appearance or schoolwork or their friends. >> pete brady, interception, goes for a shot -- >> you know, oh, you broke the vase! it was those kinds of everyday problems. >> marsha, i'm proud to be your sister no matter how terrible you look. >> thanks a lot! >> this is airing in the nixon era when vietnam is raging and people are losing faith in government. >> all these things were happening and "the brady bunch" was kind of a refuge. >> watching "the brady bunch," having all these brothers and sisters, it was a great getaway for me. >> "the brady bunch" was a huge success for abc. that led to "the partridge family" which really attracted a young, hungry audience. ♪ >> hey, kids. hollywood boulevard. >> we were a musical family that would travel around doing shows. ♪ ♪ you made my day ♪ >> i was for sure going to marry david cassidy. that was definitely going to happen. ♪ you're the look in my eyes ♪ >> "the partridge family" is trying to embrace this hippy, cool culture. >> what did you hit, mom? >> i think it was a studebaker. >> you crazy hippies, it's bad enough you don't trust anyone over 30. now you're trying to wipe us out! >> it takes this phenomenon of the counterculture and makes it very safe. >> relax, mom. just remember our whole future depends on these next few minutes. >> it was an escape from the real world for a lot of people. >> in new york, a student protest is met by construction work. and the tense state in ohio, four students are killed. >> but some people didn't want to hide from what was happening. >> people are like, no, we want to hear about all the stuff and how it's affecting our families. that's when shows like "all in the family" came on. >> norman was at the beginning of his career, was looking to find a show that he could really make his own. he was turned on to a british series called "'til death do us part." >> it was about a bigoted father. i said holy moly, that's the way i grew up. and i knew i had a show. >> take one! >> they shot the pilot at abc. featured carol o'connor and gene stapleton as archie and edith bunker. >> we don't see any evidence of god. >> that's right, daddy. >> i know we had a couple of pinkos in the house, i didn't know we had a pair of atheists! >> it was not well received by abc. they watched it and felt there wasn't the chemistry there. >> we make it again with two different young people. >> we don't see any evidence of god, that's all. >> that's right, daddy. >> i knew we had a couple of pinkos in this house, but i didn't know we had a pair of atheists! >> the network freaks out about whether people will be able to watch this show that has, like, real issues. >> everybody is nervous, and there are people saying they're going to kill you. they're going to shoot you dead in the streets. what happens to your body language when you use dove dry spray? [laughing] it shows. try dove dry spray. our weightless formula with 1/4 moisturizers is effective and kind to skin. leaving you feeling instantly dry and confident. what's the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® smooths the look of fine lines in 1-week, deep wrinkles in 4. so you can kiss wrinkles goodbye! neutrogena® only at vanguard, you're more than just an investor—you're an owner. we got this, babe. that means that your dreams are ours too. and our financial planning tools can help you reach them. that's the value of ownership. football, housewives, football, housewives, football, housewives... whoops. oh no... the housewives are on the field. i repeat, the housewives are on the field. i just want to talk! yeah! who flips a table? get your tv together with the best of live and on demand. call 1-800-directv as a business owner, your bottom line is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable 5g network. with no line activation fees or term contracts. saving you up to $500 a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities. ™ in 1970, cbs is trying to change their landscape. they had all these rural family sitcoms. they were looking for more sophisticated sitcoms. >> after abc declined to move forward with the "all in the family" pilot, norman lear made the decision to move the show over to cbs. >> they said, yes, but you need a new set of kids. so rob reiner and i were the third set of children for archie and edith bunker. >> so i made the pilot for the third time. same script. i wouldn't change a word. >> so let's hear it again, huh? what did you mean by "what god"? >> we just don't see any evidence of god. that's all. >> that's right, daddy. >> that's right, kid. i knew we had a couple pinkos in this house but i didn't know we had atheists! >> i do remember seeing the opening episode and realizing, my god, the ground is shaking under me. >> and we reach over each other at the table, and we have arguments. >> because guys like you are unwilling to give the black man, the mexican-american, and all the other minorities their just and rightful share of the american dream! >> that didn't happen before. we got real. political strife. interpersonal issues. generation gaps. and they're dealing with it all in the family. >> now i suppose you're going to tell me that the black man has had the same opportunity in this country as you? >> more. he's