the spinoff series into an art form. >> norman lear hates to hear it called the lear factory. series come out of this building, allowing lear to move from show to show like a dervish. >> "good times" was like holy smokes. there's black people on tv! >> there had never been a complete back family on tv with a father. >> what made it so unique and universal was that we had the same problems in our household, and we do not live in the projects in chicago. >> dynomite! >> you want to worry your head about nothing, go on and do it. we got $32 in the shoe box and i not another $6 in my pocket. >> you worked all night and all they paid you was $6? >> there were a lot of folks who were not happy with the show. the black panthers were very upset. when huey newton came to see me, the big complaint was, why can't we see a black man that's doing better than that? >> "the jeffersons" started as neighbors of archie bunker. >> don't call me honky. >> why are you so sensitive all of a sudden? >> how would you like it if i called you nigger? >> he called me nigger! >> that's no worse than honk

"facts of life" was part of the norman lear family.e of this wise older woman. divorce, virginity. >> snake and i slept together. >> class wars on the regular. >> you're not prejudiced. you're just a snob. >> teach me to be common, jo. bring me down to your level. >> a show like "facts of life" is the beginning of the very special episode. >> i never think my best friend is white. i just know my best friend is natalie. >> when you look at tootie and natalie, you're looking at friendship and love that supersedes race. [ applause ] >> the norman lear shows in the '70s may have been teaching us lessons but it wasn't so overt. >> i'm looking for blair warner. >> you must be her cousin jeri. >> yeah. >> the only time i ever saw a child with a disability on television as a kid was on a telethon. norman lear cast me as blair's cousin on "facts of life." >> see, i had this made. it says i don't have cerebral palsy, i'm drunk. >> it was risky. >> how was the bus ride? >> i don't know. i drove. >> a car? >> no. a lemon. >> when "facts of life" a

um, norman lear, is truly is just an extraordinary honor to talk to you.'ve done so much for so many people. i really appreciate it. >> i couldn't appreciate those words or you, more. thank you. >> oh, well, thank you. and my -- my best to your wife and your family. thank you so much. be sure to tune in. the all new cnn original series the history of the sitcom premieres sunday 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific only on cnn. really is a legend. when we come back, remembering an american hero. [sizzling] i may not be able to tell time, but i know what time it is. [whispering] it's grilled cheese o'clock. [footsteps] so, are you gonna buy the car? please! if i could just go home, and discuss things with my wife- i've been here all weekend. you can leave anytime you want. no! ahhh! never go to a dealership again. well, that was painless. go to vroom.com, buy a car and we'll deliver it straight to you.

. >> to the credit of someone like norman lear and the many people who worked with him, they put peopleh lgbtq identities on television and to treat them as characters, not punchlines. >> we haven't seen a gay character. why haven't we seen a gay character? i mean they exist. >> get a load of this. my son-in-law and his pal, tinker bell. >> excuse me. >> hey, steve. >> hi, mr. bunker. >> they bring their own stories to families all the time. >> kelsey, he's trying to tell me that steve is -- >> i just wouldn't want my place to become no, uh, hangout. >> i mean there was story material there. >> steve, you're going to want to bust him wide open when i tell you this. i don't know where he gets these brain storms, but he thinks that you're -- i can't even say it, steve. >> he's right, arch. >> huh? >> these shows were changing the way that we think about queerness and otherness. >> excuse me. i thought this was eddie stokes' room. >> it is. >> it is? oh, are you his wife? >> oh, same old eddie, huh? oh, he doesn't want me to know he's here, but he is here, in there. >> in 1977, we got a ve

norman lear, aaron spelling are two classic examples.hen you came along, you are not a man or white. was there a lot of discrimination against you felt palpably at the time? or was it subtle? >> that is a difficult question to answer. i say that because i don't know what it feels like to be a white in. i don't know how people were treating me at the time. i don't how i've always been treated. i was raised very clearly by my parents did not look at things as obstacles and rather as hills to climb. somebody treated me in a way that was not respectful. i should move forward. i'm sure i experienced a lot of things there were probably not what other people experience. i just chose not to be defeated by them. some of them, i did not bother to notice. david: given how prominent you are in the entertainment world, you feel discrimination at any point? >> there is an insularity that comes with being in a certain position in hollywood. it doesn't matter that if someone doesn't know who you are, they won't see you as just another person of color yo

