‘Norman Lear: A Life On Television’ Tribute Special Set At CBS

Denise Petski
·1 min read

Tributes have been pouring in following the death of Norman Lear on Tuesday at 101. CBS, home to the majority of Lear’s classic sitcoms, will celebrate the television legend’s extraordinary career with Norman Lear: A Life on Television special, set to air Friday, December 8 at 8 pm on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Presented by Entertainment Tonight, the one-hour special, hosted by Nischelle Turner, features interviews with stars of the long-running comedies Lear created, including Jimmie Walker from Good Times and Mackenzie Phillips from One Day At A Time, in addition to never-before-seen interviews from the ET vault. The special also includes Lear’s interview with ET host Kevin Frazier when he celebrated his 100th birthday.

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In addition to Good Times and One Day at a Time, Lear’s iconic sitcoms included Sanford and Son (1972-77), All in the Family (1971-79), The Jeffersons (1975-85) and Maude (1972-78).

In a rare joint tribute, the major broadcast networks, CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox and The CW, aired an in memoriam card in Lear’s honor Wednesday night in recognition of his groundbreaking influence on the TV industry.

His numerous awards included six Primetime Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 1999, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017 and the Golden Globe Carol Burnett Award in 2021. He also was a member of the Television Hall of Fame.

We’ll be updating with additional TV specials if/when they are announced, so check back for more.

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