ABSTRACT
"Lou Grant" does take a political stance. A show on Vietnam veterans left no doubt that they have been badly treated by society and by inadequate federal provisions. Always a critical success, the program has attained an enviable position in the ratings as well. On many issues, "Lou Grant" takes a liberal, reforming stand. "Lou Grant" tries to do exactly that, to show how large structural issues impinge on personal troubles. In one program the staff photographer, Animal, takes a number of unnecessary risks on the job. At the end of the program, a personal issue involving a regular on the show, Animal, has been fully resolved. The larger problem of dealing with the difficulties of Vietnam veterans, as represented by Sutton, is unresolved. In both cases, the connection between private troubles and public issues is drawn, and this is the notable advance that "Lou Grant" makes on most other television programs.
