The death of Norman Lear this week has reminded me of the Globe’s bracket competition last year for the best TV series of the past 50 years.
The final four contenders were “The Sopranos,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “All in the Family,” and “Seinfeld.” I feel certain that “The Sopranos,” the show that changed TV and ushered viewers into the cable realm, would ultimately come out on top. It’s my No. 1 series of all time, so I suppose I was not objective.
But the ultimate winner was another series that changed TV: Lear’s “All in the Family.” And I was thrilled, despite my “Sopranos” bias. The 1970s show, I wrote, had “changed TV into something more honest and ambitious than it had ever been before. It elevates the conversation around TV, too, making it more pertinent and personal. … It introduced ideas that are still playing out on TV more than 50 years after its premiere, and any topical comedy out now owes it a huge debt.” I also noted that the “All in the Family” win served as a reminder that the show still has something to offer: “The dominant themes of ‘All in the Family,’ not least of all bigotry, remain acutely relevant in 2022, painfully so.”
‘It was the same old show’: Kamala Harris responds to Donald Trump’s comments about her race
The former Republican president claimed that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, had only promoted her Indian heritage. Harris responded on Wednesday night, saying “the American people deserve better.”
Will Colin Jost survive the Olympics? His injuries while covering surfing have become ‘comedy gold.’
Jost, of “Saturday Night Live” fame, concedes he may be a questionable pick to deliver surf commentary at the Olympics. But the mismatch has made for more unintentional comedy than any sketch writer could dream up.
Chasing Bayla – Michael Moore’s quest to save the right whale
Black journalists, members of Congress slam Trump after he said Harris ‘happened to turn Black’
At the National Association of Black Journalists Convention, Donald Trump falsely accused Kamala Harris of having “happened to turn Black” only a few years ago, claiming that “all of a sudden, she made a turn” in her identity.
Steward bankruptcy judge approves closing of Carney and Nashoba Valley hospitals
Steward is working to sell six other Massachusetts hospitals amid stalled negotiations.
OLYMPICS
For US men’s basketball, Jayson Tatum was back in the starting lineup. But his benching vs. Serbia was ‘a humbling experience.’
The All-Star forward’s first shot, a 3-pointer, caromed off the side of the backboard, causing the raucous crowd to groan. He finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.
ON BASEBALL
New Red Sox faces Danny Jansen, Lucas Sims immediately fuel needed win
Their contributions, each in their first games in Boston after the trade deadline, were particularly meaningful and gave a hint of how the splash-less acquisitions can still help bolster the team’s efforts to stay in the postseason hunt.
