25 of the best family feuds on TV

Archie Bunker and Meathead Mike — All in the Family

Archie Bunker was a miserable, cantankerous man, that had few friends or meaningful relationships. Aside from his adoring, albeit simple, wife Edna, he hated everyone. He was a giant bigot and made everyone uncomfortable with his insensitivity and ignorance.

His poor daughter, Gloria, had the bad sense to move her and her husband, Mike, into Archie’s house, and he set out to make them both miserable at every turn. Mike, who Archie often referred to as “Meathead” was the constant butt of Archie’s harassment.

Their very first meeting probably dictated the trajectory of their entire relationship. Archie, a close-minded conservative, first met Mike when he turned up with a long beard and tie-dyed shirt. Archie identified him as a hippie from the start, and this was an unforgivable transgression in Archie’s eyes.

The situation was impossible for Mike. He lived in his father-in-law’s house with his only daughter, and he could not please him in any way. Mike, a Polish-American from Chicago, was doomed the minute he stepped foot into Archie’s house, and there was no real way for him to overcome the gap between their ideologies.

College student Mike represented everything that the very traditional Archie represented. Of course, they were on opposite sides of the political spectrum — they couldn’t find common ground on anything. Whether it was which order to put your socks and shoes on, the amount of food Mike consumed, or Archie’s favorite chair, the two constantly bickered.