Jimmy Kimmel Presents Norman Lear's "The Jeffersons" and "All in the Family" Live on ABC

[Vee]

Yeah, I can't believe it either.

 

 

Holy [!@#$%^&*]!https://t.co/kkSfmXjMKE

— Norman Lear (@TheNormanLear) April 19, 2019

Jimmy Kimmel will present a live 90-minute primetime event paying tribute to Norman Lear’s groundbreaking comedy series All in the Family and The Jeffersons on ABC.

An original episode from each iconic Lear comedy will be re-created; Jimmy Burrows is directing the live special. Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All In The Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’ will air Wednesday, May 22, 8-9:30 PM ET.

 

Woody Harrelson will play Archie Bunker role; Marisa Tomei will play his wife Edith in the recreation of All In The Family. Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes take the roles of George and Louise Jefferson in the All in the Family spinoff, The Jeffersons.

 

Ellie Kemper will play Gloria Stivic, Will Ferrell will appear as Tom Willis and Justina Machado is set to play Florence Johnston, with more all-casting announcements to come.

 

Kimmel and Lear host; the project teams them with exec producers Brent Miller, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Justin Theroux.

 

“The fact that a group of Oscar winners eagerly agreed to play these iconic characters is testament to the greatness of these shows and their creator, Norman Lear,”  Kimmel said, calling the project a “dream come true.”

 

People have said the two series were of the 70’s and “would not work today,” Lear said of his two TV-landscape-changing comedies.

 

“We disagree with them and are here to prove, with two great casts depicting of All In The Family and The Jeffersons, the timelessness of human nature,” Lear continued, adding, “I cannot wait to see what these glorious performers make in our time of these indelible characters.”

 

Last July, SPT announced a new deal with Lear and his Act III Productions, noting it had an “option to re-imagine titles from his extensive library including All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, to name a few.”

 

ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke, meanwhile, declared the network “honored” to partner with “our brilliant friend Jimmy Kimmel and trailblazer Norman Lear” in the live TV project, agreeing with Lear that the two series are “as culturally relevant today as they’ve ever been.” She forecast it will be “the can’t-miss television event” of the year, if not the decade, while Sony Pictures Television Studios president Jeff Frost and co-presidents Chris Parnell and Jason Clodfelter called it an “exciting new format.”

 

All in the Family shaped political and social conversations in American homes in the post-civil rights era. From 1971 through 1979, the series about conservative working class Archie Bunker, his liberal son-in-law and daughter, and his wife Edith tackled such hot-button topics as women’s rights, racism, and homosexuality.

 

The success of All in the Family led to introduction of The Jeffersons, which ran from 1975 to 1985 – the  first television series to feature an interracial couple. It would go on to be one of the longest running African American shows on TV, following George and Louise Jefferson as they moved to the East Side and showcased what it was like to be successful in a predominantly white world. The show is credited with shifting conversations about race and class, paving the way for other African American actors and TV series.

 

Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All In The Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’ is being produced by Smoking Baby Productions, ACT III Productions, Gary Sanchez Productions and Sony Pictures Television.

[DRW50]

I love Justina Machado but I'm not sure I love her enough to sit through Will Ferrell. 

 

The casting seems very off for me in most of this (although Marisa Tomei as Edith is interesting - Woody Harrelson doesn't have the fire for Archie though), as does having a man who wore blackface well into his career hosting the show. 

 

 

[watson71]

It will be interesting to see which episode of All in the Family and The Jeffersons that they choose to re-create.  I wonder if this is a one time thing, or if they are testing the waters to see if reboots of the series will work, especially givien the launch of the Disney+ streaming service shortly.

Edited April 19, 2019 by watson71

[reallyhateskateonlost]

There's no way in today's world can All In the Family can do this:

 

 

 

[dragonflies]

10 hours ago, reallyhateskateonlost said:

There's no way in today's world can All In the Family can do this:

 

 

 

 

 

I agree, especially this is the era of everyone being offended by everything. 

[KMan101]

This is real and not a delayed April Fools joke? I'm not sure what I even think about this, to be honest.

 

First instinct is to say: no thank you. And I don't want a parody, which is all the actors would likely do. But who knows? Of course I'll watch. But this wasn't at all needed or necessary. 

Edited April 19, 2019 by KMan101

[Khan]

I'll admit my curiosity has been piqued, lol.  I truly have no idea why Norman Lear and Jimmy Kimmel would bother with this now -- but, hey, at least I'll finally know what an AITF or "Jeffersons" episode directed by MTM/Paramount vet Jimmy Burrows is sorta like, lol.

[amybrickwallace]

6 hours ago, dragonflies said:

 

 

I agree, especially this is the era of everyone being offended by everything. 

 

I third that.

[Franko]

7 hours ago, Khan said:

I'll admit my curiosity has been piqued, lol.  I truly have no idea why Norman Lear and Jimmy Kimmel would bother with this now -- but, hey, at least I'll finally know what an AITF or "Jeffersons" episode directed by MTM/Paramount vet Jimmy Burrows is sorta like, lol.

Nothing against Norman, but if you told me even 10 years ago that he'd have evolved in this downright deified elder statesman, I'd have been skeptical. It pays to get older.

[John]

These redo episodes have been in the planning stages for years

https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/norman-lear-all-in-the-family-jeffersons-reboots-1201944546/

[j swift]

I think it is such a weird idea because neither series seems to be in regular reruns on non-antenna-driven channels so, how will young people drop into the concept?  I doubt the average 20-year-old knows who Archie Bunker is, let alone recognize a recreation of Archie.  I know the set is at the Smithsonian, but I don't know any other modern reference to the sitcom.  I am intrigued, but I don't think that I am in the target demographic.  

 

I guess Norman Lear owns everything through his production company, but is CBS going to allow them to use archival footage, or will there be no illusion to the old series?

 

Also, I'm OK with a live audience but hasn't Rent taught us that the actual show doesn't need to be broadcast live?

Edited April 21, 2019 by j swift

[reallyhateskateonlost]

It is weird because these shows were both on CBS.

Anyways, things being the way they are, can George Jefferson say the word honky?

 

 

[Graham]

I'm surprised they were able to get the green light for this. I'll be watching!

 

Marissa Tomei is inspired casting. Harrelson is a hick and Archie is pure New York so unsure on that one. Jamie Foxx gonna turn the ham up to 11 with the George Jefferson peacock strut.

[Soapsuds]

 

[amybrickwallace]

Wanda Sykes as Weezy??? No, no, no. Wanda should be Florence!!!