Source:
Michael
Ochs
Archives
/
Getty
As
many
offer
tribute
to
the
late
television
legend
Norman
Lear
after
his
death,
we
take
a
look
at
the
television
shows
featuring
predominately
Black
casts
he
produced
which
changed
the
culture.
Source:
Steve
Granitz
/
Getty
The
passing
of
television
icon
Norman
Lear
at
the
age
of
101
has
paved
the
way
for
a
further
examination
of
the
shows
that
the
producer
and
writer
was
responsible
for
bringing
to
the
screen
and
in
the
process,
impacting
comedy
and
American
society
greatly
with
a
focus
on
social
and
political
themes
of
the
time.
His
work
(which
included
having
an
astonishing
eleven
hit
shows
on
air
at
one
time)
included
shows
airing
in
the
1970s
and
1980s
that
showcased
the
Black
community
in
roles
that
captured
their
full
scope
and
would
have
a
major
impact
on
the
industry
for
decades
afterward.
We
take
an
in-depth
look
at
the
Black-focused
shows
of
Norman
Lear
that
had
major
success.
Sanford
&
Son
Source:
NBC
Television
/
Getty
Reworking
a
popular
British
sitcom
Steptoe
&
Son,
Sanford
&
Son
became
a
smash
hit
when
it
aired
on
NBC
in
1974.
Ribald
veteran
comedian
Redd
Foxx
was
tapped
to
star
as
Watts-based
junkman
Fred
G.
Sanford
and
Demond
Wilson
as
his
son,
Lamont.
Featuring
beloved
recurring
characters
such
as
Aunt
Esther
(LaWanda
Page),
the
show
was
Lear’s
first
featuring
an
all-Black
cast
and
was
a
solid
ratings
giant
all
of
its
six
seasons,
coming
in
second
only
to
Lear’s
iconic
All
In
The
Family
on
CBS.
It
would
end
in
1977
after
a
contract
dispute
between
Foxx
and
NBC.
Good
Times
Source:
Michael
Ochs
Archives
/
Getty
A
spin-off
of
the
Bea
Arthur-fronted
Maude
(which
was
itself
a
spin-off
from
All
In
The
Family),
Good
Times
focused
on
Maude’s
former
housekeeper
Florida
Evans
(Esther
Rolle),
and
her
husband
James
Evans
(John
Amos)
as
they
raised
their
three
children
in
the
projects
in
Chicago.
Good
Times
was
co-created
by
Eric
Monte
(who
wrote
the
cult
classic
Cooley
High)
and
Mike
Evans,
who
starred
as
Lionel
on
All
In
The
Family.
The
show
would
become
another
hit
series
for
CBS,
despite
some
turbulence
with
Rolle
and
Amos
over
concerns
of
negative
stereotypes
as
the
character
of
J.J.
(played
by
comedian
Jimmie
Walker)
was
thrust
into
the
forefront
with
his
“Dyn-O-mite”
catchphrase
(which
Lear
actually
detested
at
first).
Good
Times
would
go
on
to
be
revered
by
many,
with
numerous
Black
stars
appearing
on
the
show
including
Janet
Jackson
as
Penny
Gordon.
The
Jeffersons
Featuring
Sherman
Helmsley
as
the
quick-tempered
laundry
owner
George
Jefferson
and
Isabel
Sanford
as
his
wife,
Louise,
The
Jeffersons
would
become
another
major
hit
series
for
Norman
Lear
with
roots
in
All
In
The
Family.
The
Jeffersons
would
represent
America’s
first
look
at
an
upwardly
mobile
Black
family
as
the
couple
moved
from
living
next
door
to
the
Bunkers
to
the
Upper
East
Side.
With
a
catchy
theme
song
(you’re
humming
it
right
now
as
you
read
this
no
doubt)
and
a
unique
perspective
thanks
to
the
strong
cast,
The
Jeffersons
would
run
for
ten
seasons
from
1975
to
1985
on
CBS.
Diff’rent
Strokes
Source:
Michael
Ochs
Archives
/
Getty
This
sitcom
by
Norman
Lear
first
made
its
debut
on
NBC
in
1978,
with
Gary
Coleman
and
Todd
Bridges
starring
as
Arnold
and
Willis
Jackson,
two
recently
orphaned
Harlem
children
taken
in
by
wealthy
Park
Avenue
widower
Phillip
Drummond
(Conrad
Bain)
and
their
daughter,
Kimberly
(Dana
Plato).
The
show
would
run
for
eight
seasons
on
NBC
and
ABC
highlighted
by
Coleman’s
magnetic
charm
and
the
“very
special
episodes”
that
tacked
issues
like
racism
and
drug
use.
227
Source:
Fotos
International
/
Getty
Lear
would
be
an
uncredited
executive
producer
for
227,
a
show
that
would
become
part
of
NBC’s
vaunted
Saturday
night
comedy
block
in
the
1980s.
Marla
Gibbs,
who
rose
to
fame
as
the
wisecracking
housekeeper
Florence
on
The
Jeffersons,
starred
as
housewife
Mary
Jenkins
as
part
of
a
trio
of
friends
and
neighbors
Rose
Holloway
(Alaina
Rose
Hall
)
and
Sandra
Clark
(Jackee
Harry)
in
the
same
Washington
D.C.
apartment
building.
227
was
also
the
debut
of
Regina
King,
who
played
Mary’s
daughter
Brenda.
The
show
would
last
for
five
seasons.
