Norman Lear will forever be remembered as one of television's most successful, prolific and, at times, controversial producers. With hits like All in the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons and Good Times under his belt, it seemed like he couldn't miss.

But while viewers loved his work, many network executives were wary of it. In fact, according to a 1975 interview with the Worcester Telegram, Lear shrugged off the new disclaimers being introduced before programs that might be considered offensive to viewers.

"I don't think the disclaimers cause anyone to switch to another channel," Lear said. "Quite the reverse. They are red arrows pointing out the shows. People react to them the same way they do to movie ratings. Kids would rather see an R-rated film than a GP. It's human nature."

Watch All in the Family on MeTV!

Next Episode: Sunday at 11PM

*available in most MeTV markets

At the time, the wording of these disclaimers varied by network. The warnings generally alerted viewers that a program contained material involving violence, sex or language that some audiences might find offensive.

Lear's Hot l Baltimore was among the first sitcoms to receive such a warning. The ABC series featured mature subject matter and characters rarely seen on television at the time. But Lear wasn't particularly worried about the disclaimer.

"The disclaimer is fine with me," Lear said. "When I put All in the Family on the air... it was stuck with a disclaimer. After eight episodes, CBS decided it was a family show. I think the same thing will happen to Baltimore if ABC allows it to live long enough to win acceptance."

Compared with All in the Family, some of Lear's other shows might have seemed relatively tame. Nevertheless, if his theory about disclaimers was right, he hoped the warnings would bring in even more viewers. 

"I don't think it has caused much furor as All in the Family," Lear said. "Bigoted Archie Bunker upset a lot of people. It took time to show we were dealing with many more things than bigotry."

Lear was prepared to stand up for his shows and the messages behind them. All in the Family wasn't simply about Archie Bunker's bigotry; it used comedy to explore a much wider range of social issues. Lear believed those conversations were exactly what made TV worth watching.

The debate over what belonged on television was also becoming a bigger issue. In 1975, the networks introduced a family-viewing policy that reserved the 7 to 9 p.m. time period for programming considered suitable for general family audiences.

But Lear questioned who got to decide what qualified as family entertainment.

"They agree that the 7 to 9 p.m. timeslot should be reserved for family entertainment," Lear said. "Yet they refuse to define 'family entertainment.' I think All in the Family is family entertainment."

Lear wasn't about to let a warning label determine the value of his work.