Norman Lear, Sitcom King Who Changed TV -- And America

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Dec, 2023) Norman Lear was television's prolific genius whose trailblazing sitcoms in the 1970s and 1980s not only revolutionized US entertainment -- they helped change the way a nation saw itself.

With boundary-breaking shows like "All In the Family" and "The Jeffersons," Lear -- who has died aged 101 -- helped millions of viewers confront their deepest fears, frailties and prejudices, as well as their aspirations, with humor and humanity.

Among his milestones was creating the first African American nuclear family regularly appearing on television: the Evans clan on "Good Times," beginning in 1974.

He injected the sensitive subjects of race, class, inequality and politics like the anti-war movement into his work, breaking the sitcom mold and beaming modern visions of family life into millions of US households.

Lear abandoned the idealistic representation of American families seen on shows like "Leave It to Beaver" (1957-1963) and instead adopted a more faithful, real-world depiction -- and in so doing, he changed the face of television.

"What was new was that we were engaging in reality," the famed creator said in the 2016 documentary "Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You."

By politicizing the personal and personalizing the political, Lear became an entertainment giant.

Fellow comedy icon Mel Brooks hailed Lear as "the bravest television writer, director and producer of all time."

In the mid-1970s, at the height of his eight-decade career, Lear had five popular sitcoms airing in prime time -- an era before cable or streaming, when Americans collectively consumed shows in real time.

Broadcaster CBS estimated at the time that a staggering 120 million Americans watched Lear programming each week.

The six-time Emmy Award winner wrote, produced, created or developed roughly 100 specials and shows including 1980s mega-hit "The Facts of Life" and the long-running "One Day at a Time."

His revolutionary comedy also earned him a spot on president Richard Nixon's so-called enemies list.