And Then There's Maude
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''Maude'' is an American television
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
that was originally broadcast on the
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
network from September 12, 1972, until April 22, 1978. The show was the first
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
of ''
All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
'', on which
Bea Arthur Beatrice Arthur (born Bernice Frankel; May 13, 1922 – April 25, 2009) was an American actress, comedienne and singer. She began her career on stage in 1947, attracting critical acclaim before achieving worldwide recognition for her work o ...
had made two appearances as
Maude Findlay Maude Findlay is a fictional character and protagonist on the controversial 1970s sitcom '' Maude'', portrayed by the Emmy-winning actress Bea Arthur. ''All in the Family'' Maude Findlay first appeared on ''All in the Family'' in December 1971, ...
,
Edith Bunker Edith Bunker is a fictional character on the 1970s sitcom ''All in the Family'' (and occasionally '' Archie Bunker's Place''), played by Jean Stapleton. She is married to Archie Bunker, mother of Gloria Stivic, mother-in-law of Michael "Meathe ...
's favorite cousin. Like ''All in the Family'', ''Maude'' was a sitcom with topical storylines created by producers
Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922December 5, 2023) was an American screenwriter and producer who produced, wrote, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear created and produced numerous popular 1970s sitcoms, including ''All in the Family'' (1 ...
and
Bud Yorkin Alan David "Bud" Yorkin (February 22, 1926 – August 18, 2015) was an American film and television producer, director, screenwriter, and actor. Biography Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin on February 22, 1926, in Washington, Pennsylvania. At ...
. ''Maude'' stars Bea Arthur as Maude, an outspoken,
middle-aged Middle age (or middle adulthood) is the age range of the years halfway between childhood and old age. The exact range is subject to public debate, but the term is commonly used to denote the age range from 45 to 65 years. Overall This time span ...
, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, New York with her fourth husband, household appliance store owner Walter Findlay (
Bill Macy Wolf Martin Garber (May 18, 1922 – October 17, 2019), known professionally as Bill Macy, was an American television, film and stage actor known for his role in the CBS television series '' Maude'' (1972–1978). Early life Bill Macy ...
). Maude embraces the tenets of
women's liberation The women's liberation movement (WLM) was a political alignment of women and feminism, feminist intellectualism. It emerged in the late 1960s and continued till the 1980s, primarily in the industrialized nations of the Western world, which resu ...
, always votes for Democratic Party candidates, and advocates for
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
and
racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...
and
gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...
. Her overbearing and sometimes domineering personality often gets her into trouble when speaking about these issues. Unusually for an American sitcom, several episodes (such as "Maude's Night Out" and "The Convention") featured only the characters of Maude and her husband Walter, in what amounted to half-hour "
two-hander A two-hander is a term for a play, film, or television programme with only two main characters. The two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as t ...
" teleplays. In the season four episode "The Analyst" (sometimes referred to as "Maude Bares Her Soul"), Arthur as Maude, speaking to an unseen psychiatrist, was the sole actor on screen for the entire episode. The show's theme song, "And Then There's Maude", was written by
Alan and Marilyn Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (née Katz; November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celeb ...
and
Dave Grusin Robert David Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record work, incl ...
, and performed by
Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, backing vocalist, and arranger who ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto" ...
.


