Maude (television series)
What was the premise of the sitcom Maude?
What was significant about the episode “Maude’s Dilemma”?
Did Maude inspire any TV shows and adaptations?
Maude (television series), American sitcom that aired on CBS for six seasons and 141 episodes from 1972 to 1978. Created by Norman Lear’s Tandem Productions, Maude was a spin-off of the sitcom All in the Family and starred Bea Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken and liberal middle-aged woman living in Tuckahoe, New York, with her fourth husband. The show won one Golden Globe Award and one Emmy Award. It was known for its willingness to probe controversial subjects such as alcoholism, birth control, and, most famously, abortion.
Background, creation, and premise
The character of Maude Findlay (played by Arthur) was introduced to television viewers in a December 1971 episode of All in the Family that ran during that show’s second season. A cousin and close childhood friend of Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton), Maude made no secret of her disdain for the conservative politics and bigoted commentary of Edith’s husband, Archie (Carroll O’Connor). Arthur’s performance as Maude on All in the Family was purportedly so strong that, according to Lear, CBS was proposing that he build a sitcom around her and the character before the end of the episode’s broadcast. Lear, an admirer of Arthur’s since he had seen her perform in an off-Broadway revue in the 1950s, was happy to oblige. The character was inspired by Lear’s then-wife, Frances, herself a feminist.
Maude debuted as part of CBS’s Tuesday night lineup on September 12, 1972. Maude Findlay is a white, upper-middle-class housewife living in Tuckahoe, New York, with her fourth husband, Walter; Carol Traynor, her divorced daughter; and Carol’s young son. Much of the comedy is derived from how Maude’s passionately stated political positions translate into action, specifically her tendency to irritate or inconvenience those she wishes to support. For example, in an early episode of the show, “Maude Meets Florida,” Maude does her best to support her new housekeeper, Florida Evans, who is Black. Maude seeks to “liberate” Florida, but the result is meddling that almost leads to Florida quitting.
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Despite several changes to its time slot, the sitcom was among the top 10 programs in the Nielsen ratings for its first four seasons, before a decline in ratings in its last two seasons.
Primary characters
- Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) is an outspoken and liberal housewife and the star of the show.
- Walter Findlay (Bill Macy), Maude’s fourth husband, is a veteran who owns Findlay’s Friendly Appliances.
- Carol Traynor (Adrienne Barbeau) is Maude’s divorced daughter from a previous marriage.
- Dr. Arthur Harmon (Conrad Bain) is Walter’s best friend, a conservative, and a fellow veteran.
- Vivian Cavender Harmon (Rue McClanahan), Maude’s best friend from college, marries Arthur Harmon during the course of the show.
- Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) is Maude’s first housekeeper.
- Mrs. Nell Naugatuck (Hermione Baddeley) is Maude’s second housekeeper after Florida leaves.
Cultural significance and legacy
Although Maude delved into a variety of issues of cultural, political, and social relevance, including feminism, alcoholism, depression, and birth control, the series is perhaps best known for a two-part episode that centered on abortion. Titled “Maude’s Dilemma,” the first part of the episode was broadcast on November 14, 1972. At the time abortion was legal in Maude’s home state of New York, but it was a few months before the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade would legalize abortion across the United States.
In the episode, 47-year-old Maude faces an unexpected pregnancy and, with the encouragement and support of Walter and Carol, ultimately decides to have an abortion. The initial broadcast sparked protests and complaints from viewers, advertisers, and conservative activists, leading some CBS affiliates to exclude the episode from their lineup of reruns the following summer. The episode was written by Susan Harris, who would go on to create The Golden Girls (1985–92), which reunited Arthur with her Maude costar Rue McClanahan.
Maude received eight Golden Globe nominations over its run, winning one award in 1976 for best supporting actress (television) for Baddeley. It was also nominated for 12 Emmy Awards, winning one for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for Arthur in 1977.
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The role of Florida as Maude’s housekeeper proved so popular with viewers that after two seasons, Rolle left Maude to play Florida in Good Times (1974–79), another Lear-produced spin-off. Maude was adapted for British television as the show Nobody’s Perfect, which aired for 14 episodes over two seasons in 1980–82. A French adaptation, Maguy, aired for 332 episodes from 1985 to 1993.