Norman Lear Changed TV And No One Has Changed the Channel Since

“Growing up in the 1970s, I always loved his shows. They just resonated with me. They made me laugh,” said Tripp Whetsell about the late Norman Lear, who passed away in 2023 at age 101 and whose seven-decade career created shows that would forever alter the television landscape: All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time.

Now, “the man in the white hat,” who created a body of work that boldly tackled topics that were, at the time, considered small-screen taboos—race, class, sexuality, politics, and religion—is the subject of Whetsell’s latest book, “Norman Lear: His Life & Times.”

Recently, the author, who is also a business historian, entertainment journalist, and public relations executive, sat in conversation about it with New York Times bestselling author and writing professor Susan Shapiro at an event hosted by NYC institution Frank E. Campbell, which has transformed its historic spaces into venues for author readings, jazz concerts, and community gatherings.

Joining them were actors from Lear’s 1970s TV series/soap opera satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Louise Lasser, who played the title role, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award, and Greg Mullavey, known for his role as Tom Hartman.

In his book, Whetsell offers an intimate portrait of Lear, detailing how the storytelling legend created the gold standard for television comedies, produced shows that were the first to give underrepresented members of society an authentic prime-time voice, while encouraging audiences to confront their own humanity and shortcomings.

When asked by Shapiro how his book differed from Lear’s own memoir, Whetsell said, “His memoir was a great book, but this is his entire life.”

The author went on to describe Lear’s very difficult childhood during the Great Depression, when his father went to prison, leaving the 9-year-old with an absentee mother. Young Norman was shuttled among various relatives in New York and Boston. No surprise he learned to use humor as a coping mechanism. “That was the way he was able to survive,” said Whetsell.

Fast-forward to adulthood, when Lear worked in the early days of television as a writer after being a press agent. He partnered with a guy who was dating his cousin, and they became a comedy-writing team. Eventually, one thing would lead to the next, and in the 1960s, he was making feature films. Then he set out to get the American rights to Till Death Do Us Part. He had about three years to get the show on the air. When he did, it had transformed into All in the Family.

“In fact,” says Whetsell, “the very first All in the Family was called Meet the Bunkers. He insisted that go on the air first. It was a very controversial show. You see Archie just spread-eagled; in terms of every epithet, he came out swinging.”

Whetsell called Lear’s signature show “so bold,” and added that, “All of the shows were so bold, each in its own way. They were game changers because they were an entirely new playing field; never been done before. They were way ahead of their time.” Then he shared a fact from his book about how Sammy Davis Jr. was the most famous person to appear on All in the Family, making it the most famous episode ever. “Particularly the kissing thing at the end.”

The author did get to meet his entertainment idol when Lear agreed to speak at his alma mater, Emerson College in Boston, in classes Whetsell was teaching there. The author also learned a lot about the entertainment icon through years of research. “[Norman Lear] wasn’t always perfect. He was not always the easiest guy to get along with, nor did he always share enough credit for his successes, but he was generally a very charitable man.”

Louise Lasser chimed in, calling her former boss a mensch, and Greg Mullavey shared that “Norman was the nicest guy in the world. He always had his door open and said, ‘Any time you want to talk to me, we’ll talk.’ There’s only one time he didn’t want to see me—when I wanted more money.”

The upbeat mood of the room changed momentarily when Shapiro asked what the biggest challenge was when writing the book, and Whetsell admitted sadly that, “Unfortunately, I couldn’t get Norman’s participation because he was 99 at the time and just couldn’t do it.”

When the discussion turned to the state of modern television, Whetsell said that today’s showrunners and writers can learn from pioneer Lear by never being afraid to take risks and going with their gut. “If you believe in something, keep pushing.”

Asked if any current shows carry on Lear’s tradition, Whetsell noted that “just about every show today carries on his tradition to some extent, because he was the guy who opened the door. In any genre, whether it’s a half-hour sitcom or Law & Order, he pushed the boulder over the hill first and made possible all these other shows.”

Norman Lear changed America not only via entertainment but also with his activism.

In 1980, the show business giant founded the organization People for the American Way to challenge the Christian right agenda of the Moral Majority and fought for the First Amendment. Hence the reason that, according to Whetsell, “When Jimmy Kimmel returned to air, the talk show host posted a picture of Norman.”

“Norman Lear: His Life & Times,” by Tripp Whetsell is out now.

Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novel “The Last Single Woman in New York City.”