I could be wrong, but I think Lear made Maude to exhibit what an "enlightened" liberal was, and how "superior" she was to that brute Archie Bunker.
Maude is an elitist snob who thinks she is better than everyone else.
Watch how Bea Arthur walks around.
Literally with her nose in the air.
A totally repulsive, unlikable character.
AITF is funny, even today.
Maude is unwatchable.
Maude went unwanted in syndication. That’s why you rarely saw reruns of it. Local stations didn’t want it.
The Maude character backfired on Lear too. Many found her preachy and insufferable (like Meathead), and liked Walter, Florida and Archie better.