Norman Lear’s Many American Families
The legendary TV producer transformed the medium by listening to creators whose lives differed greatly from his own.
The renowned television producer Norman Lear, who died yesterday at 101, pursued his craft with an assiduous fervor throughout his seven decades in the entertainment industry. But when I interviewed him back in 2020, for a that focused in part on his role in ushering in prominent Black television shows of the 1970s, Lear characterized himself as an enthusiastic viewer above all. “My role has been to have a great time!” he said, with a laugh. “I don’t know that anybody enjoyed those years and those shows
