- This article is about the 1973 documentary. For the 2002 drama, see American Family (2002).
An American Family is a documentary miniseries that aired on PBS. Often cited as the first example of American reality programming, it follows the lives of the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California in 1971, when parents Patricia and Bill filed for divorce, and eldest son Lance came out as gay. It has spawned two sequel specials: 1983's An American Family Revisited: The Louds 10 Years Later, which aired on HBO, and 2003's Lance Loud!: A Death in an American Family, which chronicled the final days of Lance's life as he passed away from AIDS and was billed by PBS as the final episode of An American Family.
Cast
Episodes
#
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Title
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Airdate
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1
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Episode 1
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January 11, 1973
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2
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Episode 2
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January 18, 1973
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3
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Episode 3
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January 25, 1973
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4
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Episode 4
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February 1, 1973
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5
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Episode 5
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February 8, 1973
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6
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Episode 6
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February 15, 1973
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7
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Episode 7
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February 22, 1973
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8
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Episode 8
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March 1, 1973
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9
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Episode 9
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March 8, 1973
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10
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Episode 10
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March 15, 1973
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11
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Episode 11
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March 22, 1973
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12
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Episode 12
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March 29, 1973
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Specials
In-Depth
DVD Releases
There are no DVD releases for this show.
External Sites