Norman Lear and the Rise of the Divided Audience
Television’s original bad-fan crisis did not, as it happens, concern a criminal bad boy, or even take place on a drama. It involved Norman Lear’s right-wing icon, Archie Bunker, the loudmouthed buffoon who became one of TV’s most resonant and beloved television characters. Archie was the first masculine powerhouse to simultaneously charm and alienate viewers. He represented the danger and the potential of TV itself, its ability to influence viewers rather than merely help them kill time.
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