In honor of Norman Lear’s 99th birthday, TBS recently announced that it has put into development a remake of the satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” which aired weeknights from 1976 to 1977 in daily syndication. The series followed an Ohio housewife named Mary Hartman (played by Louise Lasser in the original) who dealt with unusual incidents throughout her daily life. Lear produced the series which ran for 325 episodes.
In a statement shared on his birthday yesterday, Lear said, “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.” He added, “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!”
According to Deadline, the update to the series will be co-written and executive produced by “Schitt’s Creek” alum Emily Hampshire who will also star as the title character. Jacob Tierney (“Letterkenny”) will serve as co-writer with Hampshire and will also executive produce. Lear and Brent Miller will also executive produce.
The modernized “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” finds a small-town woman (Hampshire) who feels like a nobody in every aspect of her life until she suddenly becomes a “Verified” social media somebody after her nervous breakdown goes viral.