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60 free All in the Family trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
48 free All in the Family trivia questions with answers. All in the Family changed what an American sitcom could talk about, and it did it from a single living room in Queens. This quiz covers the whole run and its universe: Archie and Edith at the piano, Gloria and Meathead in the spare room, the British show it was adapted from, the two rejected ABC pilots, the five straight years at number one, the Emmys, the spin-offs (Maude, The Jeffersons, Gloria, Archie Bunker's Place, 704 Hauser), the guest visit by Sammy Davis Jr and the chairs that ended up in the Smithsonian. The easy questions ask what Archie calls his son-in-law and which network aired the show. The hard ones want the original pilot's title, the actor Norman Lear first wanted for Archie, the address on Hauser Street, how many Emmys Carroll O'Connor won and the Watergate tape on which Nixon discussed the show. For fans of classic TV, sitcom history and Norman Lear. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia's articles on the series, its characters, cast and spin-offs, and each question carries the sentence that backs it up.
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Q 01On which network did All in the Family air from 1971 to 1979?
CBS
CBS picked up the show after ABC had rejected two pilots; it premiered on 12 January 1971.
Q 02All in the Family was based on which British sitcom?
Till Death Us Do Part
Till Death Us Do Part, Johnny Speight's BBC sitcom, inspired Norman Lear, who saw his own father in its bigoted lead.
Q 03What was the name of the bigoted patriarch in the British original?
Alf Garnett
Alf Garnett, played by Warren Mitchell from 1965, was the loud-mouthed East End bigot on whom Archie Bunker was modelled.
Q 04Who produced All in the Family alongside Norman Lear?
Bud Yorkin
Bud Yorkin was Norman Lear's partner in Tandem Productions, which also produced Sanford and Son and Maude.
Q 05The Bunkers live in which borough of New York City?
Queens
Queens is the Bunkers' borough; Carroll O'Connor himself was raised in Forest Hills, Queens, and the opening credits show the borough's real streets.
Q 06What is the Bunkers' home address?
704 Hauser Street
704 Hauser Street is fictional; the house seen in the credits really stands at 89-70 Cooper Avenue in Glendale.
Q 07What nickname does Archie use for his son-in-law Michael Stivic?
Meathead
Meathead is Archie's name for his son-in-law Mike, which Archie defines as 'dead from the neck up'.
Q 08What does Archie call his wife Edith?
Dingbat
Dingbat is Archie's pet insult for Edith, usually paired with an order to 'stifle yourself'.
Q 09Which actor was Norman Lear's first choice to play Archie Bunker?
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney turned the part down, warning Lear that viewers would 'kill you in the streets' for such a bigoted lead.
Q 10What was the title of the original 1968 pilot?
Justice for All
Justice for All was the 1968 pilot, in which Archie and Edith were surnamed Justice; the 1969 second pilot was retitled Those Were the Days.
Q 11Which star of Jaws sought the role of Michael Stivic?
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss lobbied for the part of Mike in 1970 but lost it to Rob Reiner, years before Jaws made him a star.
Q 12Which future Star Wars actor turned down the role of Michael Stivic?
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford was offered Mike Stivic but turned it down, finding Archie Bunker's bigotry too offensive to play against.
Q 13Rob Reiner's wife, considered for the role of Gloria, was which future director?
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall married Rob Reiner in April 1971, months after the show began, and was among those considered for Gloria before Sally Struthers won it.
Q 21For how many consecutive seasons was All in the Family number one in the Nielsen ratings?
Five
Five straight seasons at number one, from 1971-72 to 1975-76, a run later equalled by The Cosby Show and beaten only by American Idol.
Q 22Which guest star's 1972 visit to the Bunker home is ranked among TV Guide's greatest episodes ever?
Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr. guest-starred in 'Sammy's Visit' (February 1972), which TV Guide ranked 13th among the greatest episodes ever in 1997.
Q 23Which museum received Archie and Edith's chairs on their 1978 donation?
The Smithsonian
The Smithsonian took Archie and Edith's chairs in 1978 for its National Museum of American History; replicas were built so the show could carry on.
Q 14Which actress and singer played Edith's cousin Maude in two episodes before her own spin-off?
Bea Arthur
Bea Arthur played Maude Findlay in 'Cousin Maude's Visit' and the backdoor pilot 'Maude', which launched her spin-off in September 1972.
Q 15What business made George Jefferson rich enough to move to Manhattan?
Dry cleaning
Dry cleaning made George Jefferson's fortune; his chain of Jefferson Cleaners let the family move to a 'deluxe apartment in the sky' on Manhattan's East Side.
Q 16Why did George Jefferson not appear on screen until 1973 despite being mentioned often?
Sherman Hemsley was on Broadway
Sherman Hemsley was on Broadway when Lear wanted him, so Lear held the part of George open for him; Mel Stewart's Henry Jefferson stood in meanwhile.
Q 17The theme song 'Those Were the Days' is performed by Archie and Edith at what instrument?
A piano
A piano in the Bunker living room is where Archie and Edith sit to sing the theme, with Edith's shrill high note a running gag.
Q 18Who wrote the words and music of 'Those Were the Days'?
Lee Adams and Charles Strouse
Lee Adams and Charles Strouse, the Bye Bye Birdie team, wrote 'Those Were the Days'; the closing instrumental, 'Remembering You', is by Roger Kellaway.
Q 19Unlike most 1960s sitcoms, All in the Family was recorded on what medium?
Videotape
Videotape was used for All in the Family, recorded before a live studio audience, unlike the filmed, laugh-tracked sitcoms of the 1960s.
Q 20Norman Lear originally wanted to shoot the show how?
In black and white
In black and white was how Lear wanted to shoot it; the network insisted on colour, so the set was dressed in drab, neutral tones to look almost sepia.
Q 24Where did the show's set designer buy the original Bunker chairs?
A Goodwill thrift store
A Goodwill thrift store supplied Archie's and Edith's chairs, bought second-hand for a few dollars before the show began.
Q 25Which US president was recorded discussing the show on the Watergate tapes?
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon was taped in May 1971 complaining about the episode 'Judging Books by Covers', in which Archie's macho friend turns out to be gay.
Q 26How many Emmy Awards did Carroll O'Connor win for playing Archie Bunker?
Four
Four Emmys came O'Connor's way as Archie, in 1972, 1977, 1978 and 1979; a fifth followed in 1989 for another series.
Q 27Which crime drama did Carroll O'Connor star in after Archie, as police chief Bill Gillespie?
In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night ran from 1988 to 1995, with O'Connor's Bill Gillespie policing the Mississippi town of Sparta.
Q 28Which film role did Jean Stapleton decline because it clashed with the All in the Family pilot?
Mrs. Teevee, Willy Wonka
Mrs. Teevee, Willy Wonka — Mike Teevee's mother — went to Nora Denney after Stapleton chose the All in the Family pilot instead.
Q 29How many Emmys did Jean Stapleton win as Edith?
Three
Three Emmys went to Stapleton for Edith, in 1971, 1972 and 1978; in 1971 she beat Mary Tyler Moore and Marlo Thomas.
Q 30The actor who played Michael Stivic is the son of which comedy legend?
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner, creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show, is Rob Reiner's father; Rob played Mike Stivic for all eight seasons.