Maude (TV series)
| Maude | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by | Norman Lear |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | |
| Opening theme | "And Then There's Maude" Performed by Donny Hathaway |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 141 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Tandem Productions |
| Distributor |
|
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 12, 1972 – April 22, 1978 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | All in the Family |
| Followed by |
Good Times Hanging In |
| Related shows | |
Maude is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972, until April 23, 1978.
Maude stars Beatrice Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York, with her fourth husband, household appliance store owner Walter Findlay (Bill Macy). Maude embraces the tenets of women's liberation, always votes for Democratic Party candidates, strongly supports legal abortion, and advocates for civil rights and racial and gender equality. However, her overbearing and sometimes domineering personality often gets her into trouble when speaking about these issues.
The show was the first spin-off of All in the Family, on which Beatrice Arthur had made two appearances as the character of Maude, Edith Bunker's cousin; like All in the Family, Maude was a sitcom with topical storylines created by producer Norman Lear.
Unusual for a U.S. sitcom, several episodes (such as "Maude's Night Out" and "The Convention") featured only the characters of Maude and Walter, in what amounted to half-hour "two-hander" teleplays. Season 4's "The Analyst" was a solo episode for Beatrice Arthur, who delivered a soul-searching, episode-length monologue to a silent psychiatrist.
Maude Findlay (Beatrice Arthur) first appears in a pair of season two episodes of All in the Family: the first in December 1971, and the second, essentially setting up the premise of the Maude series, in March 1972. She is Edith Bunker's (Jean Stapleton) cousin who has been married four times. Her first husband, Barney, had died shortly after their marriage; she had divorced the next two, Albert and Chester. Albert was never portrayed on screen, but the episode "Poor Albert" revolved around his death, while former second husband Chester would appear on the show (played by Martin Balsam). Her current husband, Walter Findlay (played by 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, "God'll getcha for that, Walter." Maude's deep, raspy voice is also an occasional comic foil whenever she answers the phone and explains "No, this is not Mr. Findlay; this is Mrs. Findlay! Mr. Findlay has a much higher voice."
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