He changed television forever: Why we all owe thanks to the genius of Norman Lear

Anyone who’s ever been thankful to call a sitcom “adult,” “real” or “relevant” owes that thanks to Norman Lear. With one startling ‘70s outburst of creativity, Lear, who died Tuesday at 101, swept away a stagnant legacy of silly, airy comedies — sometimes mindlessly diverting, more often just mindless — and replaced them with a more reality-driven sitcom form that tackled the important issues of the day. At the 1975 peak of his producing success, he had five shows on the air, "All in the Family," "Maude," "Sanford and Son,"...