Definitely his greatest achievement was "All In The Family," if only because it actually changed the face of television and created a new, more mature type of programming that had never been part of the North American media before.

After "Family," which was based on a British sitcom called "Till Death Us Do Part," U.S. network TV was never the same again. 

Lear did that. 

If you've never seen the British original, here's a sample of what it was like - the premiere episode from back in 1966.  

ABC has now scheduled a special honouring the TV legend. It won't air until September 22th. At the age of 100, I just hope he's still here to see and take part in it. 

ABC to ring in Norman Lear’s 100th Birthday With TV Special

This special airs next Thursday.

George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Rita Moreno Among Celebrity Guests Joining ‘Norman Lear: 100 Years Of Music And Laughter’ ABC Special

Incredibly, Norman Lear at 100 isn't looking to retire any time soon. He's just signed a deal to bring a brand new comedy to the Freeview streaming service (formerly IMDB.tv) in the coming months. And by the way, as the name implies, Freevee is free and requires no subscription. So Canadians will be able to see it, if they have a VPN set to the U.S. 

I haven't checked the records, but I feel pretty secure in saying Lear has to be the oldest active producer in the history of showbiz. Pretty amazing. 

Laverne Cox & George Wallace Comedy ‘Clean Slate’ Produced By Norman Lear Gets Amazon Freevee Series Order