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All of the main networks are honoring a late TV great. On Wednesday night, CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, and the CW will run a simulcast of an “on-air memoriam card” at 8 p.m. to pay tribute to Lear, who died Tuesday at 101 years old.
The broadcast will be a tribute to the iconic TV writer and producer “in recognition of Norman Lear’s vast accomplishments and influence across television,” according to a statement from the networks.
The groundbreaking TV producer smashed boundaries with politicized sitcoms such asAll in the Family,helped diversify network television with showsThe JeffersonsandGood Times,and used the half-hour comedy space to address social issues, taboos, and hot-button topics.
He died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home. Lear’s rep, Lara Bergthold, confirmed his death toThe New York Times.
“Norman lived a life in awe of the world around him,” his family wrote in a statement. “He marveled at his cup of coffee every morning, the shape of the tree outside his window and the sounds of beautiful music. But it was people — those he just met and those he knew for decades — who kept his mind and heart forever young.”
On Wednesday, Rolling Stone took a look at Lear’s most notable works, including Good Times, Maude, One Day at a Time, and All in the Family. “As a comedy, as a character study, and at times as pure drama,All in the Familywas, is, and will always be one of the best things ever made for American television,” Alan Sepinwall wrote in his commentary.
