Norman Lear dissed broadcast networks Tuesday, saying the broadcasters are too afraid to offend.
“I don’t think the network point of view serves the American people well,” he said at the 2016 Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif. “I don’t think the bumper sticker quality of news and discussion helps us understand.”
When asked if he thinks networks are too politically correct, Lear replied, “Oh, I think so yes.”
However, the “All in the Family” creator did admit that he sees this as a “golden age” of television. “I think the answer to it is in your face every day,” he said. “I don’t know how many signals I can turn to for great drama, for great comedy. This has to be the golden age.”
Lear’s comments came during a panel for Reza Aslan’s upcoming interview series “Rough Draft,” on which Lear appears as a guest.
The show, which premieres on Ovation on Feb. 28, features Aslan interviewing writers, including “Transparent’s” Jill Soloway, “Lost’s” Damon Lindelof and Lear, the writer and producer behind hit sitcoms like “The Jeffersons” and “All in the Family.”
“We live in a different time now,” Aslan said, describing his show as “Inside the Actor’s Studio,” but with writers. “Writers are funnier and more interesting than actors. They have more to say, usually … what that allows for is a conversation about culture and art, and politics.”