Norman Lear

The Life and Career of Television Legend Norman Lear

Part of the Series: American Masters

The first documentary about legendary showrunner Norman Lear, who dominated and reshaped television for decades. Largely responsible for the explosion of bold American television in the 1970s, Lear's name is synonymous with the sitcom, yet he brought provocative subjects like war, poverty and prejudice to 120 million viewers every week, Lear proved that social change was possible through an unlikely prism - laughter.

With unprecedented access to Lear, his work and his massive personal archives, this program combines stories from his turbulent childhood and early career with his groundbreaking TV success (All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude) and social activism.

The documentary also features colorful stories from Lear's family, friends and collaborators, including John Amos, George Clooney, Alan Horn, Bill Moyers, Rob Reiner, Phil Rosenthal and Russell Simmons, as well as cinema verite moments with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Jon Stewart, Amy Poehler and Lena Dunham.