In the 1970s, writer and producer Norman Lear forever altered the television landscape by boldly tackling race, class, sexuality, politics, and religion—topics previously considered too taboo to be the subject of comedy on the small screen. Nearing the age of 100, the mastermind behind such groundbreaking situation comedies as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time is far from finished, having earned back-to-back Emmys in 2019 and 2020.

Lear: His Life and Times is the unforgettable story of an extraordinary seven-decade career. Veteran author and entertainment journalist Tripp Whetsell offers an intimate portrait of the writer and producer that is the product of years of research and numerous interviews. Whetsell shows how Lear created the gold standard for television comedies, producing shows that were the first to give underrepresented members of society an authentic prime-time voice, while encouraging audiences to confront their own humanity and shortcomings. In the process, he explores one of television’s most transformative periods, of which Lear was one of the chief architects and catalysts.

This affectionate and candid tribute combines show-business history with an illuminating consideration of the inner workings of “the man in the white hat”—a figure who singlehandedly redefined an entire medium by reflecting the world around him.