If one were to ask most people what they remember about Family Affair, the CBS situation comedy from the late ’60s, the average viewer would fondly recall a heartwarming television program full of love and laughter. But thinking about it critically, was it really all that heartwarming? Maybe, but it was also incredibly heart-tugging and truly sad.
Let’s start with the main character, Bill Davis, played by Brian Keith. When viewers are introduced to him, they learn that he is financially well off due to being a very successful civil engineer. However, he is also a very lonely guy, lost in a big city, a perpetual bachelor looking for ways to connect with others, but never quite finding them. His closest friend, Giles French (Sebastian Cabot), is also employed as his valet. Were they friends before Davis put him on the payroll? Probably not.