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.
30 of 60 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01On which network did All in the Family air from 1971 to 1979?
CBS
The pilot had been developed for ABC, which rejected it twice.
Q 02All in the Family was based on which British sitcom?
Till Death Us Do Part
Norman Lear read about it in Variety and saw his own relationship with his father in it.
Q 03What was the name of the bigoted patriarch in the British original?
Alf Garnett
Warren Mitchell played him from 1965 until creator Johnny Speight's death in 1998.
Q 04Who produced All in the Family alongside Norman Lear?
Bud Yorkin
The pair also made Sanford and Son and Maude together.
Q 05The Bunkers live in which borough of New York City?
Queens
The show is set in Astoria; Carroll O'Connor, a Queens native, suggested real local landmarks.
Q 06What is the Bunkers' home address?
704 Hauser Street
No Hauser Street exists in Queens; the house in the credits is really on Cooper Avenue in Glendale.
Q 07What nickname does Archie use for his son-in-law Michael Stivic?
Meathead
He tells Edith to 'stifle', a line borrowed from Lear's own father.
Q 08What does Archie call his wife Edith?
Dingbat
On the rare occasions she stands up to him, Edith shows simple but profound wisdom.
Q 09Which actor was Norman Lear's first choice to play Archie Bunker?
Mickey Rooney
Rooney turned it down fearing controversy and a flop; the other three were also considered.
Q 10What was the title of the original 1968 pilot?
Justice for All
Archie and Edith were surnamed Justice; the second pilot was called Those Were the Days.
Q 11Which star of Jaws sought the role of Michael Stivic?
Richard Dreyfuss
A future Star Wars lead turned it down, citing Archie's bigotry.
Q 12Which future Star Wars actor turned down the role of Michael Stivic?
Harrison Ford
He objected to Archie Bunker's bigotry.
Q 13Rob Reiner's wife, considered for the role of Gloria, was which future director?
Penny Marshall
They married in April 1971, shortly after the show began.
Q 14Which actress and singer played Edith's cousin Maude in two episodes before her own spin-off?
Q 21For how many consecutive seasons was All in the Family number one in the Nielsen ratings?
Five
Only The Cosby Show and American Idol have matched it.
Q 22Which guest star's 1972 visit to the Bunker home is ranked among TV Guide's greatest episodes ever?
Sammy Davis Jr.
'Sammy's Visit' was ranked number 13.
Q 23Which museum received Archie and Edith's chairs on their 1978 donation?
The Smithsonian
The set designer bought the originals for a few dollars at a Goodwill store; the pair went to the Smithsonian in 1978.
Bea Arthur
Cousin Maude's Visit and the backdoor pilot Maude led to the series in autumn 1972.
Q 15What business made George Jefferson rich enough to move to Manhattan?
Dry cleaning
The neighbours who got their own spin-off then rented their Queens house to Gloria and Mike.
Q 16Why did George Jefferson not appear on screen until 1973 despite being mentioned often?
Sherman Hemsley was on Broadway
He would not break his commitment to the musical Purlie; brother Henry stood in.
Q 17The theme song 'Those Were the Days' is performed by Archie and Edith at what instrument?
A piano
Lear chose the simple scene as a cost-cutting measure after the pilot ate the budget.
Q 18Who wrote the words and music of 'Those Were the Days'?
Lee Adams and Charles Strouse
The Bye Bye Birdie team; the closing instrumental is Roger Kellaway's Remembering You.
Q 19What was notable about how All in the Family was recorded?
First major series taped before a live audience
1960s sitcoms were filmed single-camera with a laugh track; videotape had been for news and variety.
Q 20Norman Lear originally wanted to shoot the show how?
In black and white
CBS insisted on colour, so the set was furnished in neutral tones to feel like sepia.
Q 24Where did the show's set designer buy the original Bunker chairs?
A Goodwill thrift store
They went to a national museum in Washington in 1978 for an exhibit on television history.
Q 25Which US president was recorded discussing the show on the Watergate tapes?
Richard Nixon
He talked about the 1971 episodes Writing the President and Judging Books by Covers.
Q 26How many Emmy Awards did Carroll O'Connor win for playing Archie Bunker?
Four
He later added a fifth for a police drama in the 1980s.
Q 27Which crime drama did Carroll O'Connor star in after Archie, as police chief Bill Gillespie?
In the Heat of the Night
It ran from 1988 to 1995 on NBC and then CBS.
Q 28Which film role did Jean Stapleton decline because it clashed with the All in the Family pilot?
Mrs. Teevee, Willy Wonka
The part went to Nora Denney.
Q 29How many Emmys did Jean Stapleton win as Edith?
Three
In 1971 she beat both Mary Tyler Moore and Marlo Thomas.
Q 30The actor who played Michael Stivic is the son of which comedy legend?
Carl Reiner
Rob went on to direct Stand by Me and The Princess Bride.