10 Best Norman Lear Shows, Ranked

It’s no question that Norman Lear was a pioneer in television sitcoms. Before he developed his landmark sitcom All In the Family in 1971, sitcoms were made in the Leave It to Beaver mold; wholesome, clean, and safe for the entire family to enjoy. There was no cursing, everyone loved each other, and every storyline wrapped up in a neat, little bow in under 30 minutes. In short, television was used to show what America could be like.

Lear changed this when he created the Bunker family, led by the “lovable bigot,” Archie, a blue-collar New Yorker who longed for the days of old, and had trouble adapting to the changing world around him. With the success of All In the Family, Lear successfully brought social commentary to the sitcom world, and he wasn’t afraid to use controversial characters and plotlines to move a story. Lear was never interested in using the sitcom as a way to show what America could be. He used it to show what America was; and while it was funny, it wasn’t always pretty, and that was the true beauty of his work and perfectly exemplified in the following 10 series he either created or developed.

10 'The Deputy' (1959-1961)

IMDb Rating: 6.9

While Lear made his biggest impact on sitcoms, he wasn’t just a sitcom creator. In fact, the first series he ever created was a Western, The Deputy, which premiered on NBC in 1959 and starred late, great Henry Fonda in the role of Chief Marshal Simon Fry, although he would be mostly regulated to narrating the series as he only led 19 episodes. The bulk of the on-screen acting would fall on Allen Case, who portrayed Deputy Clay McCord, who helped Fry patrol the unruly Arizona territory in the 1880s when Fry was out of town (which was often the case).

The lack of Fonda on screen is a bit of a drawback, and most of the episodes in The Deputy follow the same storylines as most Westerns did in the late 50s, but the acting of McCord, and the narration of Fonda more-than make up for the series’ shortcomings; and upon a reappraisal, The Deputy is an underrated gem that does a good job with the material that it had to work with.

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9 'The Baxters' (1979-1981)

IMDb Rating: 5.0

The Baxters was an interesting sitcom, to say the least. One of the first “interactive” shows to premiere on television, the sitcom follows the Baxters, your average middle-class family living in suburban St. Louis. While everything seemed average on the surface, the situations the family was thrust into on a weekly basis were not, and were pretty controversial at the time; from whether to commit the eldest patriarch, Mother Baxter, to a nursing home, or gentrify an apartment complex that would require them to force out some tenants.

What made The Baxters unique was its format. The sitcom was split into two-halves: the first being a traditional sitcom, and the second transitioning into a talk-show forum to discuss the events that happened in the first half. It was an interesting concept, allowing the audience to have an honest discussion of sensitive topics, which, in a sense, brought America into the tough conversations. While they didn’t always stick the landing, it was an interesting format that Lear tried to push the narrative.

Editor's Note: Not Available for Streaming

8 'One Day at a Time' (1975-1984)

IMDb Rating: 6.6

With his “Big Two” (All In the Family and Good Times) sitcoms achieving strong ratings, Lear was brought on in 1975 to develop One Day at a Time, a CBS sitcom which told the story of a single mother and her two children as they try to find balance after moving to Indianapolis. As with Lear’s other sitcoms, One Day at a Time would often use comedy to tackle serious subjects such as relationships and drug addiction; but what set this sitcom apart from its peers was that it told these stories in relation to “second-wave feminism,” a time period that broadened the viewpoint of feminism to include issues such as reproductive rights and gender inequality.

Lear told these stories through compelling, complex characters, and viewers flocked to the series week after week, consistently ranking in the Nielsen Top 20 throughout most of its run. While seasons eight and nine did show a dip in quality, One Day at a Time was truly revolutionary for its era, and most of the sitcom’s storylines have aged well over the years, and it even spawned a re-boot by Lear in 2017.

One Day at a Time

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7 'All’s Fair' (1976-1977)

IMDb: Rating: 7.0

In the mid-70s, America was just getting over the political shock of Watergate, which was the perfect time for Lear to create a political sitcom. All’s Fair premiered on CBS in 1976, and follows a conservative newspaper columnist who falls in love with a young liberal photographer, and the complex problems a relationship between two people at opposite ends of the political spectrum can generate.

