The TV Shows of Norman Lear, ‘All in the Family’ to ‘Live Before a Studio Audience’: A Complete Guide

Although Norman Lear came from a background that included working as a publicist for Broadway stars, writing jokes for comedians and splitting his time between political activism and as a producer and director of television (often in the variety show genre), it wasn’t until 1971 and the arrival of All in the Family that the world came to know his name. And for good reason, as that show was truly transformative for television, featuring a less-than-admirable leading man in the form of Carroll O’Connor’s racist and ultra-conservative Archie Bunker and grappling with issues that, insofar as TV sitcoms prior to it were concerned, simply didn’t exist.

“I never thought of the shows as groundbreaking,” Norman revealed to the Harvard Business Review, “because every American understood so easily what they were all about. The issues were around their dinner tables. The language was in their schoolyards. It was nothing new. Before All in the Family, there were a lot of families on television, but the biggest problem they faced was Mom dented the fender or the boss is coming to dinner and the roast is ruined. America had no racial problems, no economic problems. Women didn’t get breast cancer, men didn’t get hypertension.”

All in the Family, of course, was just the beginning for him, with much more — The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude among them, which will be looked at below — to come.

“I had read about the English show ‘Til Death Do Us Part from some publication, and I thought, ‘Holy s–t, I grew up with that! How could I never have thought of that?’” he related. “Because my father used to call me the laziest white kid he ever met. And I would scream at him, ‘You know you’re putting a whole race of people down just to call me lazy?’  And he’d say, ‘That’s not what I’m doing; you’re the dumbest white kid I ever met!’”

His shows were hugely influential, evident in the recent Live in Front of a Studio Audience specials that featured recreations of episodes of All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Good Times, with modern actors bringing his classic characters to life, but he himself looks at all that he accomplished rather philosophically.

“When I’m asked, ‘Did you change anything?’ I always repeat the story my grandfather taught me,” says Norman. “My grandfather said, ‘When you throw a stone or a rock into the ocean or the lake, the level of the water rises. You’ll never see it. What you get to see is the ripple.’ So I use that metaphor. What you get is a ripple.”

‘The Deputy’ (1959 to 1961)

Over a decade before All in the Family, Norman and Roland Kibbee created this Western. Allen Case is Deputy Clay McCord, actually a storekeeper in 1880’s Silver City, Arizona Territories, who, when necessary, tries to keep the peace at the insistence of Chief Marshal Simon Fry (Henry Fonda), though he doesn’t believe in gun violence and refuses to use his weapon.

‘All in the Family’ (1971 to 1979)

It’s the Bunkers and the Stivics, and the TV show that drew a line in the creative sand of what television was and what it could be. The concept pit conservative bigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) against his liberal son-in-law, Mike “Meathead” Stivic (future director Rob Reiner), setting the stage for back and forth arguments between them that covered a wide variety of social issues, among them women’s rights, the Vietnam War, homosexuality, rape, religion, menopause, abortion and so much more. Stuck between them is Archie’s “dingbat” (his nickname, not ours) wife Edith (Jean Stapleton) and their daughter, Gloria (Sally Struthers), who’s married to the Meathead and lives in the Bunker household. Over the course of the series, the characters experienced and went through a lot, including Archie who evolved from an offensive bigot to a somewhat lovable guy who had lived what he learned but was genuinely changing. Gradually. Developed by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin.

‘Sanford and Son’ (1972-1977)

Another example of the sitcom maturing in the 1970s and a huge hit for NBC. Redd Foxx is Fred Sanford and Demond Wilson is his son, Lamont — both of them living and working out of the family junkyard. Developed by Norman, many considered it to be the network’s own version of All in the Family, which isn’t unreasonable considering the issues dealt with, albeit comically. Developed by Norman and Bud Yorkin.

‘Maude’ (1972 to 1978)

Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin worked their creative magic again in this first spin-off from All in the Family. Bea Arthur had played Maude Findlay, cousin of Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton), on two episodes of that show, and made such an impression that she got her own series. Pure liberal, the show follows the character’s tackling issues of the day. Co-starring are Bill Macy as her husband, Walter, and Adrienne Barbeau as their daughter, Carol.

