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TV Series. Wealthy African American dry cleaner George Jefferson, his wife Louise, and son Lionel move into a luxury apartment building and develop occasionally fractious relations with other tenants, including their sassy maid Florence. Creator Norman Lear Don Nicholl Michael Ross Stars Isabel Sanford Sherman Hemsley Roxie Roker. 4.
- All in the Family (1971–1979), Archie Bunker's Place (1979–1983) Not only the greatest show creator Norman Lear had anything to do with, and the one that made his style a name brand, "All in the Family" could be considered one of the top sitcoms ever made – Rolling Stone, TV Guide, and Parade certainly think it is.
- The Jeffersons (1975–1985) From the first strains of its all-time classic theme song, viewers know that "The Jeffersons" is a very special entry in TV sitcom history.
- Sanford and Son (1972–1977) Redd Foxx was a lightning bolt of comic energy, a legendary club comedian and recording star for years before Norman Lear helped bring him to TV with the perfect project: "Sanford and Son," an Americanized remake of the popular British sitcom "Steptoe and Son."
- Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976–1977) / Forever Fernwood (1977–1978) Easily the silliest and most irony-soaked show in the canon of the usually straightforward Norman Lear, "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" was one of the first big spoofs of soap operas, which had crossed the line from melodramatic into baffling and bizarre by the time this tongue-in-cheek comedy debuted in 1976.
- All in the Family. If forced to pick one show to represent Norman Lear's career, it would be All in the Family (in fact we did, including it in our 100 best TV shows of all time list).
- Fernwood 2 Night. Fernwood 2 Night did not have the longevity of some of Lear's other TV shows, but we'd be remiss to not include it because it served as one of the first true starring vehicles for two beloved comedians — Martin Mull and Fred Willard.
- Good Times. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (with Lear helping to develop and executive producer the show), Good Times was one of the early sitcoms to focus on a Black family.
- The Jeffersons. Though coming on the heels of Good Times, The Jeffersons arguably became the more popular of the two shows. Spun off from the Jefferson family that first appeared in All in the Family, The Jeffersons follows the titular family as they move into a deluxe apartment (in the sky, as the theme song goes).
- Kareem Gantt
- Editor
- 'All in the Family' (1971-1979) IMDb Rating: 8.4. The opening image of Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) and his wife, Edith (Jean Staplelton) singing the iconic theme song at their piano is a microcosm of just how legendary All in the Family truly was.
- 'The Jeffersons' (1975-1985) IMDb Rating: 7.5. In areas where Maude was the “anti-Archie Bunker,” George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) was his close counterpart; out-spoken, a bit prejudiced, rude, and not fully understanding the changing world around him.
- 'Sanford and Son' (1972-1977) IMDb Score: 7.9. Though he didn’t get a developers' credit, Norman Lear had a hand in creating one of the more iconic sitcoms in modern history.
- 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman' (1976-1977) IMDb Rating: 7.9. Developed by Lear and created by Gail Parent, Ann Mrcus, Jerry Adlman, and Daniel Gregory Browne, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman follows the title character as she navigates the changing world around her in the 1970s.
- The Powers That Be. 1992–1993. Though largely forgotten, this sharp political satire set in the household of U.S. Senator William Powers (a post-Dynasty John Forsyth) is notable for its ensemble cast of future A-listers, including Holland Taylor as the senator’s socially ambitious shark of a wife, David Hyde Pierce as their quietly suicidal congressman son-in-law and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as their wise-beyond-his years son.
- The Facts of Life. 1979–1988. Not a hands-on Norman Lear show, this coming-of-age sitcom was one of the most successful projects from his production company, starring Charlotte Rae as Mrs. Edna Garrett, housemother to a memorably diverse ensemble of private-school students played by Kim Fields, Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn and Nancy McKeon.
- One Day at a Time. 2017–2020. The 1970s hit One Day at a Time was reimagined more than 30 years later as a vibrant celebration of a Cuban-American family, led by the dynamic Justina Machado as Penelope Alvarez, a former Army nurse dealing with PTSD issues while raising her son and daughter (whose love interest was non-binary).
- One Day at a Time. 1975–1984. To show how far TV had come during Norman Lear’s reign in the 1970s, remember that Mary Tyler Moore was discouraged from making her character of Mary Richards a divorcee when developing The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Born in 1922 in New Haven, Connecticut, Lear flew 52 combat missions over Europe in World War II before beginning his television career. His classic shows of the 1970s and '80s - All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son and Mary Hartman, Mary...
Dec 7, 2023 · Norman Lear, the accomplished sitcom producer who died Dec. 5 at the age of 101, left behind an impressive legacy of beloved TV shows that entertained audiences and made them think.
