An appreciation: How Norman Lear changed television — and with it American life — in the 1970s

2020 Invision

In many American living rooms, the 1960s didn't really begin until Jan. 12, 1971.

That was the night the comedy “All in the Family” debuted, almost instantly changing television and American society with it. Creator Norman Lear, who died at age 101 on Tuesday, was the man behind that transformation.