HBO
Comedic legend George Carlin died in 2008 and now his story is coming to life in a two-part documentary directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio called “George Carlin’s American Dream.” It premieres Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
If you don’t have cable, you’ll be able to watch “George Carlin’s American Dream” via HBO Max after it airs on HBO, but HBO Max doesn’t offer a free trial, so here are some other options for watching “George Carlin’s American Dream” online:
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DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” HBO Max is available as an add-on to any of the packages (if you’re planning on keeping it long-term, you can get three months of HBO Max for free if you add it to “Choice” or above), and you can select any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch “George Carlin’s American Dream” live or on-demand on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
If you want to watch later, you can watch “George Carlin’s American Dream” on the HBO Max app (use your DirecTV Stream credentials to sign in), which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet.
Hulu
Whether you already have Hulu or you want to sign up for a new subscription, HBO/HBO Max is available as an add-on to either Hulu or Hulu with Live TV. If you’re a new subscriber, you can start a free 30-day trial of regular Hulu plus the HBO add-on:
Once signed up, you can watch “George Carlin’s American Dream” live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you want to watch later, you can watch “George Carlin’s American Dream” on the HBO Max app (use your Hulu credentials to sign in), which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet.
‘George Carlin’s American Dream’ Preview
Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, “George Carlin’s American Dream” chronicles “the life and work of legendary comedian George Carlin,” according to the HBO press release. Carlin died in 2008 at the age of 71 from heart failure after a series of heart attacks over his life dating back to 1978.
The press release continues:
Dubbed the “dean of counterculture comedians,” Carlin’s career spanned half a century during which he headlined 14 HBO comedy specials and appeared on “The Tonight Show” over 130 times, constantly evolving with the times and staying sharply resonant up until his death in 2008 and beyond. Carlin’s ability to zoom in on societal ills has proven eerily prophetic and much of his work resonates today with alarming (and still hilarious) clarity. The documentary examines a cultural chameleon who is remembered as one of the most influential stand-up comics of all time.
The documentary tracks Carlin’s rise to fame and opens an intimate window into Carlin’s personal life, including his childhood in New York City, his long struggle with drugs that took its toll on his health, his brushes with the law, his loving relationship with Brenda, his wife of 36 years, and his second marriage to Sally Wade. Intimate interviews with Carlin and Brenda’s daughter, Kelly Carlin, offer unique insight into her family’s story and her parents’ enduring love and partnership.
The two-part documentary features “a treasure trove of never-before-seen archival material including archival films, photos, audio recordings, letters, and diaries and interviews with Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Patton Oswalt, Stephen Colbert, Bill Burr, Bette Midler, W. Kamau Bell, Sam Jay, Judy Gold, Jon Stewart, and others. Joining them to share their memories of Carlin are daughter Kelly Carlin, manager Jerry Hamza, second wife Sally Wade, and others.”
In an interview with Forbes, Apatow said that Carlin was the kind of person who looked at what was popular in comedy and tried to take it to the next level.
“I think that’s what we all admire about [artists] who do great work throughout their entire lives, they’re always looking to what else is happening in the culture. They don’t want to be a relic of another era. So just like some rock musicians heard punk rock and changed what they were doing, George Carlin saw Sam Kinison and thought, ‘Oh, I need to up my game. This is moving in a new direction,'” said Apatow, adding, “That’s why he remained such a big part of the culture up until the end of his life. He didn’t just rest on his laurels; he was an artist who tried to dig deeper and take it to the next level.”
Part one of “George Carlin’s American Dream” premieres Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times and part two premieres Saturday, May 21 at the same time, both on HBO.