"That 70s Show" is a sitcom that premiered in 1998 on Fox that was based on the lives of a group of teens and it is set in the 70s, which means that this show is a period sitcom. "All in the Family" first aired in 1971 and was a sitcom that accentuated the lives of one family. The main difference between these two sitcoms is the issues that the characters go through. While "All in the Family" was literally filmed in the 70s, "That 70s Show" was filmed in the late 90s and made about the 70s, which makes a huge difference. The "All in the Family" cast is actually going through that time period and talking about issues that were truly raised during that time and they do stay away from your not-so-TV-friendly subjects. The "That 70s Show" cast has more freedom actually filming in the 90s because they don't have to abide by that 'silent rule of thumb' when thinking about what to put in the show. They can look back at the 70s and talk about everything that wasn't 'allowed' on TV back then.
The way that these two shows are the same is that they both paint the 'family' in an imperfect picture. Neither show tries to portray the main characters and their families as perfect. They show that their characters are 'real' and have flaws just like your normal audience member. Also, in addition to showing the families in such a way, they promote the comedic aspect of their lives. For example, in "All in the Family", at the end when Archie discovers that his friend is actually gay, the whole setup leading to that revelation is comedic and the show uses that to its advantage. For an example from "That 70s Show", in the pilot episode where Eric (Topher Grace) gets his Dad's car, but takes it to a concert against the rules of the car, the car breaks down on the way there. This irony of finally getting the car and then having it break down is just one example of the comedy that is prevalent in this show.
"All in the Family" might have mentioned marijuana once or twice, but in every episode of "That 70s Show" there is major marijuana usage. This topic may have been touched on in "All in the Family" but nowhere near as much as in "That 70s Show" which features all of its teenage characters using it at least once an episode. Now for vice versa; the thing that "All in the Family" would repeatedly bring up was the fact of race. "That 70s Show", being filmed in the 90s, did not mention race nearly as often. Whereas Archie would degrade people for having different skin color, Eric and his group of friends wouldn't really acknowledge that aspect of a person unless it was crucial to the storyline, and even then, they didn't seem so 'racist' about it.
Here is the cast of "That 70s Show" in their 90s attire.
Now, below, they are transformed into teens from the 70s.
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