Amy Sherman-Palladino On Norman Lear’s Legacy: ‘He Taught Sitcom Writers How To Write Sitcoms’ – PGA Awards
Accepting the Producers Guild’s Norman Lear Achievement Award tonight to a standing ovation in the Beverly Hilton Ballroom, Amy Sherman-Palladino spoke of the TV legend as someone “who shared the wealth with those around them. He did well, everyone did well, and that’s important as producers, that your actresses don’t die,” said The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator with a quip at the end.
She then turned to her Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham, who had presented the award to her, and joked, “Sorry, I learned that after the Gilmore Girls.”
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However, Lear’s work ethic has been the big takeaway for Sherman-Palladino, of course, in addition to his revolutionary socially relevant comedies.
“I hope that I took away from Mr. Lear the ability to take care of my troupe, make the women feel empowered and not make the men feel like schmucks, to make sure that whatever we do, we do it in great love,” she said.
When first taking the podium, Sherman-Palladino quipped, “Dinner and a prize – a Jewish girl’s favorite Saturday night!”
Talking to Deadline before the show, the Mrs. Maisel Emmy and Golden Globe winner spoke about Lear’s legacy: “He taught sitcom writers how to write sitcoms. You spend your early years, your middle years and later years, talking about Norman Lear and what he did, and the roads that he paved to do what you do. Then you sit there and bitch and moan and say ‘How come we can’t do what Norman Lear used to be able to do?’ If you’re on a network, you can’t do Norman Lear shows now.”
Sherman-Palladino’s husband and Mrs. Maisel EP Dan Palladino told Deadline that Lear “fought a lot of important free speech fights, which has protected our industry and protected the country too. If you’re going to name an award after someone, he’s the guy.”
Earlier in the evening, Amazon Prime’s Maisel won The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy. Back in September, Sherman-Palladino won two Emmys for writing and directing Maisel‘, becoming the first woman in the awards’ 70-year history to do so.
No teases yet for the third season of Maisel, but production starts in NYC in mid-March.
RelatedPGA Awards Honoree Kenya Barris Tips Hat To Norman Lear, Reveals Early Dream Job
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