History Series / Maude

The title character, Maude Chadbourne-Hillard-Findlay (Creator/BeaArthur), was originally written as Archie Bunker's {{Foil}}--female, suburban, affluent, educated, liberal, new age, free-thinking--and yet every bit as opinionated and pushy. Though the show was overtly political, it didn't suffer from the problems with [[StrawCharacter strawmen]] that plagues so many other "hot button" shows. While Maude's political views were usually cast in a positive light--helping the needy, racial sensitivity, women's liberation--the character's greatest in-universe handicap was her personality: she was too forceful, stubborn, ego-driven, and often out of touch with the very issues she claimed expertise of. Thus the show wasn't so much a TakeThat at left-wing beliefs the way ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' was for Archie's stubborn traditionalism, so much as it was a character-driven sitcom that simply had politics at its surface.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

[[caption-width-right:333:''"...that uncompromisin', enterprisin', anything but tranquilizin', RIGHT-ON Maude!"'' ]]

%%* CatchPhrase:

* NotImportantToThisEpisodeCamp: Carol's son Philip also lived at Maude's house, but only appeared on an as-needed basis. In fact, when ''Series/TheCarolBurnettShow'' parodied ''Maude'', Philip was referred to multiple times as "that kid of yours that no one ever sees".

* HeyLetsPutOnAShow: "Maude's Musical" and "The Telethon" both involve Maude setting up musical shows for charity.

* AdultFear: The three-partner where Walter loses his business, falls into depression, and tries to kill himself by overdosing on sleeping pills.

* PieInTheFace: The episode "Musical '78" culminates in a pie fight in which almost everyone in the main cast ends up plastered (Adrienne Barbeau got off easy).

* EasilyForgiven: In "Walter's Problem" (part 1), a drunken argument between Maude and Walter culminates in Walter slapping Maude across the face (resulting in a black eye for Maude in part 2). Seeing Walter's tearful, remorseful reaction to what he has just done, Maude, instead of fleeing the house, tearfully comforts Walter and promises to stand by him.

* BriefAccentImitation: In "Florida's Goodbye," a young Puerto Rican woman named Rita (Creator/ConchataFerrell), who is applying to become Florida's replacement, gets the job only once Maude learns of her ethnic background (being light-skinned enough to pass for white). Rita speaks perfect English with no accent, but while telling Maude about herself, she adopts a stereotypical "Hispanic" dialect complete with GratuitousSpanish and a hard-luck story about her parents working in the sugarcane fields of Puerto Rico and dreaming of a better life in Los Estados Unidos. She even has to pause at times to think of the proper Spanish words, suggesting English, not Spanish, is her first language. It can be assumed it didn't work out, since Rita is never seen again and Maude ultimately hires Mrs. Naugatuck, who is white and British.

* BriefAccentImitation: In "Florida's Goodbye," a young Puerto Rican woman named Rita (Creator/ConchataFerrell), who is applying to become Florida's replacement, gets the job only once Maude learns of her ethnic background (being light-skinned enough to pass for white). Rita speaks perfect English with no accent, but while telling Maude about herself, she adopts a stereotypical "Hispanic" dialect complete with GratuitousSpanish and a hard-luck story about her parents working in the sugarcane fields of Puerto Rico and dreaming of a better life in Los Estados Unidos.

* BriefAccentImitation: In "Florida's Goodbye," Rita, an applicant to replace Florida as the Findlays' housekeeper, is Puerto Rican, but speaks perfect, unaccented English and is so light-skinned she could pass for white, and Florida tells her she's not likely to get the job unless she has something to feed Maude's "guilt." Maude rejects Rita at first glance, but after Rita starts speaking in a stereotypical Puerto Rican accent (complete with GratuitousSpanish) and invents a hard-luck story about her parents working long hard hours in the sugarcane fields and dreaming of a better life in Los Estados Unidos, Maude hires her on the spot.