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Norman Lear wasn’t just an epochal talent — he was highly prolific to boot. So much so that the legendary producer, who died Tuesday at 101, had at least one TV series, and as many as nine at once, on the air throughout the entire period between 1971 and 1986.
In honor of that influence, the five broadcast networks will pay tribute to Lear at the start of prime time Wednesday, with CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox and the CW simulcasting an in memoriam card at 8 p.m. Pluto TV and Antenna TV will honor Lear’s achievements on Wednesday with marathons of his shows, and Me TV on Sunday will air episodes of “All in the Family,” “Good Times” and “Sanford and Son” following a rerun of the Lear-hosted retrospective “The 200th Episode Celebration of All in the Family.”
In the meantime (or if you’re a cord-cutter), to help you get a handle on where to start with Lear, or where to catch up with your old favorites, we asked our critics to compile a list of his seven most essential TV shows and where to stream them.
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‘All in the Family’ (CBS, 1971-1979)
(CBS)
Prime-time television was revolutionized by “All in the Family” when it premiered in 1971. The half-hour sitcom dared to tackle politics and social ills in a comedy set in the cramped Bunker household, where bigoted, grousing patriarch Archie (Carroll O’Connor) laid bare America’s changing values in the midst of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and women’s liberation. Hate him or love him, Archie was a reflection of a country in flux, and “All in the Family” a demarcation point for the changing nature of TV comedy. (Freevee) —Lorraine Ali
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‘Sanford and Son’ (NBC, 1972-1977)
(NBC)
Adapted from the British comedy “Steptoe and Son” in 1972, the American version follows the scheming king of insults/catchphrases Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) and his gentler, more conscientious son Lamont (Demond Wilson) as they attempt to run a junk business together in Watts. Fred’s habit of feigning a heart attack — ”I’m comin’ Elizabeth” whenever things got tense launched a thousand T-shirts. (Peacock) —Mary McNamara
The multiple Emmy-Award-winning writer-producer and liberal political activist revolutionized prime-time television in the 1970s with groundbreaking, socially relevant situation comedies such as ‘All in the Family,’ ‘Maude’ and ‘The Jeffersons.’ He was 101.
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‘Maude’ (CBS, 1972-1978)
(CBS)
Spun off of Lear’s “All in the Family,” “Maude,” starring Bea Arthur, was the first sitcom that dared to set its story around a middle-aged, four-times-married feminist whose outspoken demeanor challenged sexist tropes of the day. The show featured Arthur as the gravelly voiced matriarch of the household who was often mistaken for her husband when she answered the phone (“He has a much higher voice,” she quipped). But the comedy also tackled such taboo subjects as abortion and sexual assault, changing the way women were represented on network TV. (Pluto TV) —L.A.
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‘Good Times’ (CBS, 1974-1979)
(CBS)
A spinoff of “Maude,” “Good Times” follows the family of Maude’s housekeeper Florida Evans (Esther Rolle), her husband Henry (John Amos) and their three children, the most culturally resonant of which was J.J. (Jimmie Walker), a gawky artist who fancies himself a ladies’ man. It is impossible to overstate the impact that J.J.’s catch phrase — ”Dyn-o-mite” — had on the culture of the time. (Peacock) —M.M.
Rob Reiner, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Kimmel and Rita Moreno were among the actors and producers to shared their condolences and appreciation for legendary TV writer and producer Norman Lear, who died Tuesday at 101.
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‘The Jeffersons’ (CBS, 1975-1985)
(CBS)
Long before “The Cosby Show” represented one of the few prosperous Black families on network television, there was “The Jeffersons,” an upwardly mobile Black family that made their way from working-class Queens (where they were neighbors of the Bunkers) to the tony Upper East Side of Manhattan. Successful businessman George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) was often as intolerant as Archie Bunker, often referring to white folks in epithets, but his tirades were based on his own painful experiences of discrimination. The show lasted from 1975 to 1985, proving that audiences were hungry for fresh perspectives on the American family. (Pluto TV) —L.A.
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‘One Day at a Time’ (CBS, 1975-1984)
(CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images)
Debuting in 1975, when divorce was still a taboo subject, “One Day at A Time” centers around divorced mother Ann Romano, played by Bonnie Franklin, as she struggles to raise her two teen daughters — fractious rebel Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) and smart-mouth jock Julie (Valerie Bertinelli). Refreshingly frank and emotionally honest, it was the first time many fractured families, and single mothers, saw themselves on TV. It was brilliantly rebooted in 2017, this time with a Cuban American family, headed by former Army nurse Penelope Alvarez (Justina Machado) and her mother, Lydia (Rita Moreno). (Original: Tubi, Pluto TV; reboot: Netflix) —M.M.
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‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman’ (syndicated, 1976-1977)
(Sony Pictures Television)
Lear’s ironic contribution to the Bicentennial Year was a syndicated, satirical nightly soap opera about an Ohio housewife, played with narcotized brilliance by Louise Lasser, whose life is mired in apathy, indecision and waxy yellow buildup. Mary Kay Place played her neighbor, Loretta, an aspiring country singer, and a large cast of oddball entangled characters included Martin Mull, Dabney Coleman, Vivian Blaine and Gloria DeHaven. As underground as over-the-air television ever got. —Robert Lloyd
