Norman Lear’s classic sitcoms now set to stream
Streaming viewers can finally let all of the “good times” roll.
Amazon Prime has sealed a deal with prolific television producer Norman Lear to stream his classic TV shows, including the Emmy-winning sitcoms “All in the Family” and “Maude,” as well as the groundbreaking “Diff’rent Strokes,” “One Day at a Time” and “Good Times.”
“All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “Maude” and “One Day at a Time” launched July 15 on Prime Video and IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service, marking the first time that episodes of “Maude” and all seasons of “All in the Family” are available to stream.
“Diff’rent Strokes” and the Marla Gibbs-headlined “227” (which Lear did not produce) debuted on Prime Video, as well.
Additional titles, including “The Jeffersons,” “Sanford & Son” and the spinoff “Sanford,” are expected to drop on Prime Video later in 2021.
In the announcement of the deal, Lear, 98, offered: “Life is a collaboration. 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.”
“Norman Lear is a national treasure and his impact on television and popular culture is immeasurable,” Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke added. “We are so honored to bring his classic television series to Prime Video and IMDb TV so new audiences and a new generation can laugh, enjoy and be inspired, like so many of us have been throughout the years.”
Lear recently revived “All in the Family” and its spinoffs “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times” for ABC’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience…,” which garnered critical acclaim and high ratings. The shows won the Emmy award for Outstanding Variety Special for two consecutive years.