Legendary TV Producer Norman Lear's Entire Catalog Is Coming To Streaming
Without Norman Lear, TV would be a completely different beast. He's the creator of some of the most influential TV shows in history, including All in the Family, Diff'rent Strokes, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son. Now, finally, you can watch them all in one streaming location.
In a deal with Amazon Prime Video and their free television arm IMDbTV, Lear's entire catalog of 1970s and 1980s programming are now available to stream.
TV With Something to Say
Starting today, you will be able to stream All in the Family, Diff'rent Strokes, The Jeffersons, 227, Sanford and Son, Sanford, Maude, Good Times, and One Day at a Time.
Lear's work is especially important because he was one of the first television writers willing to tackle difficult real-world subjects. His shows confronted racism, created discussions about abortion rights, and addressed the difficulties faced by people living in poverty. Lear never shied away from taking on the challenging aspects of being alive, and his work is all the better for it. He's a bastion of progressive ideals, and one of the first showrunners to create shows about people of color or cast actors with disabilities.
Previously, his series were spread out over a variety of services, and 227 and Sanford weren't available to stream at all. Thanks to this new streaming deal, viewers everywhere will be able to catch the work of this TV titan all in one place.
"Life is a collaboration," Lear said in a statement. "Writing, directing, and producing films and television is perhaps the most collaborative work of all. In 2018, our Act III Productions sat with the team at Sony Pictures Television and formed a partnership to not only produce new content, but to bring a new awareness to my former Embassy library. That Sony found a home for that library with Prime Video/IMDb TV, where new generations could find it, is the best present a man entering his 100th year can have."
Lear has been exceptionally busy for a man nearing his centennial. A documentary about his life, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, which came out just over five years ago, documents his rise to fame, incredible body of work, and lasting impact. Last year, he broke his own record for being the oldest person to win an Emmy award. Now he's working on his first animated series ever, a Netflix reboot of the seminal Good Times.
Everyone should check these shows out. Whether you're an old fan looking for some nostalgia, a new one who needs a laugh, or a pop culture scholar who needs some lessons in how TV was shaped, Lear's collection of work has got you covered.
You can stream all of these shows now on Amazon Prime or their partner service, IMDbTV.