Sitcoms are meant to be funny, to whisk viewers away from the stresses of their lives to watch average people end up in silly situations. But most sitcoms don’t shy away from periodically addressing serious issues and even pushing buttons on occasion. Maude, a sitcom about an outspoken, liberal middle aged woman and her appliance store owning husband, had a reputation for doing just that.

Maude began 50 years ago on September 12, 1972, and went on to air 141 episodes across six seasons, ending in April 1978. The show starred Bea Arthur as the title character and Bill Macy as her husband, Walter Findlay. It was the first spinoff from All in the Family, following Arthur’s guest appearances as Edith Bunker’s cousin.

Similar to the flagship show, Maude emphasized the lead character’s vocal political and social opinions. But, while Archie Bunker was a conservative, often prejudice, working class Republican, Maude was the opposite – an upper middle class liberal feminist. Series creators Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin boldly gave Maude a platform that could, and did, alienate some rightwing viewers, but cleverly compensated by poking fun at Maude for being a limousine liberal.

Maude made its boldest move when it tackled the issue of abortion. In the first season two-parter “Maude’s Dilemma” the 47-year-old character is surprised and upset to learn that she is pregnant. Her daughter Carol informs her that abortion is legal where they live in New York, and Maude and Walter agree that they do not want to raise a baby at that stage in their lives. Just two months before Roe v. Wade made abortion legal throughout the US, Maude had an abortion. The decision to run that episode split viewers between praise and condemnation, and went down in history as one of the most controversial episodes of television.

The show continued to hit serious topics, including when Walter faced his problem with alcoholism. That story began with Maude, Walter, and their friend Arthur enjoying a night of drinking that culminated with Maude waking up the next morning beside Arthur – not Walter. Dismayed by this, Maude and Arthur both stopped drinking alcohol, but Walter struggled to stay sober. In one moment of frustration, Walter hit Maude and had a nervous breakdown.

Maude had strong ratings from the beginning, often landing in the top ten highest rated shows. But the show’s popularity started to wane around the fifth season. As things continued to decline in season six, the format was revamped with Maude becoming a congresswoman and the series moving to Washington, DC. But, the move did not boost viewership and Maude ended with its sixth season.