Characters

Maude first appears in two season-two episodes of ''
All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
'': the first in December 1971 as a visitor to the Bunker home, and the second, a
backdoor pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
setting up the premise of the ''Maude'' series, in March 1972. She is Edith Bunker's (
Jean Stapleton Jean Stapleton (born Jeanne Murray; January 19, 1923 – May 31, 2013) was an American character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton is best known for her portrayal of Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and devoted wif ...
) favorite cousin who has been married four times. Her first husband, Barney, died shortly after their marriage. She divorced the next two, Albert and Chester. Albert was never portrayed on screen, but the episode "Poor Albert" revolved around his death, while her second former husband Chester appeared once on the show, played by
Martin Balsam Martin Henry Balsam (November 4, 1919 – February 13, 1996) was an American actor. He had a prolific career in character roles in film, in theatre, and on television. An early member of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New ...
. Her fourth and current husband, Walter Findlay (played by
Bill Macy Wolf Martin Garber (May 18, 1922 – October 17, 2019), known professionally as Bill Macy, was an American television, film and stage actor known for his role in the CBS television series '' Maude'' (1972–1978). Early life Bill Macy ...
), owns an appliance store called Findlay's Friendly Appliances. Maude and Walter met just before the 1968 presidential election. Maude sometimes gets in the last word during their many arguments with her hallmark
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
, "God'll get you for that, Walter", which came directly from Bea Arthur. Maude's deep, raspy voice is also an occasional comic foil whenever she answers the phone and explaining in one episode, "No, this is not Mr. Findlay; this is Mrs. Findlay! Mr. Findlay has a much higher voice." Maude's daughter, Carol Traynor, played by
Adrienne Barbeau Adrienne Jo Barbeau (born June 11, 1945) is an American actress and author. She came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical ''Grease (musical), Grease'', and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter of Maude Findl ...
– in the ''
All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
'' pilot episode the character was played by
Marcia Rodd Marcia Rodd is an American actress, singer, and director. After studying theatre at Northwestern University, she moved to New York City and began a successful career as a stage actress. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in ...
– is also divorced and has one child, like Maude. Carol and her son, Phillip (played by Brian Morrison in seasons 1-5 and by
Kraig Metzinger Kraig Metzinger (born March 19, 1963) is an American former child actor, who played the role of Maude Findlay's grandson Phillip Traynor on the sitcom '' Maude'' for the show's final season in 1977–1978. He was born in Los Angeles, California. M ...
in the sixth), live with the Findlays. Though single, Carol maintains her reputation of dating many men. She dates various men throughout the early seasons, later forming a serious relationship with a man named Chris (played by
Fred Grandy Fredrick Lawrence Grandy (born June 29, 1948) is an American actor who played "Gopher" on the TV series ''The Love Boat'' and who later became a member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Iowa. Grandy was most recentl ...
). Grandy left at the end of the second season. Like her mother, Carol is an outspoken liberal feminist who is not afraid to speak her mind, though they often clash. There are conflicting accounts as to whether Carol's father was Maude's first or second husband. In the series' first episode, "Maude's Problem", Maude reveals to Carol's psychiatrist that Carol's father was her second husband. The Findlays' next-door neighbors are Dr. Arthur Harmon (
Conrad Bain Conrad Stafford Bain (February 4, 1923 – January 14, 2013) was a Canadian-American actor. His television credits include a leading role as Phillip Drummond in the sitcom ''Diff'rent Strokes'' (1978–1986), as Dr. Arthur Harmon on '' Maude'' ( ...
), a stuffy, sardonic Republican, and his sweet but scatterbrained second wife Vivian (
Rue McClanahan Eddi-Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010) was an American actress. She was best known for her roles on television sitcoms, including Maude (TV series)#Characters, Vivian Cavender Harmon on ''Maude (TV series), Maude'' (1972–78), ...
). McClanahan confirmed in an interview with the
Archive of American Television The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (formerly titled the Archive of American Television) is a project of the nonprofit Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, that records interviews with notabl ...
that she was approached by
Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922December 5, 2023) was an American screenwriter and producer who produced, wrote, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear created and produced numerous popular 1970s sitcoms, including ''All in the Family'' (1 ...
during the taping of the ''
All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
'' episode "The Bunkers and the Swingers" (1972) to take on the role as a late replacement for
Doris Roberts Doris May Roberts ( Green; November 4, 1925 – April 17, 2016) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which bega ...
, the original choice for the part. Arthur has been Walter's best friend since the two served together in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He was the one who brought Walter and Maude together in 1968 and "affectionately" calls Maude "Maudie." Vivian and Maude have been best friends since college. At the beginning of the series, Arthur is a
widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died and has usually not remarried. The male form, "widower", is first attested in the 14th century, by the 19th century supplanting "widow" with reference to men. The adjecti ...
er. Vivian is introduced in a guest appearance that focused on her split with her first husband. She later got involved with Arthur as a
divorcée Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
.


