Why Norman Lear put America's problems on TV
Taboo-breaking TV legend Norman Lear, creator of subversive '70s sitcoms like All in the Family, Maude and The Jeffersons, looks back on the era's divisive debates about race, gender, and class in populist mainstream network TV.
"It occurred to me at some point that everything that preceded me had a message...and that message was there are no problems in America," Lear tells guest host Gill Deacon, adding, "We wrote what about what was going on in our world."
The 93 year old is still doing his part to shake up the TV landscape, he's currently working on a Latino-centred remake of One Day at a Time with Netflix.
Lear is the subject of a new documentary called Just Another Version of You — a special presentation at this year's Hot Docs festival in Toronto. Lear joins guest host Gill Deacon to share his memories of challenging television conventions, and what keeps him working for change.
WEB EXTRA | Norman Lear's advice for living a long life.
"A man should have a garment with two pockets. In the first pocket should be a piece of paper in which he's written, 'I am but dust and ashes, I don't matter that way.' In the other pocket a piece of paper on which is written, 'For me the world was created.'