Those in the television business know just how cutthroat it can be, but that’s not exactly a new development. Even someone of Norman Lear’s stature, who built a flourishing career from the late 1950s throughout the 1970s developing one hit sitcom series after another, had to experience the bitter aftertaste of failure a handful of times. The New York Times documented one such setback in painful detail soon after “The Nancy Walker Show,” starring the great “McMillan & Wife” and “Rhoda” actor Nancy Walker, came to an ignominious end by the end of 1976. Created as a starring vehicle for Walker to take advantage of her rapid rise in popularity, the series only lasted 12 total episodes before ABC officially cut its losses due to poor ratings. In the long run, Walker went on to work as both an actor and a director without missing a single step. But Lear, who co-created and produced the short-lived series, would clearly hold onto this regret for decades.
That’s just the kind of empathetic and people-minded creative that Lear was. In fact, the New York Times article includes a delightfully revealing quote about his unique work ethic and rare consideration for the talent he tried to work with again and again. According to Lear:
“People ask me, ‘How many shows will you be satisfied with?’ As if I had set out to get 10 shows. You’d have to be nuts to make that a life goal. ‘Here I am with my 150 television shows!’ In order to keep good people, we had to promise them they could try to develop new shows for us.”
Lear maintained that ambition for as long as he made television shows, earning a sterling reputation that the entire industry is now celebrating anew.