The housekeepers

For the entire run of the show, Maude also has a housekeeper. At the beginning of the series, Maude hires
Florida Evans ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first Africa ...
(
Esther Rolle Esther Elizabeth Rolle (November 8, 1920 – November 17, 1998) was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Florida Evans, on the CBS television sitcom '' Maude,'' for two seasons (1972–1974), and its spin-off series '' Good ...
), a no-nonsense Black woman who often has the last laugh at Maude's expense. Maude often makes a point of conspicuously and awkwardly demonstrating how open-minded and liberal she is. Florida almost quits because of this. Despite Florida's status as a maid, Maude emphasizes to Florida that they are "equals," and insists she enter and exit the house via the front door, even though the back door is more convenient for Florida. Rolle's character was so popular that, in 1974, she became the star of her own series, ''
Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...
''. In the second-season episode titled " Florida's Goodbye", Florida's husband Henry (
John Amos John Allen Amos Jr. (December 27, 1939 – August 21, 2024) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series ''Good Times''. His other well known roles were as the adult Kunta Kinte in the l ...
) gets a promotion at his job, and Florida quits to become a full-time housewife. Whereas ''Maude'' took place in New York, ''
Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...
'' took place in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, with numerous other differences in Florida's situation, such as her husband being called James Evans – "Henry" being the name of James's long-lost father. After Florida's departure in 1974, Maude hires a new housekeeper, Mrs. Nell Naugatuck (
Hermione Baddeley Hermione Youlanda Ruby Clinton-Baddeley (13 November 1906 – 19 August 1986) was an English actress of theatre, film, and television. She typically played brash, vulgar characters, often referred to as "brassy" or "blowsy".Folkart, Burt, "Note ...
), an elderly, somewhat vulgar, British widow who drinks excessively and lies compulsively. Unlike Florida, who commuted to work, Mrs. Naugatuck lives with the Findlays. She meets and begins dating Bert Beasley ( J. Pat O'Malley), an elderly cemetery security guard, in 1975. In 1977, they marry and move to Ireland to care for Bert's mother. Mrs. Naugatuck's frequent sparring with Maude is, arguably, just as comically popular as Florida's sparring. The difference is that Mrs. Naugatuck often seems to dislike Maude, whereas Florida, on occasion, finds Maude frustrating. Lear said the last name "Naugatuck" was taken directly from the town of
Naugatuck, Connecticut Naugatuck ( ) is a consolidated borough (Connecticut), borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town, part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, had a population of ...
, which he found amusing. Due to the popularity of ''Maude'', Baddeley visited the town in the late 1970s and was given a warm, official welcome ceremony at the town green. Maude then hires Victoria Butterfield (
Marlene Warfield Marlene Warfield (born in Queens, New York (state), New York) is an American actress. Warfield has acted in films and American television. She portrayed the underground revolutionary Laureen Hobbs in the 1976 film ''Network (1976 film), Network' ...
), a native of Saint Norman (perhaps a nod to
Norman Island Norman Island is an island at the southern tip of the British Virgin Islands archipelago. It is one of a number of islands reputed to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's pirate novel '' Treasure Island''. History It is said tha ...
in the
British Virgin Islands The British Virgin Islands (BVI), officially the Virgin Islands, are a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean, to the east of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands and north-west ...
) in the
West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
, whom Maude initially accuses of stealing her wallet on the subway. Victoria remains until the end of the series in 1978. The character of Victoria was never as popular as her two predecessors, and she was seen only sporadically and was not credited as a series regular.


