Norman Lear and His Masterpieces

[Daniel Avery]

Another somewhat surprising off-shoot of the Norman Lear sitcoms occurred thanks to The Jeffersons. Near the end of that show's run, they hired Michael Moye and Ron Leavitt in producer/show-runner roles. When CBS unceremoniously cancelled The Jeffersons, Leavitt and Moye were freed up to collaborate on a pilot they pitched to a fledgling broadcast network that later became known as the Fox Broadcasting Channel...and that show was called Married With Children.

 

[Toni]

From my view, I think the producers and writers almost always viewed Sophia as a secondary character. More episodes sidelined her than highlight her, and those that feature her at the helm aren't always the best. She was a balance, someone for the other three to cling to for advice, look up to, and, in some ways, be held accountable to, but her nervousness, I think, limited her in ways. She was great at her job, but the writers, but not always the audience, were more eager to turn out stories about Dorothy's chronic fatigue syndrome, Rose's HIV scare, or Blanche dealing with a homosexual brother.

I think Sophia´s character always had the underlining trait of a possible (but unlikely) senility or Alzheimer that actually makes her, in today´s re-watchings, the most timely element of the show. They constantly wrote this in for one-episode characters or even for one-time jokes, but the overall feeling was that they were respectful toward elderly people, ill or not.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

 

[ClassyCo]

BROAD ​

 

[Chris2]

Sophia was considered a supporting character, while the other three were considered the leads. This is how they were nominated for Emmys. And if you look at the final scene in the intro, it shows the three leads without Sophia. During the first season, the “bumper” that aired before commercial breaks also showed the thread leads without Sophia (later bumpers showed all four).

 

[DallasFanForever]

Sophia was considered a supporting character, while the other three were considered the leads.

But she did get them all back for that with the Burt Reynolds episode

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Norman Lear just turned 100 this summer...

 

[ClassyCo]

Norman Lear, legendary TV producer of 'All in the Family,' 'The Jeffersons,' dies at 101

Norman Lear, who changed TV with the shockingly relevant \

www.usatoday.com

 

[Crimson]

There are very few people whose work in the entertainment field can be characterized as revolutionary, but Norman Lear is chief among them.


RIP

 

[darkshadows38]

i'd say Legend would be a better name/word it breaks my heart that he died but still at age 101 is a great age to go out on he lived a long good life and he put a lot of really great shows/movies out in his long Career. he Will be Missed hell i even have his Bio on hardback that he put out a few years ago i just haven't read it yet

 

[ChrisSumner]

Here is an ultra rare episode of Lear's comedy soap All That Glitters:

Linda Gray stars as a trans woman but she isn't featured in this episode. If I recall correctly, this was a late night 5 days a week soap with a reversal of gender roles. It's very obvious when watching the episode and I think its a fun premise. I had hoped as they started releasing so much of his stuff and streaming it that they'd get around to this. I'd love to see more to get a better feel for it.

 

[ClassyCo]

A long, but good retrospective of ALL IN THE FAMILY:

 

[DallasFanForever]

A long, but good retrospective of ALL IN THE FAMILY:

For me still the best sitcom ever. At its peak I don’t think it will ever be topped.

 

[stephenpe]

Lear was a genius. AITF was proof. I've tried to watch some lately and I don't remember Archie being so mean to Edith. It was a great show that tackled all things then, But when I found Barney Miller that also covered all the controversial subjects too and was extremely funny. We always say that TV was better back then with just 3 channels than now with 1000s of channels. Maybe it was our innocence. I grew up in the sixties and loved certain shows. I rank MASH up there with All in the Family. Seinfeld and Big Bang are the closest to great shows from back then.

 

[ClassyCo]

Lear was a genius. AITF was proof.

Lear's shows were highly influential, and highly successful, but certainly products of their time. ALL IN THE FAMILY was his best show, but MAUDE and GOOD TIMES could be too preachy for my tastes. THE JEFFERSONS (which he "developed") was a very funny show.

I don't remember Archie being so mean to Edith.

Archie was mean to everyone, but I don't like how he talks to Edith. It dampers a re-watch of the episodes to me.

Barney Miller

I've never seen BARNEY MILLER, but the complete series box set is currently for sale at my local Walmart.

MASH

Ok, I've never seen the hoopla surrounding M*A*S*H. It just isn't a show I care for. My dad and grandad used to watch it a lot though.

Seinfeld

I've seen SEINFELD on so many "best of" lists that I finally watched a marathon TBS did some years ago. I watched five or six episodes and never cracked a smile. I didn't like any of the characters, and the jokes weren't funny. There's a possibility I'm not "smart" enough to enjoy the show, but I'll stick with this -- it's an overrated, stuffy, intellectual show that, to me, is hopelessly unfunny.

Big Bang

Here's another show I'm not too fond of. I will say it is funnier than SEINFELD. The cast is better, even if I don't find any of the characters relatable in anyway.

 

[stephenpe]

Barney Miller is worth your time. The point of Seinfeld was they were unlikeable. Kramer was the best character since Don Knotts.
My dad was 85 and loved Big Bang. I have a son with Asperger's and reminds me of Sheldon.

 

[Chris2]

Archie is very tough to take during the first few seasons - very mean. He softens around the time Joey comes along and the Stivics move next door. And this is around the time you see Edith becoming stronger and standing up to him and influencing him.

I particularly like the “Cousin Liz” episode, where the Bunkers attend the funeral of Edith’s late cousin. Archie threatens to take Liz’s partner (a woman) to court over a valuable family tea set. This would put the woman’s teaching job in jeopardy if she were outed. Edith explains why he shouldn’t do this, and says to him, “I can’t believe you’d do something that mean.” And she pulls him bank from the brink of something really hateful.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

I loved how Edith became more and more of A" rchie's conscience. Also, despite the timid "dingbat" persona, she was consistently shown as actually very strong and wise.
There's a little detail in the episode in which Mike and Gloria leave. Archie is crying after they have gone and Edith is about to enter the room. She sees he is sobbing, returns to kitchen and calls to Archie that she's coming, giving him time to not let her see him crying, knowing he wouldn't like that. It's a little detail in a bigger story, but such little details are the signs of good writing.

 

[Soaplover]

All in the Family:

They yelled too much... but I will say that I liked that Edith came into her own and sometimes put Archie in his place.

Meathead was just as bullheaded and intolerant as Archie was... and I always thought that Gloria could have done so much better then him.

Otherwise, most of Lear's shows in the 70s was a lot of shouting and sometimes more preachy then funny.

 

[Crimson]

There was a fine line in how likeable Archie could be portrayed. Make him too likeable and his bigotry looked like a cute quirk. Make him too unlikeable and the audience wouldn't want to watch.