If you could ask Norman Lear one question face to face about his 1970's sitcoms, what

[TVFactFan]

would it be? I would ask why his top rated shows never crossed over like

All in the Family/Jeffersons
All in the Family/Maude

[jamesanthony]

Maybe how much of his own life experiences worked their way into scripts.

[barwars]

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
would it be? I would ask why his top rated shows never crossed over like

All in the Family/Jeffersons
All in the Family/Maude

You know you wouldnt waste asking "Is Good Times a spinoff of Maude" -- because you KNOW he'd say yes.

But I would ask the same question.
And -- why did The Jeffersons end??
It had a good 30, 40 seasons left in it.

[TVFactFan]

Originally posted by barwars88
You know you wouldnt waste asking "Is Good Times a spinoff of Maude" -- because you KNOW he'd say yes.

But I would ask the same question.
And -- why did The Jeffersons end??
It had a good 30, 40 seasons left in it.

LOL-i forgot about that question. I guess the Good Times/Maude spinoff question would be first.

[jamesanthony]

Originally posted by barwars88
[
And -- why did The Jeffersons end??
It had a good 30, 40 seasons left in it. [/B]

I could just see George and Weezy all grey and bent over with their walkers still trading insults with each other and Florence is still their maid!!!

[barwars]

Originally posted by jamesanthony


I could just see George and Weezy all grey and bent over with their walkers still trading insults with each other and Florence is still their maid!!!

Seriously -- I think the show could still be airing today and people would watch.
I now I would!!
The Jeffersons is timeless.
I think its the only sitcom that could've gone on FOREVER, and still not outrun its welcome.

[jamesanthony]

There really is something unique about those characters that people don't get tired of them for some reason. I can't put my finger on what it is. I'll bet if they did a reunion film like the one they're doing for Dick Van Dyke it would get very high ratings.

[mstewart]

Why did he keep them on the air too long and go out on top the way Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore did?

Each of shows wore their welcome and watching the final seasons of his respective shows they all look tired and worn out.

[barwars]

Originally posted by jamesanthony
There really is something unique about those characters that people don't get tired of them for some reason. I can't put my finger on what it is. I'll bet if they did a reunion film like the one they're doing for Dick Van Dyke it would get very high ratings.

I agree.
As long as its done like The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited.... whereas its treated like a normal episode, after a REALLY long hiatus.

And not "movie-like", like Mary & Rhoda

[barwars]

Originally posted by mstewart
Why did he keep them on the air too long and go out on top the way Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore did?

Each of shows wore their welcome and watching the final seasons of his respective shows they all look tired and worn out.

different people made those shows than Norman Lear.

and I disagree, at least with The Jeffersons.... it was fresh until the end.

[jamesanthony]

Originally posted by mstewart
Why did he keep them on the air too long and go out on top the way Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore did?

Each of shows wore their welcome and watching the final seasons of his respective shows they all look tired and worn out.

I think he sold the rights to all his shows in 1978 so it wasn't up to him to say if they should stay on or not. Ultimately the Neilsen families (whoever they are) decided the shows should stay on. Jeffersons only fell out of the top 20 because they took it off Sunday nights. Archie was #26 when it ended. Some shows never get that high. One Day at a Time would have ran even longer than it did except the actresses didn't want to do it any more.