NEW YORK (AP) — For many American living rooms, the 1960s didn’t truly start until January 12, 1971. That was the night “All in the Family” premiered, almost instantly transforming television and American society. The visionary behind this revolution was Norman Lear, who passed away at age 101 on Tuesday.
“All in the Family” introduced audiences to the brash bigot Archie Bunker, his “dingbat” wife Edith, his feminist daughter Gloria, and his liberal son-in-law Mike “Meathead” Stivic. From their home in Queens, New York, they loudly navigated a rapidly changing world. Carroll O’Connor’s portrayal of Archie embodied the “American Way” as many middle-aged white Americans understood it, reacting with confused exasperation as “others” redefined it.
Emerging from a tumultuous decade of change and amid a contentious war overseas, these realities were familiar to most Americans, yet rarely reflected on television after dinnertime. Television, then barely out of its adolescence, was confined to a handful of over-the-airwaves channels. Network censors and the Federal Communications Commission closely monitored programmers, who avoided topics that might upset viewers.
Before “All in the Family,” television comedy was a “vast playground for witches, Martians, and crazy ladies,” wrote Aljean Hermetz in The New York Times in 1972. Relationships were “relentlessly stapled out of cardboard and then wrapped in cellophane.” The few non-plastic sitcoms were gentle and melodramatic, devoid of meanness.
Archie Bunker challenged this norm. He was incredulous at a Black neighbor portraying Santa Claus, reasoned that everyone knew Santa was white, and reacted in shock when Sammy Davis Jr. kissed him on the cheek. Even the sound of a flushing toilet was novel for TV then. The show tackled menopause, miscarriage, and marital spats, encouraging viewers to confront reality and find humor in their differences.
“I never thought of the shows as groundbreaking,” Lear told the Harvard Business Review in 2014. “The issues were around their dinner tables. The language was in their schoolyards. It was nothing new.” The show’s success was swift, leading to Lear’s “Maude” character deciding to undergo an abortion in 1972, a year before the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
Lear’s influence extended far beyond “All in the Family.” By the 1974-75 season, he was behind five of the 10 most-watched programs. He used this power to create sitcoms that reflected worlds rarely seen on TV. “Sanford and Son” featured a junkyard owner memorably portrayed by Redd Foxx. “Good Times” depicted a struggling Black family in the Chicago projects, with Jimmie Walker’s “dy-no-mite” son. “The Jeffersons” followed a Black family moving into a “deluxe apartment in the sky,” introduced by an unforgettable theme song.
Bonnie Franklin showed viewers the struggles of a single mom raising two daughters in “One Day at a Time,” making Valerie Bertinelli America’s sweetheart. This unprecedented run of creative and commercial success cemented Lear’s legacy, even as he later became better known as a liberal activist.
Lear lived long enough to see his work appreciated by new generations. “One Day at a Time” was remade from 2017 to 2020 with a Cuban family. Jimmy Kimmel lovingly produced televised reenactments of Lear’s classic scripts with current stars, proving the durability and relevance of his work.
Norman Lear’s candid and comedic approach revolutionized television, sealing his status as a pioneering force. His shows, grounded in realism, paved the way for future generations and remain relevant today, highlighting the enduring impact of his genius.
