For four years, The Partridge Family delighted TV audiences with its stories of a close-knit family band led by their mom, Shirley (played by Shirley Jones). The series turned young cast members Susan Dey and David Cassidy into teen idols, produced multiple chart-topping albums, and became a lasting pop culture presence thanks to re-runs and syndication. So, why was The Partridge Family unceremoniously canceled in 1974? There were several reasons, but a big one had to do with the hugely popular sitcom, All In The Family.
‘The Partridge Family’ couldn’t compete against ‘All In The Family,’ Shirley Jones said For its first three seasons, The Partridge Family aired on Friday nights on ABC. But for its fourth season, the network moved the show to Saturday nights, where it aired opposite CBS’ edgier sitcom All In the Family . That was the kiss of death for The Partridge Family, Jones said in an interview with the Television Academy Foundation .
“It was the beginning of a new kind of television,” she said. “They had the show with Archie Bunker, and we were going to be opposite All In The Family ..
. that was a very different kind of family.” “They just felt that we couldn’t compete,” she added.
“Our show was out of style and we wouldn’t be able to compete with a show like All In The Family. So they decided we better go while the going’s good.” Unlike the squeaky-clean stories on The Partridge Family, All In The Family tackled serious and sometimes c.
