Thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and Applause Books for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

At one time in the 1970s, Norman Lear’s production company had NINE television shows on the air. Isn’t that incredible? All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, etc. These shows were a part of the American television landscape in the 1970s and 1980s. The man behind them, Norman Lear, changed television with these shows, confronting such topics as bigotry and racism, abortion rights, divorce, and many more. He was THE trailblazer, who didn’t stop even after he moved away from television.

This biography is a great companion to Lear’s own memoir, which I listened to after finishing this book. It details Lear’s early life in a dysfunctional family, with a father who went to prison and a mother who was ambivalent enough about her son to ship him off to relatives while she took Lear’s sister to live with her. Lear’s way of surviving was to find the humor of every situation, which would serve him well in his professional and personal life.

His early years in television had him writing for greats like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. After honing his skills and staying gainfully employed throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he and a business partner decided to develop a TV show based upon a British television show. (Not the first or last time he did this) The result was All in the Family, featuring Archie Bunker and his family, who had to deal with his bombastic, bigoted tirades. It was not an instant hit, but the audience slowly grew until it became must-see TV.

That led to several spinoff series like Good Times. I had seen in a documentary, and it’s gone over in detail in this book, is the conflicts Lear had with some of his African American stars. They felt a sense of duty to portray their race as more than just a stereotype since this was the first television show focusing on a black family. They bristled at the white writer’s room and would frequently say “s/he wouldn’t say that.” That led to tensions and sometimes fights with the principal actors, and even led to John Amos, the main star, to leave the show. That’s not necessarily saying Lear was racist, in fact, he was shining the light on the racism in America in the 1970s, but his first focus was on the comedy. His experience on Good Times and with the actors there led him to develop The Jeffersons, showing an upwardly mobile black family.

The other major television shows Lear created are discussed in detail, far more detail than his memoir, in fact. And after Lear got out of the day-to-day television business, he used his clout, and his millions, to form a liberal Political Action Committee to protect the right of free speech. He had so much money, he bought one of the only surviving original copies of the Declaration of Independence, then had it tour all 50 states so people could see it in person. He was a passionately political person, who was involved in many causes, right up to his death in 2023 at the age of 101. Truly, a remarkable voice in the entertainment industry whose impact is still felt today.

I enjoyed this book. I watched most of the television shows Lear was involved in and loved them, and this book gave me a greater appreciation of the person behind them. I also feel that because Lear was involved in so many shows, this book constitutes a good history of American television. Most of the writing was crisp, but I felt at times that the tone could have been more conversational. Overall this book was a highly enjoyable read. Thank you to Netgalley and Applause for the advance reader copy.

Applause Books/Rowman and Littlefield provided an early galley for review

I grew up on Lear's shows, often watching them on first-run over at my grandmother's house along with my mother, my aunt and my cousin. These were thought-provoking, heartfelt comedies that could make you laugh and cry, sometimes in the same half hour.

Broken into twenty-eight chapters across four sections, the reader is taken through his early life, his start in the business, the successes and the later years. No surprise that the bulk of the book is devoted to those glory years of the 1970s when his shows were at the top of viewing numbers week after week. At a time when there were only three networks to choose from, it was very likely you would have someone to discuss the shows with the day after they aired. As a big fan, I was very eager to hear all the stories (some I knew, many I did not) about the making of these classic shows.

Whetsell is a scholar when it comes to television, and he shows his depth of knowledge even when going off on contextual tangents that show the relationships to things Lear did in his own career. I appreciated the stories about the early days of television when Lear was honing his writing chops.

On the informativeness and being detailed and nuanced sides, this book is a 5/5.
It is how I’d like a book about writer and producer’s life to be; with many insight about their work.
This was a rewarding read in that sense.
Though I would be interested in reading a more visually supported book about Lear’s professional life and work.

Absolutely loved this guide about the iconic Norman Lear. It does a great job showing readers his many accomplishments over the years. Perfect for any fan of his work.