Collider can exclusively share a new featurette for Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter, a special celebrating the birthday of one of Hollywood’s most iconic producers. The new featurette gives fans a unique peek at the special while also revealing that Who’s the Boss? star Tony Danza is part of the celebration.
The new featurette teases what ABC has in store for Norman Lear’s 100th birthday, with stars from all sorts of productions coming to celebrate the life of the man behind iconic shows such as Maude, All in the Family, Good Times, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time. Lear is the king of the American sitcom and paved the way for thousands of creators and actors to work on television. It’s no wonder many talented people show up in the new featurette to discuss their favorite Lear productions, how the producer affected their lives directly, and what they admire the most about his work.
Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter will feature interviews, speeches, and musical presentations from dozens of artists. The new video gives us a small taste of the event by featuring Jimmie Walker, Jay Pharoah, Kim Fields, Kristen Bell, Ike Barinholtz, Kenya Barris, Amber Stevens West, Asante Blackk, Emily Hampshire, George Wallace, and Todd Bridges. As a last-minute surprise, the featurette also reveals the presence of previously unannounced Danza as part of the special.
Since the featurette invites rising stars and Hollywood legends, it’s easy to see how much Lear contributed to cementing television culture in America. The producer’s work reached many generations and is still beloved more than 70 years after Lear’s first writing credit. Reaching 100 birthdays is already an impressive feat that must be celebrated, but the fact that Lear had such a remarkable career explain why ABC decided to produce such an essential and emotional special.
Lear’s list of awards includes six Emmys, a Golden Globe, a Peabody Lifetime Achievement Award, a National Medal of Arts, an honoring at the Kennedy Center in 2017, and a spot in the inaugural class of the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Besides that, Lear deserves to be celebrated not only for his work as a writer and producer, but for also using his privileged position to fight for human rights and push for a more progressive America.
Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter premieres today, September 22, at 9 p.m. ET, on ABC. The special will be available on Hulu tomorrow, September 23. Check out the exclusive featurette below.
