http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/LouGrant.jpg

Was he meant to be a heavy drinker or was that blown out of proportion by the media? I've read a few critics articles that complained that Lou Grant was an alcoholic, just curious for some opinions...

I'd say Lou was right on the edge of "problem drinker". He never seemed to miss work because of it, nor did it have a significant effect on his personal life. But he did turn to the bottle a lot in times of stress, and he did have a pint in his office desk. He was emblematic of a lot of guys of that era; men who were alive during WWII and the Depression, who just assumed that drinking was the traditional way of dealing with conflict, as well as having a good time.

Lou definitely used alcohol to deal with stress but like Retro4Life said he probably stopped just short of abusing it.

He was pretty close to the edge!!!

He was pretty close to the edge!!!
Yes! He was very close to the edge. But like Retro4Life said his use of alcohol never prevented him from doing his job or keeping an appointment or anything like that.

If this show was on during the 80's or 90's, they probably would have had a 'very special episode' where Lou realizes that he has a drinking problem.