Series history, topicality, and controversy

The character of Maude Findlay was loosely based on creator Norman Lear's then-wife
Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...
. She first appeared on two episodes of ''All in the Family'' as Edith Bunker's cousin. A "Cousin Maud," with a similar role, had also appeared on an episode of ''
Till Death Us Do Part ''Till Death Us Do Part'' is a British television sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1965 to 1975. The show was first broadcast in 1965 as a '' Comedy Playhouse'' pilot, then as seven series between 1966 and 1975. In 1981, ITV continued the sitc ...
'', the British series on which ''All in the Family'' had been based. Maude represented everything
Archie Bunker Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional character from the 1970s American television sitcom ''All in the Family'' and its spin-off '' Archie Bunker's Place'', played by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker, a main character of the series, is a World War II ...
did not: she was a liberal,
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
, upper-middle-class Democrat, whereas Archie was a conservative, prejudiced,
working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
Republican. Maude's political beliefs were closer to those of the series creators than Archie Bunker's, but the series often lampooned Maude as a naive "
limousine liberal Limousine liberal and latte liberal are pejorative U.S. political terms used to illustrate perceived hypocritical behavior by affluent political liberals and other left-leaning people of upper class or upper middle class status. Related terms a ...
". They did not show her beliefs and attitudes in an entirely complimentary light. Just before the show's premiere in September 1972, ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' described the character of Maude as "a caricature of the knee-jerk liberal." While the show was conceived as a comedy, the scripts also incorporated much darker humor, drama and controversy. Maude took Miltown, a mild tranquilizer, and also
Valium Diazepam, sold under the brand name Valium among others, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spas ...
; she and her husband Walter began drinking in the evening. Maude had an abortion in November
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
, two months before the ''
Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...
'' decision made abortion legal throughout the U.S., and the episodes that dealt with the situation are probably the series' most famous and most controversial. Maude, at age 47, was dismayed to find herself unexpectedly pregnant. Her daughter Carol brought to her attention that abortion had become legal in the state of New York. After some soul-searching, and discussions with Walter, who agreed that raising a baby at their stage of life was not what they wanted to do, Maude decided at the end of the two-part episode that abortion was probably the best choice for their lives and their marriage. Noticing the controversy around the storyline, CBS decided to rerun the episodes in August
1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
, and members of the country's clergy reacted strongly to the decision. Thirty-nine stations pre-empted the episode. The two-part episode was written by
Susan Harris Susan Harris (née Spivak; born October 28, 1940) is an American former television writer and producer who created the Emmy Award-winning sitcoms ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and ''The Golden Girls'' (1985–1992). Between 1975 and 1998, Harris was o ...
, who would work with Bea Arthur again later on ''
The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. The show's ensemble cast stars Beatrice Arthur, Betty ...
''. The producers and the writers of the show tackled other controversies. In a story arc that opened the 1973–74 season, Walter came to grips with his
alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...
and subsequently had a
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
. The beginning of the story arc had Maude, Walter, and Arthur enjoying a night of revelry. However, Maude panicked when she awoke the following morning to find Arthur in her bed. This alarmed her to the point that both of them swore off alcohol entirely. Walter could not do it ("
Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...
gets a million dollars for his buzz") and became so frustrated during his attempts to stop that he struck Maude. Afterward, he suffered a breakdown as a result of his alcoholism and guilt over the
domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
incident. The arc, which played out in two parts, was typically controversial for the show but gained praise for highlighting how social drinking can lead to alcoholism. The first-season episode "The Grass Story" tackled the then-recent Rockefeller Drug Laws, as Maude and her well-meaning housewife friends try to get arrested in protest over a grocery boy's tough conviction for
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
possession. The severity of the marijuana laws contrasted with the characters' lax attitudes toward drinking and prescription pill abuse. In season four, Maude had a session with an analyst, in which she revealed insecurities about her life and marriage and talked through memories from her childhood. The episode was a solo performance by Beatrice Arthur. During the fifth season, Walter suffered another
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...
, this time even attempting
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
, when he saw his business go bankrupt. The
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
for ''Maude'' were high, in particular, during the first seasons of the program, during the heyday of topical sitcoms, which its presence helped to create, when it was regularly one of the top-ten highest-rated American television programs in any given week. In
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
, ''Maude'' was not shown nationally. It was shown beginning in 1975 in the ITV regions of
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
, Westward,
Border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
, Tyne Tees, Anglia,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
,
Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...
and
Channel Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Australia in Queensland and pa ...
. Satellite station
Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
ran the series in the early/mid-1990s.