While it was received well by critics, one can’t get over the constant shouting that marked the show. It seemed as if Lear wanted the audience to see just how hysterically problematic it could be for a conservative and a liberal to be in a romantic relationship with one-another, with their politics and viewpoints often getting in the way of having a healthy relationship. Yet, that’s the entire point of All’s Fair. As he did with All in the Family, Lear set out to make a caricature of the social and political fight we have amongst ourselves, this time, using the back-and-forth between the left and the right to point out just how absurd it is to let politics dictate how we see and relate to each other. Alas, despite receiving critical acclaim, and leading to a Golden Globe for Benadette Peters, the show was tragically canned after just one season.

Editor's Note: Not Available for Streaming

6 'Maude' (1972-1978)

IMDb Rating: 7.3

In a lot of ways, Maude Findlay (Bea Authur) was the “anti-Archie Bunker.” Archie was a staunch conservative, Maude was politically liberal. Instead of living in working class Queens, Maude resided in suburban Tuckahoe, New York. In areas where Archie didn’t understand the changing world around him, Maude was all in on changing the old guard, advocating for civil rights and gender equality. In short, Maude represented everything Archie despised (and vice versa); but the one thing that they both had in common was that they were not afraid to speak their minds, which made Maude such an iconic hit in the mid-70s.

Maude was actually Norman Lear expressing his own political beliefs, as he was a huge supporter of liberal causes. However, Lear and the show writers didn’t always portray Maude in the best light, often showcasing her as a so-called “limousine liberal” who wasn’t always connected to the causes she supported. Surprisingly, Maude was a darker sitcom than All in the Family, using more drama and social issues to move the story, such as abortion and alcoholism. Maude was controversial, but that was the true charm of the show, and just how Lear liked it.

Maude (1972)

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5 'Good Times' (1974-1979)

IMDb Rating: 7.4

Brought on by creators Eric Monte and Mike Evans, Lear helped develop Good Times, which premiered on CBS in 1974 and told the story of the Evans family and their trials and tribulations of trying to strive and survive in a public housing project in inner-city Chicago. The gospel-style theme itself is a classic, but it was the acting, especially by John Amos, Esther Rolle, and Jimmie Walker, that makes Good Times the iconic sitcom that it is.

As with most of Lear's projects, Good Times leaned heavily into social commentary to move the story, this time told from the perspective of a poor African American family just trying to make ends meet. Most of the series' plotlines involve the family trying desperately to overcome poverty, while keeping their faith in family and better days ahead. While Good Times is hilarious, it was also a stark social commentary on inner-city life in the 70s, and how the government often leaves its most vulnerable population to fend for themselves in deteriorating conditions. Despite the daunting odds, faith and family can get one through the bad times and into the good times, which was perfectly illustrated by the sheer resilience of the Evans family.

Good Times (1974)

In the heart of Chicago, an African American family living in a public housing project confronts the trials and tribulations of daily life. With a strong-willed father and a nurturing mother at the helm, the family contends with economic hardships, social challenges, and personal dilemmas. The series skillfully balances comedy and drama, showcasing the family's unwavering spirit and deep connection. Their story reflects broader themes of resilience and solidarity, providing a nuanced look at the experiences and aspirations of those striving for a better future amidst adversity.

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4 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman' (1976-1977)

IMDb Rating: 7.9

Developed by Lear and created by Gail Parent, Ann Mrcus, Jerry Adlman, and Daniel Gregory Browne, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman follows the title character as she navigates the changing world around her in the 1970s. For this series, Lear used a satirical soap opera format to move the story, which resulted in 325 episodes being produced in just one year of airing.

One could say that Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was a melodrama made for the sake of making fun of the soap opera genre, but it was a genius move by Lear and the writing team to make light of the rapid societal change that America was experiencing in the decade of disco and bell-bottoms. Mary Hartman (Louise Lasser) was often seen experiencing this change through an apathetic lens, which was common in society at large as Americans were trying to recover from the turbulence of the 1960s. Lear’s use of the soap opera format to showcase the change in society in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was smart and innovative.

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

Editor's Note: Not Available for Streaming

3 'Sanford and Son' (1972-1977)

IMDb Score: 7.9

Though he didn’t get a developers' credit, Norman Lear had a hand in creating one of the more iconic sitcoms in modern history. Sanford and Son, which, like All in the Family, was an adaptation of a BBC sitcom (Steptoe and Son), that followed the cantankerous, sardonic Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) and his son, Lamont (Demond Wilson), as they run a junk dealing business in South Central Los Angeles. Sanford and Son was a slight departure from Lear’s other sitcom projects, and that it didn’t rely much on social commentary to tell stories within the series.

