Norman Lear's subversive 1970s hit Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is getting an equally subversive remake. Per Deadline, the series is headed to TBS with Schitt's Creek's Emily Hampshire in the title role.
The new series finds the formerly anonymous Mary launched to dubious internet fame when her nervous breakdown goes viral. It's a clever update of the original series, which similarly took aim at contemporary media and consumer culture. Even the original airing schedule — daily weeknight syndication — was designed as a clever send-up of soap operas.
Hampshire, hot off of Schitt's Creek's 2020 Emmys sweep, will co-write and executive produce alongside Letterkenny creator Jacob Tierney, who will also serve as showrunner. Lear and producing partner Brent Miller will also executive produce via their Act III Productions. The show was developed as part of Act III's first-look overall deal with Sony Pictures Television, before ultimately landing a deal with TBS. The news arrived on Lear's 99th birthday, prompting a typically cheery response from the television legend:
"The kick of kicks as I turn 99 today is learning that TBS is developing MHMH and will allow us to make a new version of it starring Emily Hampshire. As someone who believes his 99 years on this planet is owed to the amount of laughter he enjoyed through the years, here’s to the next 99. Bless you all!"
Lear's nearly eight decades as a producer have generated countless hits, from series like All in the Family and Sanford & Son to films like The Princess Bride and Fried Green Tomatoes. His deal with Sony Pictures brought many of his classic shows to Amazon Prime and IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service, including 227, Diff’rent Strokes, The Jeffersons, Sanford, Sanford & Son, One Day at a Time, and Good Times. That deal aslo included episodes of Maude, and all seasons of All in the Family, marking the first time either show has been available on a streaming service. Act III Productions has also produced the 2017 reimagining of One Day at a Time, as well as the Emmy-winning LIVE in Front of a Studio Audience…, hosted by Lear and Jimmy Kimmel.
227 and Diff’rent Strokes are streaming on Prime Video, and All in the Family, Good Times, Maude, and One Day at a Time are streaming on IMDb TV. Additional titles like The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son, and Sanford will launch later in 2021.