Series ending

In the fifth season, ''Maude'' dropped from No. 4 to No. 31 in the
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
as its lead-ins ''
Rhoda ''Rhoda'' is an American sitcom television series created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns starring Valerie Harper that originally aired on CBS for five seasons from September 9, 1974 to December 9, 1978. It was the first spin-off of ''The ...
'' and '' Phyllis'' began to struggle. Public taste had abruptly shifted from "relevant" Norman Lear productions and the MTM company's sophisticated comedies toward escapist fare like ABC's ''
Laverne & Shirley ''Laverne & Shirley'' is an American television sitcom that ran for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of ''Happy Days'', ''Laverne & Shirley'' stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Wi ...
'' and ''
Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American television sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. Developed by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West, it is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the ...
''. In the sixth season, ratings dived further, and Lear revamped the format. In the last three episodes of that season, the fictional governor of New York appointed Maude as a congresswoman from Tuckahoe, as a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...
during the 1978 U.S. midterm elections. She helped campaign for a congresswoman who unexpectedly died in her home. Maude and husband Walter moved to
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and the rest of the regular cast would be written out of the show in a prospective season seven.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
In spring 1978, Bea Arthur said she would leave the series. At least one TV columnist reported that CBS had already decided to cancel the show because of low ratings, and Arthur's announcement was an attempt to save face. Lear still liked the concept of a member of a minority group in Congress, and it evolved into the pilot '' Mr. Dugan'', with
Cleavon Little Cleavon Jake Little (June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992) was an American stage, film and television actor. He began his career in the late 1960s on the stage. In 1970, he starred in the Broadway production of '' Purlie'', for which he earned both ...
replacing Arthur as the lead character. The show was scheduled for a March 1979 premiere, but negative feedback from black members of Congress, granted an advance screening, resulted in CBS deciding not to air the three episodes taped. Lear reworked the project into ''
Hanging In ''Hanging In'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for four episodes on CBS on Wednesday nights from August 8, 1979, to August 29, 1979. Summary After his failed attempt to launch the sitcom '' Mr. Dugan'', Norman Lear reworked ...
'', with
Bill Macy Wolf Martin Garber (May 18, 1922 – October 17, 2019), known professionally as Bill Macy, was an American television, film and stage actor known for his role in the CBS television series '' Maude'' (1972–1978). Early life Bill Macy ...
playing a former professional football player turned university president. Hanging In premiered in the summer of 1979 but was canceled after four episodes.


Episodes


Home media

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...
released the first season of ''Maude'' on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
in Region 1 in March 2007. In August 2013, Mill Creek Entertainment announced it had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including ''Maude''. Mill Creek re-released the first season on DVD in February 2015. In December 2014,
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...
announced it had acquired the rights to the series. It released the complete series on DVD in March 2015. Among the bonus features, the set includes the two Second season episodes of ''All in the Family'', which introduced Maude ("Cousin Maude's Visit" and "Maude"); two previously unaired episodes of ''Maude'' ("The Double Standard" and "Maude's New Friends"); the Syndicated Sales Presentation, hosted by Norman Lear; as well as three featurettes called "And Then There's Maude: Television's First Feminist"; "Everything but Hemorrhoids: Maude Speaks to America"; and "Memories of Maude" with interviews by Adrienne Barbeau and Bill Macy, along with newly discovered interviews with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and ''Maude'' director, Hal Cooper. In 2015, Shout! began releasing individual season sets. The second season was released in August 2015, the third season in November 2015, the fourth season in March 2016, the fifth season in June 2016, and the sixth and final season in August 2016.


