This was the first pilot filmed. ABC turned it down and another pilot (titled "Those Were the Days") was filmed for CBS. The second pilot was not shown until TV Land aired it in 1998, but at that time this pilot was believed to be lost. This pilot was first released to the public on the DVD set "The Norman Lear Collection" in 2009.

In the pilots, the Bunkers are named "Justice" and Gloria's husband is "Richard".

In this pilot, Archie Bunker's son-in-law is of Irish heritage, not Polish, and Archie calls him a "mick".

The actors who played Gloria, Richard (Gloria's husband) and Lionel Jefferson were replaced before the series aired.

The "link vs. patty" breakfast sausage debate was not included in the final version of the pilot, however it was used in the "Gloria's Pregnant" episode.