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TV Giant Norman Lear Dies at 101 — How to Stream His Groundbreaking Sitcoms

Ben Bowman
Ben Bowman is the Content Director of The Streamable. He cut the cord in 2009. He roots for all Detroit sports and is a fan of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, Paul Thomas Anderson, Billy Wilder, Buster Keaton, and the Coen Brothers. Ben streams on an Apple TV.
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Ben Bowman

If there were a Mount Rushmore of television, Norman Lear’s face would have to be chiseled into it. The screenwriter and producer worked on more than 100 shows during his legendary life. His hot streak in the 1970s was unparalleled as he launched mega-hits like “All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son,” “One Day at a Time,” “The Jeffersons,” and “Good Times.”

Lear’s shows often pushed societal boundaries. They could be blisteringly funny and incredibly moving. Audiences hardly knew what hit them. When renowned bigot Archie Bunker got a kiss on the cheek from Sammy Davis Jr, the live studio audience practically lost its mind.

If you’re not familiar with Lear’s legendary career, this tribute video from his website does a great job highlighting his contributions to television and to United States history.

To celebrate the Lear legend, we’ve compiled a list of his best work and where you can stream it today.

The Best of Norman Lear

  • All in the Family

    January 12, 1971

    Archie Bunker, a working class bigot, constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.

  • Sanford and Son

    January 14, 1972

    The misadventures of a cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son.

  • Good Times

    February 8, 1974

    Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series’ primary executive producer. Good Times is a spin-off of Maude, which is itself a spin-off of All in the Family along with The Jeffersons.

    The series is set in Chicago. The first two seasons were taped at CBS Television City in Hollywood. In the fall of 1975, the show moved to Metromedia Square, where Norman Lear’s own production company was housed.

  • The Jeffersons

    January 18, 1975

    Sitcom following a successful African-American couple, George and Louise “Weezyö Jefferson as they “move on up” from working-class Queens to a ritzy Manhattan apartment. A spin-off of All in the Family.

  • One Day at a Time

    December 16, 1975

    The misadventures of a divorced mother, two teenage daughters, and new building superintendent in Indianapolis.

  • One Day at a Time

    January 6, 2017

    In a reimagining of the TV classic, a newly single Latina mother raises her teen daughter and tween son with the “help” of her old-school mom.

    Lear’s work even made a dent in the streaming era, as this beloved sitcom got a Netflix reboot.

  • Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

    January 5, 1976

    In the fictional town of Fernwood, Ohio, suburban housewife Mary Hartman seeks the kind of domestic perfection promised by Reader’s Digest and TV commercials. Instead she finds herself suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: mass murders, low-flying airplanes and waxy yellow buildup on her kitchen floor.

  • Maude

    September 12, 1972

    Well-educated and upper middle class, Maude Findlay is the archetypal feminist of her generation. She lives in suburban Tuckahoe, New York, with her fourth husband, Walter, their divorced daughter, Carol, and grandson Phillip.

Ben Bowman
Ben Bowman is the Content Director of The Streamable. He cut the cord in 2009. He roots for all Detroit sports and is a fan of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, Paul Thomas Anderson, Billy Wilder, Buster Keaton, and the Coen Brothers. Ben streams on an Apple TV.
Read full bio ›
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Sling TV Cash Back

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  • You must click from The Streamable and complete your purchase on the Sling TV website.
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Hulu Live TV Cash Back

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  • Only valid once per household.
  • You must pay and maintain service for at least one month to be eligible.
  • You must click from The Streamable and complete your purchase on the Hulu Live TV website.
  • You’ll receive gift card 4-6 weeks after purchase (~2 weeks after your first month).
  • Cannot be combined with any other promotion and won’t be eligible if you try to use a coupon code or cash back from another site.