Lou Grant

The trials of a former television station manager turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff.

Lou Grant (1977-1982) is a American television dramedy series created by Gene Reynolds, Allan Burns and James L. Brooks for CBS. Ed Asner stars as Lou Grant, a former television station manager who becomes the city editor of a Los Angeles newspaper, supervising a staff of reporters including Joe Rossi (Robert Walden), Billie Newman (Linda Kelsey) and Charlie Hume (Mason Adams). The engine of the series is the daily grind of the newsroom: deadlines, stubborn sources, editorial pressure from management and the moral choices reporters face when a story threatens to cost them their jobs or their integrity. Each episode tends to center on a discrete assignment, while character relationships and the editor's gruff loyalty carry the arc across five seasons and 114 episodes. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the show balances wry workplace humor with earnest social reporting, producing a tone that is brisk, sincere and occasionally sobering. Its ensemble dynamics and ethical stakes will appeal to viewers who enjoy newsroom dramas and the warmth of an ensemble workplace comedy. Fans of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Newsroom will find resonance in its blend of humor, idealism and journalistic conscience.

• The Mary Tyler Moore Showworkplace newsroom drama with ensemble of journalists and a principled editor, dramedy tone
• The Newsroomnewspaper newsroom drama about investigative journalism and institutional pressure
• The Wireserialized journalism drama centered on the press and civic responsibility

Created by

Gene Reynolds, Allan Burns, James L. Brooks

Release Date

1977-09-20

Episode runtime

50 min

Rating

7.3 / 10 (33)

What is Lou Grant about?

A gruff former television news manager becomes a newspaper city editor and steers his Los Angeles staff through the trials of the trade.

What is Lou Grant like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Lou Grant as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Lou Grant violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Lou Grant.

Which shows are like Lou Grant?

Shows with a similar feel include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Newsroom, and The Wire.

How long is Lou Grant?

Lou Grant: 5 seasons, 114 episodes.

Is Lou Grant still running?

No, Lou Grant has ended.