MAUDE

Gutsy, smart, outspoken and liberal -- all are terms that describe Beatrice Arthur in the title role of the TV series that spun off from the popular All in the Family. Well-educated and upper middle class, Maude Findlay is the archetypal feminist of her generation. She lives in suburban Tuckahoe, New York, with her fourth husband, Walter (Bill Macy), their divorced daughter, Carol (Adrienne Barbeau), and grandson Phillip. The cast also includes Rue McClanahan as Maude's best friend Vivian; Walter's best friend and neighbor Dr. Arthur Harmon (Conrad Bain); and over the course of the series, three different maids (Esther Rolle, Hermione Baddeley and Marlene Warfield). Tough issues like abortion, alcoholism, women's liberation, menopause and politics are all fodder for the show's sharp wit and social commentary.