Norman Lear is one of the most legendary and well-known producers of all-time, and now you can see how 7 of his most famous comedies got their starts. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has put together a collectible box set featuring these seven shows with the first seasons of each. We get the first seasons each of All in the Family (13 episodes), Maude (22 episodes), The Jeffersons (13 episodes), Good Times (13 episodes), Sanford & Son (14 episodes), One Day at a Time (15 episodes), and Mary Hartman Mary Hartman (first 25 episodes). If you noticed, besides Maude and Mary Hartman, all of the first seasons were between 13-15 episodes, as they started off during midseason. Maude started in the fall and Mary Hartman was a first-run syndicated series and didn’t air on network television.

These first seasons have already came out on their own, but in addition to that we get new packaging and 6-hours worth of new interviews featuring Norman Lear and many stars from these shows and also lost pilots and bonus episodes.

Read our review by Pavan here:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/thenormanlearcollectiondvdreview.html

Please post any questions or comments about this set.

I for one won't be purchasing this collection. As you've noted, all of the season sets have previously been released by Sony, and the bonus materials that Sony is including in this set should have been included in the season one releases of each individual show, rather than forcing those who have already purchased the first season sets to cough up over $100 for the privledge of seeing these bonus features. And let's be honest, all you're getting for the money are the bonus features and new packaging.

In the case of "Maude", a full year before season one was released in 2007, Adrienne Barbeau told fans that she and other cast members had filmed bonus features for Sony's first season of "Maude", but guess what? These bonus features were mysteriously missing from the season 1 release. So Sony has apparently been plotting this shameless exercise in double-dipping for quite a while now. Sorry Sony, no sale.

Agreed. I am not buying it either. I no longer begin buying a television series on DVD if it's from Sony. Like many on this website, if I buy one season of a show, I usually collect the entire series. That's like climbing Mount Everest if the series is owned by Sony. Maude Season 1 came out in March of 2007 and still no season 2!!!!