James R | On 22, Jan 2015

What are you doing this Saturday? If the answer isn’t “watching Transparent”, then you’re doing weekends wrong, because Amazon is releasing the entire series for free for one day only. And, to put it briefly, it’s brilliant.

Voted the best TV series of 2014 by us, the show stars Arrested Development’s Jeffrey Tambor as Maura, who has spent her life as Mort, the patriarch of the Pfeffermans. When he comes out as a woman, though, the ripples of surprise extend all the way through the family.

It may sound like a simple premise, but the series understands just how complicated that step is. Written and directed by Six Feet Under’s Jill Soloway – and partly based on her own experiences with her dad – the 10-episode comedy drama is a beautiful, subtle exploration of family, identity, sex, and love.

The show also stars Judith Light (Dallas), Gaby Hoffmann (Girls), Amy Landecker (Louie) and Jay Duplass (Togetherness) and has proven something of a milestone in the TV industry, not just because of its sensitive handling of such an overlooked issue, but because of the audience response to it.

Transparent has been the most popular show on Prime Instant Video since the show’s launch last September, while last week it took home two Golden Globes – the first prizes given to Amazon’s original content, as well as the first time an online show has ever won a Best TV Series award.

Amazon has already greenlit a second season of Transparent, to air later this year. Before then, though, Amazon will make all episodes of the show for free this Saturday. The announcement follows the release of Amazon’s latest batch of pilots – including an adaptation of Philip K Dick’s The Man in the High Castle – which are available for members of the public to watch and vote on which they would like to be commissioned. This is the same process Transparent went through. While full series are normally exclusively available to Prime Instant Video subscribers for £5.99 a month, though, anyone will be able to watch Transparent at no cost on Saturday 24th January, whether they are an Amazon customer or not.

“We’re incredibly proud of everyone involved in the making of Transparent—the team took a risk and it paid off,” says Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. “Big kudos and congrats to Jill, Jeffrey, and all the cast and crew.”

How to watch Transparent for free

Amazon Instant Video is currently compatible with iOS and Android devices, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, a range of smart TVs and Amazon’s own Fire TV set top box. You can also watch Transparent online at Amazon.co.uk/Transparent.

For more on Transparent, read our spoiler-free review of the first four episodes – or our interview with Jill Soloway and Jeffrey Tambor.

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