Norman Lear to receive prestigious Carol Burnett Award from Golden Globes

By Sam Barsanti | January 31, 2021 | 5:22pm

Aux Features Golden Globes

Norman Lear to receive prestigious Carol Burnett Award from Golden Globes

Norman Lear Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for US-Ireland Alliance

Last year’s Golden Globes feel like they happened a lifetime ago, and we wouldn’t have even remembered Ricky Gervais’ super edgy monologue or Tom Hanks’ powerful meme energy if we hadn’t just looked that stuff up (also, Hanks apparently had a cold, which… seems less fun than it did at the time), but it’s almost time once again for the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to return from their underground bunkers and distribute to trophies to the surface world’s most accomplished celebrities. Nominations won’t be announced for a few more days, but we do already know who will be getting the next Carol Burnett Award—the Golden Globes’ lifetime achievement award for television people.

As announced in a recent press release, the lucky TV-achiever is Norman Lear, a man who has probably achieved more than anyone else in the history of the medium. In a statement, HFPA President Ali Sar referred to Lear as one of “the most prolific creators of this generation,” adding that his career has covered “both the Golden Age and Streaming Era” and that his “progressive approach addressing controversial topics through humor prompted a cultural shift that allowed social and political issues to be reflected in television.”