Television has changed in many ways since the 70s. Some of these changes can be seen when comparing a 70s family-oriented situation comedy (All in the Family) and a modern family-oriented sitcom (George Lopez). The first, and foremost, difference between these two programs concerns the ethnicities of the lead characters. All in the Family is about a white family, whereas George Lopez is about an Hispanic-American family. All in the Family deals with two generations of family members: one consists of Archie and Edith Bunker, the other consists of Michael and Gloria Stivic. In George Lopez, three generations are present: George and Angie Lopez; their children, Max and Carmen; George's mother, Benita; and Angie's father, Victor. Also, All in the Family's main plot lines usually deal with disagreements between Archie and Michael due to their competing views on society, whereas the main plot lines of George Lopez episodes usually deal with George's and Angie's problems with raising their children (as well as the repercussions of the way that Benny raised George).
However, these two different shows also share many features in common. Both shows concern the day-to-day activities of two different families and how the members of those families relate to one another. Another similarity between them is they both contain a character whose principal character trait is to constantly berate the other characters: Archie in All in the Family and Benita in George Lopez. Also, both sitcoms feature many arguments between the patriarch and matriarch of each family (Archie and Edith, George and Angie).
Obviously, since All in the Family aired over 30 years ago, times have changed. Certain issues that were covered in episodes of that show are absent from George Lopez, and vice versa. One such issue is homosexuality. Homosexuality was a big issue in All in the Family. George Lopez has never really needed to cover that issue as much as All in the Family did because homosexuality is more commonplace today than it was back then. Another issue present in All in the Family was racism, mainly against black people. The civil rights movement was still happening during the 70s, so that would be a big issue to cover in a show like that. Nowadays, there are nowhere near as many occurrences, so a show like George Lopez never really needed to cover it. Issues covered in George Lopez that are absent from All in the Family include drug and alcohol abuse, dyslexia, teen pregnancy, and racial profiling against Muslims. These issues were either non-existent, seen as unimportant or too controversial to mention in a nationally syndicated television program in the 70s. However, as the years went by they became more prominent so it was more acceptable or important for a show to talk about them.
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