Instead, it used edgy humor laced in racial undertones and running gags (such as the infamous dramatic “heart attacks” Fred would have), and this was largely thanks to Foxx, a legendary stand-up comedian. Sanford and Son was made to be NBC’s answer to CBS’s All in the Family; and despite it running on Friday nights (the so-called “death slot” for TV shows), the sitcom was hugely popular throughout its run, often running neck-and-neck with All in the Family throughout most of its run. While he was never credited, Sanford and Son proved that Lear had that magic touch.

Sanford and Son

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2 'The Jeffersons' (1975-1985)

IMDb Rating: 7.5

In areas where Maude was the “anti-Archie Bunker,” George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) was his close counterpart; out-spoken, a bit prejudiced, rude, and not fully understanding the changing world around him. There were two big differences between the two, however: George was wealthy and black. The Jeffersons were a spin-off of All in the Family (eventually, outlasting its parent show), as the titular family were former neighbors of Archie. But when George’s dry-cleaning business became very successful, it afforded him the opportunity to move his family -- wife Louise “Weezy” Jefferson (Isabel Sanford), and son Lionel (Mike Evans/Damon Evans) -- from working class Queens to Manhattan’s wealthier Upper East Side.

In some respects, one can say The Jeffersons were more like a reversed-Good Times than a product of the sitcom it spun off from. Lear aimed to tell the story of the titular family from the African American experience, this time making them an upper-middle class family instead of one just trying to survive in the inner-city. That didn’t mean The Jeffersons were immune to societal pressures, as the family dealt with social topics such as racism, gun control, and the KKK; but it dealt with these topics in a more light-hearted way than its predecessor (and, to an extent, Maude). While the sitcom has been looked at negatively by some critics for the way it portrayed the family, The Jeffersons remains one of Lear’s best sitcoms that hit all the right notes.

The Jeffersons (1975)

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1 'All in the Family' (1971-1979)

IMDb Rating: 8.4

The opening image of Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) and his wife, Edith (Jean Staplelton) singing the iconic theme song at their piano is a microcosm of just how legendary All in the Family truly was. Premiering on CBS in 1971, All in the Family, based on the BBC sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, would go on to change the landscape of situation comedy. The main patriarch, Archie, wasn’t a clean, caring father like the sitcoms of the 50s and 60s. He was loud, prejudiced, narrow-minded and demeaning. Archie was everything Ward Cleaver and Mike Brady wasn’t, and he was unlike any patriarch audiences had ever seen on television.

All in the Family was not an easy sitcom to watch at times, as it used social commentary to tell the story of a conservative, blue-collar man from Queens who had trouble facing a changing world, and longed for the days of old. The sitcom touched on everything, from antisemitism, to abortion. Name the controversial topic, and All in the Family covered it, and not in a soft way. Ironically, it was the way All in the Familyhandled these heavy subjects that made it such an all-time classic and a hit with viewers. Using comedy as a means to tell important stories wasn’t particularly new, but All in the Family took it to another level, not being afraid to shock-and-awe its audience and bringing a heavy dose of reality and drama to make the point it wanted to make.

All in the Family was, by and large, the perfect example of what makes Norman Lear such an iconic show creator and developer. He had the incredible gift of telling the un-varnished version of the American story week-after-week, and he wasn’t afraid to tell that story from all viewpoints. Whether it was from the viewpoint of a lawman in the 1880s, a "lovable bigot," a flawed suburban family, a poor and rich African American family, a romantic couple with opposing political viewpoints, an outspoken liberal, a single mother, or an apathetic modern woman, Norman Milton Lear is the man that put America on the small screen every week; and though it wasn’t always comfortable, it was humorous, soul-searching television.

All In The Family (1971)

Set in Queens, New York, All in the Family is a sitcom that portrays the life of Archie Bunker, a stubborn, somewhat bigoted blue-collar worker who struggles to cope with the rapid social changes of the 1970s. Between is liberal son-in-law and progressive daughter, Archie will have to learn what it means to change with the times.

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