He revolutionized prime-time television with# a string of hits dominating the airwaves in## the '70s and '80s, including "All in the# Family," "The Jeffersons," "Maude," and## more.

And he featured political and social# issues of the day in a way not done before.

Jeffrey Brown has a look back at his legacy# for our arts and culture series, Canvas.

(SINGING) CARROLL O'CONNOR, Actor: I didn't have no million## people out t JEAN STAPLETON, Actress: No,# his uncle guy it for him.

(LAUGHTER) JEFFREY BROWN: The 1970s sitcom "All in the Family" broke the norms of prime-time# TV ROB REINER, Actor and Director: God?

What God?

JEFFRE CARROLL O'CONNOR: What did# you mean by, "What God?"

ROB REINER: We just don't see# any evidence of God.

That's all.

SALLY STRUTHERS, Actress: That's right, daddy.

CARROLL O'CONNOR: "That's right, daddy."

NORMAN JEFFREY BROWN: In a 2014 interview, Norman Lear# to played by Carroll O'Connor,# was inspired by his own father.

NORMAN LEAR: My dad called me a# meathead dead from the neck up.

CARROLL O'CONNOR: I am tuning you out, meathead.

NORMAN LEAR: And he used to yell at me# that I w met.

And I would say, why would you put# down a race of people to call me lazy?

JEFFREY BROWN: Their shows addressed race,# feminism, even, in "Maude," abortion.

ADRIENNE BARBEAU, Actress:# There's only one sensible## way out of this.

You d BEA ARTHUR, Actress: Well, what do I (LAUGHTER) up to 50 million viewers a week.

NORMAN LEAR: The very first "All in the Family."

JEFFREY BROWN: And Lear fought for his vision.# He told me how t line in the very first episode of "All in# the Family" that hinted at his daughter,## Gloria, and husband, Michael, played# by Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner...

ROB REINER: You're early.

JEFFREY CARROLL O'CONNOR: 11:10 on a Sunday morning.

JEFFREY BROWN: But Lear didn't back down.

NORMAN LEAR: I saw very# clearl if that silly little -- if I lost that silly# little battle, I would JEFFREY BROWN: For 11 consecutive years,# at least one of Norman Lear's shows placed## in prime-time's top 10.

In 1980, he founded the# nonprofit People For the American W the rising influence of the Christian# right in the Moral Majority movement.

Lear received many honors and awards# throughout his life, including two Peabodys,## the National Medal of Arts, and, in 2017, a# Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime artistic## achievement.

That same year, he offered a# Brief But Spectacular take on the "NewsHour,"## recalling how he dealt with having eight shows# at once on the air at the height of his career.

NORMAN LEAR: There is stress, and# there is joyful stress.

The stress## I was under was altogether joyful.# It ended with 240 live people sitting## in an audience laughing.

Go beat# that.

It all added time to my life.

JEFFREY BROWN: Norman Lear passed# away in his sleep last night at## his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his family.

And joining us now is Rob Reiner, of course,# one of the stars of "All in the Family."

He## would go on to act in films such as "Sleepless in# Seattle" and "The Wolf of Wall Street," and gained## further prominence as a director of such films# as "This Is Spinal Tap" and "A Few Good Men."

Rob Reiner, so good of you to join us.

And, first, our condolences at the loss of# We talk now, looking back, at how# everything changed at a certain## moment.

You were there at that moment.# Did it feel like everything was changing?

ROB REINER: Well, no.

We were -- after three episodes or something.

I don't# know.

CBS put it on with a big disclaimer,## saying, no, you can't watch this show.

We# don't want to have anything to do with it.## We don't even know how it got on the air.# But if you want to watch it, watch it.

We thought it would last a few episodes# and then it would go away.

And then,## over the time, it caught on.

And# people started watching it.

And## it became the biggest show on# television for a long time.

JEFFREY BROWN: What did Norman Lear# have that allowed him to do what he di to mix real life into the sitcom format?

ROB REINER: He had -- can I# say this on PBS?

He had balls.

(LAUGHTER) you're talking about a man who flew 57 bombing# missions over Nazi Germany during World War I So, the fights that he had with# censors and with the executives,## that was small potatoes.

He had his convictions.# He had his ideas.

And he was going to present## them.

And he did it.

He did it in a great# way.

And he got laughs at the same time.

We had Mike and Archie fighting about# every conceivable issue.

Many of them## are still relevant today, racism and guns and# sexuality and all of that.

But he did it with## humor and with grace.

And I'm going to miss him# terribly.

This has been a very hard day for me.

And I got to say, to be honest, I'm# glad I'm getting to talk to you and## other people in the press, because it# keeps me from crying, to be honest with## you.

He was like a second father to me.# I was very lucky to have him and my dad,## two great role models.

And I# got a lot from both of them.

But, from Norman, I got this idea that you could# use your celebrity, yo and you could do something good with it.

And I# took that to heart, and I have done things with## my celebrity that I probably wouldn't# have done it had I not had that path.

And I got to say, this -- it's so strange# to me.

You had a guest on right before,## Tim Alberta, who talks about... JEFFREY BROWN: Yes.

ROB RE ROB REINER: Well, he was talking# about the separation of church st ate and how we are seeing the# rise of Chri And I have just finished the documentary# called "God & Country," which is all about## the rise of Christian nationalism.

And that's the## very thing that Norman Lear started when# he sta JEFFREY BROWN: Yes.

the Constitution three times.

It's not -- there's# no argument about the separation of church and## state.

We fought so that we could have religious# freedom in this country or no religion at all.

JEFFREY BROWN: I did want to ask...

ROB REINER: This upsets me... JEFFREY BROWN: Yes.

he wanted and what we all should be striving for.

JEFFREY BROWN: Well, Rob Reiner, we# only have abou I did want to ask you about, he did -- this# was of a piece, righ his politics, his social advocacy,# but also entertaining people.

Very briefly, how do you see his legacy?

ROB REINER: His legacy will be, not only did# he entertain people, but We were on television at a time when there# was only 200 million people in the country,## and there were 40, 45 million people having# a shared experience.

You couldn't tape it.## You had to watch it when it was on.

And so we put# these issues out there and we had people talking.

Now that discussion has gone away.

We're all# in these silos.

We don't talk to each other,## and we're seeing the rise of the# very thing he fought his life for,## is against fascism and to preserve democracy.

And# we see this fascism starting to creep back in.

And, this election, we're going -- Norman# would want me to be saying this, which,## is if you want fascism, you vote# for Trump.

If you want democracy,## you will vote for Biden.

It's# that simple, and it's that real.

JEFFREY BROWN: All right, combining# all these things to the end for you.

Rob Reiner on the life and legacy# of Norman Lear, thank you very RO B REINER: Thanks for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: Norman Lear was# AM NA NAWAZ: What a life.

Our thoughts are with his fa