''Free Country'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

that aired on ABC in the summer of 1978. The show starred

Rob Reiner Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom ''All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performan ...

as Joseph Bresner, the head of a Lithuanian family that emigrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in the early-1900s. Each episode featured the 89-year-old Bresner in present-day (i.e. in the 1970s) reminiscing about events in the early-1900s. The bulk of the show would then consist of actually showing those events. The series lasted five episodes.

Cast

. . . Joseph Bresner * Judith Kahan . . . Anna Bresner * Fred McCarren . . . Sidney Gewertzman * Renée Lippin . . . Ida Gewertzman *

Larry Gelman Lawrence Sheldon Gelman (November 3, 1930 – June 7, 2021) was an American film and television character actor. He was known for playing Dr. Bernie Tupperman on the TV series ''The Bob Newhart Show'' and Vinnie, the poker playing friend of O ...

. . . Leo Gold *

Joe Pantoliano Joseph Peter Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an American character actor who has appeared in over 150 films, television and stage productions. After his early roles in the television series '' M*A*S*H'' and the 1983 comedy '' Risky Bu ...

. . . Louis Peschi

Episode list

External links

* Period television series 1970s American sitcoms 1978 American television series debuts 1978 American television series endings Television shows set in New York City American Broadcasting Company original programming Television series by Sony Pictures Television {{US-comedy-tv-prog-stub