Norman Lear, pioneer of the American sitcom, dies at 101

Europe1 .fr with AFP 11:51, 07 December 2023

A pioneer of American television and the king of the sitcom, prolific and committed writer, director and producer Norman Lear has died at the age of 101, his family announced Wednesday. The man whose comedies revolutionized the small screen in the 1970s and 1980s, has never stopped throughout his career to tell "the real lives of Americans, not a magazine ideal," those close to him said.

Known in the United States for his successful comedies such as "The Jeffersons" and "All in the Family", Norman Lear was a pioneer in tackling sensitive subjects on television through laughter. His series evoked racism, sexuality, inequality and political divisions, offering millions of American households a more realistic vision of family life.

Six Emmy Awards

"In the beginning, he came up against closed doors and misunderstanding with his ideas. But he clung to his belief that the 'madness of the human condition' would make good television, and he ended up being listened to," his family said in a statement.

Norman Lear was also the first producer to regularly introduce an African-American family, the Evans, to American television, the main characters of the series "Good Times" which was broadcast from 1974 on the American network CBS. Over the course of his career, he has won six Emmy Awards.

The story of "television can be divided into two parts, BN and AN: Before Norman and After Norman," American screenwriter and producer Phil Rosenthal said in 2016.