Legendary TV writer and producer Norman Lear, who changed the TV landscape by creating some of its most successful and influential sitcoms, will be honored with the Impact Icon Award, to be presented as part of the TV Land Icon Awards, TV Land announced.
Lear was behind a string of successful comedy series in the 1970s, including “The Jeffersons,” “One Day at a Time,” “All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son,” “Maude” and “Good Times.”
Lear also developed the cult favorite “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” which was reportedly deemed too controversial for the networks and instead went into first-run syndication in 1976.
Presenting the Impact Icon Award to Lear will be Seth MacFarlane.
Also to be honored is John Stamos, who will receive the Timeless Icon Awards.
The event will be taped Sunday, April 10, at the Barker Hanger in Los Angeles, and will air Sunday, April 17, on TV Land. George Lopez will host.
All in the Family started it all and is a great tv landmark for many reasons. But he deserves maybe more credit because he used his power to bring two shows with black leads, when that was rarely done on Network TV. Sanford and Sons and Good Times reflected the average middle class black family in a way that television had never done before. And brought them into middle america’s living room.