Widely referred to as the first example of an American reality TV show,[1] the series drew millions of weekly viewers, who were drawn to a story that seemed to shatter the rosy façade of upper-middle-class suburbia.
Researching subjects for the series, Gilbert interviewed about 24 families before he settled on the Louds—a mother, father, and five "telegenic" children who owned a large house, multiple cars, and a swimming pool.
The final product, edited down from 300 hours of 16-millimeter footage, was An American Family, which aired in 1973 as 12 weekly one-hour episodes on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
The story that unfolded of the Louds, who at the outset of the series seemed to epitomize the American dream, showed a married couple on the verge of divorce and children, ranging from 14 to 20 years old, in high and low moments.
[4] It also sparked controversy and drove conversation in national magazines and television talk shows about the state of the American family.
The intense interest in the Louds, wrote Dennis Lim in The New York Times in 2011, "had much to do with their lives seeming to fall apart as America watched.
Family members profiled were: Lance Loud is credited as the first continuing character on television who was openly gay,[10] and he subsequently became an icon within the LGBT community.
[17] Subsequent to the showing of A Death in an American Family, Pat and Bill Loud moved back in together,[18] granting one of Lance's last wishes.
[21] According to the New York Times in 2011, "critical and popular reaction varied," and it suggested the series reflected America in a "counterculture hangover.
[5] Jean Baudrillard, a French philosopher and sociologist, described An American Family as a symptom of the way TV has changed our relationship with reality itself.
[5] In an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in 1973, Pat Loud said the series “makes us look like a bunch of freaks and monsters.
"[5] In 1988, Gilbert reflected on the legacy, stating, “I stand behind every frame of that series, yet I understand why it made so many people uncomfortable.
A 1973 review by John J. O'Conner in the New York Times, called it "quite extraordinary" and "unusually sensitive," and maintained: "It might be challenged and attacked.
The program consisted of 12 half-hour episodes, showing the daily lives and concerns of the working-class Wilkins family, of Reading, Berkshire, England.
[5] Alan Raymond and his wife, Susan, who handled sound on An American Family, served as consultants on the HBO project, but they said they agreed with the "thrust" of Gilbert's series.
[5] Gilbert and the Raymonds shared the opinion that An American Family is unfairly blamed as the progenitor of today's reality television.
[5] Gilbert was born in New York City; his father was a copyright lawyer who worked with songwriters including Irving Berlin.