had more. i didn't have a million people marching and protesting to get me my job. >> no, his uncle got it for him. [ laughter ] >> archie was saying things you don't say on television. >> just because a guy is sensitive and he's an intellectual and he wears glasses, you make him out a queer. >> i never said a guy who wears glasses is a queer. a guy who wears glasses is four eyes, a guy who's a fag is a queer. >> looking at that show, you're looking around like you're going to be arrested. >> it was jaw dropping. it was funny but very challenging. and you realized norman lear is taking us into a whole new realm of comedy. >> the blow back from the public was buried by the excitement and the applause. [ applause ] >> the show was number one for a long time. >> it changed cbs and their brand as a network. as a result of "all in the family," they turned to norman lear to create more shows in that image. >> there is a person at the door. maude! >> bea arthur played maude as edith's cousin on "all in the family." >> maudie is here. >> and she could take on archie head to head. >> now you can either come to the table and eat, or you can lie there and feed off your own fat. >> the story goes that by the time that episode had aired, fred silverman who was in charge of cbs at the time called norman lear and said, get that woman her own show. ♪ >> that was not your all-american family. >> maybe you're getting senile in your old age. >> thank you, darling. i only hope i live long enough to become a burden to you. >> maude is an independent, strong woman who speaks her mind. she was married to her fourth husband, walter, played by bill macy. >> i don't have time to fix your breakfast. here, have some cold knockwurst. >> loved their combative relationship. i still to this day, if somebody pisses me off, i'll say, "god will get you for that, walter." >> god will get you for that, walter. >> "maude" was really the first time that we saw such a fiercely independent woman who wasn't afraid to speak her mind at the center of a family sitcom. >> maude had a maid, florida, who was a great character. her husband made an appearance. >> i am proud of you, florida, it's just that i don't want you to be a maid no more. >> your mother was a maid, that's how your brothers got through school and you got to be a fireman. >> when john amos and esther rolle finished a scene, we thought, let's fill out that family. ♪ good times ♪ >> that's the first time you ever saw a black family on television. >> look who finally got back from her honeymoon in the bathroom mirror. >> knock it off, j.j., your mouth is always ahead of your think piece. >> let's face it, this family ain't ozzie and harriet. >> they were very different from other sitcom families, from the point that we were urban. trying to survive on the south side of chicago with a dad that has spotty job situations. >> it's a cold world out there, and we can't change it. >> maybe we can't change it, james, but we sure can't let it change us. >> "good times" was not only to show the problems but show the love of a minority family. >> we're staying in a used car lot of love. >> in 20 years we only turned out one clunker. >> the idea of white families seeing things on an episode of "good times" that they could relate to their own experience, that is a power that cannot be duplicated with hours of conversation. >> it showed how sitcoms weren't afraid to discuss social issues that had formerly been taboo. ♪ this is it ♪ >> when you get to something like "one day at a time," the single mother in that show is divorced. that was unusual for television. >> i haven't had a happy minute since we moved to indianapolis. sure was different before the divorce, when daddy was around. >> yeah, yeah, i know. you used to wrap him around your little finger. >> all the single parents before had been widowed. so television begins to catch up with who we are. >> what you doing, mom? >> i am circling the jobs for which it would appear i am qualified. >> i don't see any circles. >> exactly. >> i mean, it was the '70s. women were feeling empowered to have lives of their own and to still have a family. >> darling, would you like to tell me what's going on between you and chuck? >> you're going to die! >> i only did it because i love you! >> showing what a family goes through. showing what it's like to raise two daughters in a divorce. >> we'll make it. i promise. >> i love you. >> we grow up in families, and we all share these experiences in one way or another. >> "one day at a time," "all in the family," "maude," "good times," all these family sitcoms, they just owned the top ten. i'm lindsey vonn, and ever since i retired from skiing, i've had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. you know, insomnia. before i found quviviq, an fda-approved insomnia medication for adults. you would not believe the things i used to think about when i couldn't sleep. hey, linds. i need you to sign this business contract. all 114 pages. lindsey, lindsey!! hey, lindsey! it's workout time. hey, big man, we're in the middle of something here. yeah, it's called physical fitness. just a couple dozen more questions, lindsey. don't forget to pack your phone charger for tomorrow morning's fli