Norman Lear is almost 100 years old, 98 to be exact, and he still looks forward to every day with unparalleled optimism. More importantly, though, his success on screen is outstanding, but he doesn’t watch the shows that he’s made.
This year is the 50th anniversary of “All in the Family” that Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin made. The show was based on a British sitcom called “Till Death Do Us Part.”
“All in the Family” was a television-changing show, which covered a lot of controversial subjects. Norman Lear’s show set about tackling politics, religion, and race, doing so wonderfully.
The show maintained its comedic edge while tackling some of the toughest subjects in the world. Today, people like Chuck Lorre openly talk about trying to copy Norman Lear’s work when tackling tough subjects.
Norman Lear Doesn’t Focus on His Past Accomplishments and Won’t Watch His Old Shows
However, the legendary director doesn’t watch his old shows, so let’s dive into why that is. It mainly has to do with his current interests. Again, he focuses on the new and current things in his life, staying up to date with his ongoing projects.
In an interview with Variety, Norman Lear talks about why he doesn’t like to re-watch his old shows. He says that instead of dwelling on his accomplishments, he enjoys waking up every day looking to create something new and beautiful.
“I’m doing new shows. I woke up yet again, thank God. And I love waking up to a fresh day, to be a bit productive.”
He continues talking about how there are a lot of things that have happened in his lifetime. Norman Lear explains that this is the reason he doesn’t watch his old shows.
“As somebody who participated in and remembers exceedingly well World War II, and that time in America, there was a love for, affection for, admiration of our country that I think has dissipated quite a lot. We were very aware of what a special place this was. And in which ways it was so special. And, either it went to our head, or it’s another time. This is where we’re at. We’re wrestling in another culture now.”
Norman Lear is an icon and wants to remain relevant in today’s world. Therefore he won’t watch his old shows that inundate him with outdated information. He is politically active and stays up to date with current events.
