The PBS Norman Lear Documentary, ‘Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,’ Is the Perfect Tribute to the Late TV Producer

By Anna Menta
Published Dec. 6, 2023, 1:30 p.m. ET

Where to Stream:

Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You

Powered by Reelgood

More On:

norman lear

Norman Lear, the beloved TV creator and producer who shaped the entertainment industry for the better, died late Tuesday night of natural causes. He was 101 years old.

There are countless of TV shows created and championed by Lear that one could watch in honor of his prolific career today. (All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, Good Times, or The Jeffersons, just to name a few.) But if you really want a taste of why Lear was loved so dearly, as a person and a creative, you should watch the 2016 documentary from PBS’s American Masters series, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.

Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, this episode of the PBS documentary series walks viewers through Lear’s childhood as a poor Jewish kid from Connecticut, all the way up to his legacy as one of the most successful TV showrunners of all time. But it wasn’t just that Lear’s shows made money—they also proudly pushed the boundaries of progressive politics, bringing subjects like race, war, class to the forefront of American mainstream media.

In addition to an intimate and candid interview with the then-94-year-old Lear, the documentary features conversations with Lear’s many collaborators, including John Amos, George Clooney, Alan Horn, Bill Moyers, Rob Reiner, Phil Rosenthal, and Russell Simmons. You’ll come away from the documentary understanding why so many are feeling the loss of Lear so deeply today.

Where to watch the Norman Lear documentary Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You:

You can watch the full, feature-length Norman Lear documentary, Just Another Version of You, for free, streaming on PBS.org. Isn’t public television fantastic? Don’t forget to donate to your local PBS channel this year!

If you prefer, you can also rent a digital copy of Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You on Amazon Prime or Apple TV for $3.99. If you want to own the film, you can buy a digital copy for $5.99 on Apple TV.

But seriously, the movie is free to watch on PBS.org. What are you waiting for?