Accolades


Syndication and streaming

''Maude'' aired on
TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division's MTV Entertainment Group. It was originally launched as Nick at Nite’s TV Land as a spinoff of Nick at Nite programing block consisting e ...
in 1999 for a brief time, including an introductory "Maude-a-thon" marathon. ''Maude'' was later seen on
Nick at Nite Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite since 2009) is an American nighttime programming block on Nickelodeon. List of programs broadcast by Nick at Nite, The block's programming broadcasts from prime time to Late-night television, late night, with ...
in the United States in 2001. Reruns of ''Maude'' are occasionally shown on Canwest's digital specialty channel,
DejaView DejaView is a Canadian English language specialty television channel owned by Corus Entertainment. It primarily airs television shows from the 1970s to 2010s. The channel's name is a play on the phrase Deja Vu. History In November 2000, Global ...
in Canada. In 2010, ''Maude'' began reruns in Chicago, on
WWME-CA WWME-CD (channel 23) is a low-power, Class A television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, which serves as the flagship station of multicast networks MeTV and Heroes & Icons. It is owned by locally based Weigel Broadcasting alongside f ...
's
Me-TV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television program ...
. In 2011, ''Maude'' began airing on
Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital television network owned by Nexstar Media Group. The network's programming consists of classic television series, primarily sitcoms, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Antenna TV's programming and advertising operatio ...
, a digital broadcast network, which has since run the entire six season cycle of the show. In 2015, reruns of ''Maude'' began airing on
Logo TV Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment progra ...
during late night/early morning. It airs weeknights on FETV, Family Entertainment Television. As of April 2021, Maude is on CHCH TV in the Toronto (Hamilton) Ontario area as part of their afternoon retro sitcom lineup. It is available in a heavily edited format on the CTV app for free with ads as part of its “Throwback” library. As of July 2021, Maude is available for streaming on
Amazon Freevee Amazon Freevee (stylized as freevee and fv, also shortened as Freevee, formerly known as IMDb Freedive and IMDb TV, and sometimes spelled FV) is an American Free ad-supported streaming television, ad-supported video on demand, video-on-demand ( ...
.


Adaptations

''Maude'' was adapted by ITV in the United Kingdom in 1980 as '' Nobody's Perfect''. Starring
Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, singer, and comedienne, known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, music ...
and
Richard Griffiths Richard Thomas Griffiths (31 July 1947 – 28 March 2013) was an English actor. He was known for his portrayals of Vernon Dursley in the ''Harry Potter'' films (2001–2011), Uncle Monty in '' Withnail and I'' (1987), and Henry Crabbe in '' P ...
, the show ran for two series with a total of 14 episodes. Of the 14 episodes, Stritch herself adapted 13 original ''Maude'' scripts and Griffiths adapted one. The original series was screened by certain ITV companies. '' Maude'' was adapted in Italy airing on Canale 5 in 1982. ''Maude'' was adapted in France as '' Maguy''. ''Maguy'' aired on Sundays at 19.30 from September 1985 to December 1994 on
France 2 France 2 () is a French free-to-air public television channel. The flagship channel of France Télévisions, it broadcasts generalist programming including news, entertainment (such as dramas, films, and game shows), factual programmes, and sp ...
for 333 episodes.


References


External links

*
Information about ''Maude'' from the Museum of Broadcast Communications

Information of Season 1's release on DVD
* {{WritersGuildofAmericaEpisodicComedyScreenplay Maude (TV series) 1972 American television series debuts 1978 American television series endings 1972 controversies in the United States 1970s American sitcoms 1970s American multi-camera sitcoms All in the Family American television spinoffs CBS sitcoms American English-language television shows Television controversies in the United States Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows set in New York (state) Television series created by Norman Lear