norman lear, aaron spelling are two classic examples.you came along, you were not a man and you are not white. so was there a lot of discrimination against you that you felt palpably at the time, or was it very subtle? shonda: i find that to be a difficult question to answer, and i say that because i do not know what it feels like to be a white man, so i don't know how people were treating white men at the time. i only know how i have always been treated. and i was, you know, raised very clearly by my parents to be a person who did not look at things as obstacles. i look at things as hills to climb. if anyone treated me in a way that was not 100% respectful, i was told that was their problem and i should move forward. so i am sure i experienced a lot of things that were not probably what other people experienced. i just chose not to be defeated by them. some of them i probably didn't even bother to notice. david: today, given how prominent you are in the entertainment world, do you feel discrimination at any point now, or you don't feel

who had misogynistic and racist views watched archie bunker and saw him as the hero of the show norman lear lost control of the , narrative. so as long as comics understand when you engage in this kind of speech, you have got to ask yourself, what is my goal? and in today's fragmented world where everything can be decontextualized and shared online and go viral you do not control who is going to see it. you don't know what the people who are going to consume what you are saying have signed that implicit contract that you usually get assigned with your fans at a comedy club, for example. but i am really eager to see where satire goes. i am especially excited to see some of the new comics. if you haven't seen amber ruffin on the peacock network, her staff is so sharp. we need more women comics. we need more women of color comics and i am excited for the networks to give them their shows. >> [laughter] thank you so much. this has been great. >> great questions, lorraine. >> yeah, thank you out there for your great questions. . we did not get themtime. i want to remind you that on june 30 there

after the fashion of what norman lear was doing with "all in the family." family, and i mean, every one of those, of course, edith was, you know, the subservient wife, the rebellious daughter, meathead. these are always characters that we can all recognize. >> great to speak with you. thank you so much for joining us this morning. thank you for all you've done and all the joy you've provided us over the years. >> thank you. my p my privilege. >>> be sure to tune in, "history of sitcom" with back to back episodes 9:00 eastern and pacific only on cnn. (realtor) the previous owners left in a hurry, so the house comes with everything you see. follow me. ♪ (realtor) so, any questions? (wife) we'll take it! (realtor) great. (vo) it will haunt your senses. the heart-pounding audi suv family. get exceptional offers at your local audi dealer. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high p

tell us about it. >> norman lear has it correct. we must aspire to our highest ideals. the texas delegation to try to further the story of what's taking place. this is not about the latinx community or the black community. this is about america. the changes that are being proposed in texas, the changes that have already been adopted in georgia, impacts us all. and we have to have a new sense of urgency for the senate to act. if we're going to get an infrastructure deal, we need to have a deal to protect the rights of voters. our election infrastructure needs a deal. we need a new deal in america to insure our constitution is upheld, the right to vote is protected, and we push back against all these individuals who are seeking to placate an egomaniac who is no longer in office. >> yeah, and so as you announce a new push to safeguard americans' voting rights, what specific concrete issues and actions do you think need to be taken, and how can you help pave the way for that with this push? >> the senate must, they must, adopt legislation before they go on recess, and no la

. >> she was recently named along with norman lear and jim brooks as one of television's most gifted it's easy to see susan harris' impact. >> susan harris was the greatest writer of her generation at that time, singularly. so all credit to her for coming up with so many iterations of something so amazing. >> do you think there is a woman's voice as a writer? >> woman's voice? generally they speak higher, softer. >> i should have known not to ask that of a writer. >> yes, of course there's a woman's voice. women have a different perspective. women laugh at different things. so, yes, there very definitely is a woman's voice. >> oh, do you know how many problems we have solved over a cheesecake at this kitchen table? >> no, dorothy. exactly how many? >> 147, blanche. >> hi, brian. it's cutthroat prime-time time this fall as some 23 new shows compete in one of the hottest ratings races in years. >> here's one just about everybody predicts will be a big hit, "designing women" on cbs. four friends form an interior decorating business and give each other the business. >> suzanne, if sex we