Morgan Freeman names his favourite TV show of all time: “Even for today’s audience it’s edgy”
The streaming era has completely altered the television paradigm, with the small screen now where the biggest names in Hollywood will happily congregate. That wasn’t the case when Morgan Freeman was trying to make a name for himself, and he’s been more reticent than many of his peers to return.
The way the business used to work was that television was either a place where young actors could get their reps in and use them as a springboard to cinematic success or a place where veterans went to spend the final years of their careers after being gradually pushed out of the silver screen spotlight.
Freeman may have cut his teeth on stage, but it was TV that kept him gainfully employed for years. In an age where Academy Award winners, A-listers, and household names are more likely than ever to sign up for an episodic series, Freeman has almost entirely shied away from playing a recurring role.
Perhaps he feels he paid his dues already, which is fair when he was in almost 800 episodes of The Electric Company in the 1970s. After finally gaining a foothold in movies with his Oscar-nominated performance in Street Smart, the exposition machine would spend the next four decades focusing almost exclusively on features.
To underline that point, Freeman’s first appearance as a regular cast member on a TV series after The Electric Company ended in 1977 wouldn’t come until July 2023 when Taylor Sheridan’s Special Ops: Lioness premiered on streaming. Between those two points, his sole forays into episodic television were three episodes of Madame Secretary and the anthology series Solos, in which he appeared in person in one instalment and provided narration for the other six.
That makes it sound like the legend isn’t much of a TV guy, which could explain why his favourite show of all time ended in 1979. When asked by IGN to name his pick for the greatest series of all time, Freeman only had one answer. “All in the Family,” he offered. “I’ve always liked that show. Even for today’s audience, it’s edgy.”
Inspired by the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part and produced by TV titan Norman Lear, All in the Family was one of its era’s most important shows. The basic setup of a comedy following the trials and tribulations of a working-class family was hardly groundbreaking, but the subject matter it touched upon definitely was.
In a time where sitcoms were straightforward and uninterested in socio-political issues, All in the Family reflected on issues of racism, antisemitism, the Vietnam War, women’s rights, and the role of religion in everyday society. It was one of the first to weave hot-button topics and realistic conflicts into its storylines, and for Freeman’s money, it hasn’t been bettered in the five decades since.