‘Good Times’ (1974-1979)

Good Times is credited as being the first sitcom to feature a two-parent African American family. On top of that, it’s a spin-off of Maude, which was a spin-off of All in the Family. John Amos and Esther Rolle lead the Evans family, who struggle each day just to get by — by they do it with a mix of laughs and drama. Things got a little lighter once Jimmie Walker‘s J.J. (and his catchphrase, “Dy-no-mite!”) took off. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans, developed by Norman Lear.

‘The Jeffersons’ (1975 to 1985)

George and Louise “Weezy” Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford) moved on up (to the East Side) and away from their former neighbors, the Bunkers of All in the Family. In some ways, George was something of a mirror reflection of Archie Bunker, only his racism was used against whites. Created by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West, developed by Norman Lear.

‘Hot L Baltimore’ (1975)

Developed by Norman Lear, this show was an adaptation of the Off-Broadway play by Lanford Wilson. The setting is the fictional Hotel Baltimore (the “e” is out on the neon sign, hence the title). Controversial from the start — literally, each episode began with a disclaimer regarding adult content. The reason? The assorted (and, in some occasions, sordid) characters the show centered on. Among the regulars were a pair of prostitutes (one of which was also an illegal immigrant) and TV’s first gay couple. Lasting only 13 episodes, this was considered Norman’s first TV failure.

‘One Day at a Time’ (1975 to 1984)

This comedy (including a nice helping of drama) is about the divorced Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin) doing her best to raise daughters Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli) and Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) on her own, and her dealing with the challenges of doing so.

‘All’s Fair’ (1976 to 1977)

Richard Crenna plays conservative columnist Richard C. Barrington, who finds himself involved romantically with the much younger Charlotte (Charley) Drake, played by Bernadette Peters, who’s a liberal photographer. The conflict of their age and, naturally, politics, fuels the series. Created by Bob Schiller, Bob Weiskopf and Rod Parker, and developed by Norman Lear.

‘The Dumplings’ (1976)

The approach, unlike many of Norman’s previous shows, seems a lot softer, the humor more of a self-deprecating kind coming from James Coco and Geraldine Brooks as overweight married couple Joe and Angela Dumpling. They run a luncheonette on the ground floor of a Manhattan skyscraper and the majority of the laughs are provided by “fat jokes” as they interact with customers. The show lasted 11 episodes. Created by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West, developed by Norman.

‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman’ (1976 to 1977)

This take-off on soap operas aired every weeknight in syndication from January 1976 to May 1977. Louise Lasser plays the title character, a small-town housewife who is desperately trying to understand the strange and violent situations that are taking place around her. Created by Gail Parent, Ann Marcus, Jerry Adelman and Daniel Gregory Brown, developed by Norman.

‘The Nancy Walker Show’ (1976)

Thanks to her appearances on both McMillan & Wife and Rhoda (playing the title character’s mother), Nancy Walker is Nancy Kitteridge, owner of a Los Angeles talent agency. The cast also includes William Daniels, William Schallert and James Cromwell. Created by Norman Lear and Rod Parker.

‘All That Glitters’ (1977)

A spoof of soap operas, the focus is on the executives of the Globatron Corporation, though the twist Norman provides is that in this world females are decidedly the stronger sex, while the males were the secretaries or parents staying home with the kids. A strong cast consisting of Eileen Brennan, Greg Evigan, Gary Sandy and Jessica Walter. Linda Gray was cast as TV’s first transgender character, a fashion model. The show lasted 65 episodes. Created by Norman Lear.

‘A Year at the Top’ (1977)

This is different for a Norman Lear-produced show: a pair of aspiring rock and rollers (Greg Evigan  and Paul Shaffer) head to Hollywood from Idaho and hook up with a promoter (Gabriel Dell), who guarantees them a year at the top — if they’ll hand over their souls after that time. Turns out that this guy is the son of the devil. Created by Heywood King, with Norman Lear serving as executive producer.