People for years have praised Lear with bringing the best shows of the 70's to TV. Controversial? Yes, but we all know 'All in the Family' was not an original idea. Good Times another gem, was an original script by Eric Monte (who by the way is now homeless)


Is Norman Lear a creative genius OR a glorified rip off artist???

http://static.tvguide.com/MediaBin/Galleries/Celebrities/M_R/Ni_Np/Norman_Lear/crops/norman-lear5.jpg

Only when it came to Good Times.

Only when it came to Good Times.


Even though 'All in the Family' was originally a britcom?

Even though 'All in the Family' was originally a britcom?


Well he was the first guy in the US to try it and it worked-lol

Well he was the first guy in the US to try it and it worked-lol


I guess you do have a point

Success in Hollywood is not about true originality, but how to make a copy original.:lol:

Both. He was a ripoff artist in that he adopted other peoples ideas. But he was a great TV mind in that he choose very good ideas to adopt and in terms of britcoms was brilliant in how he adapted them for American television.

Both. He was a ripoff artist in that he adopted other peoples ideas. But he was a great TV mind in that he choose very good ideas to adopt and in terms of britcoms was brilliant in how he adapted them for American television.

In hindsight, Norman Lear's shows arguably work better as a social commentary and a testimony of how pop culture addressed and tried to shape the societal changes than a genuinely laugh out, funny sitcom. Take for instance, Maude, in which the humor more than often, feels very forced and constructed around heavy-handed messages which feel very much of their time.

It's hardly fair to pick on Norman Lear for the lack of originality of his shows. Many TV shows are based on prevoiusly produced material. Some are based on Movies. Others are based on books. And many are "spun off" from other TV shows. So Mr. Lear wasn't the first nor will he be the last to create a TV show based on someone else's work!