by Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons is coming to ABC as a 90-minute primetime special, thanks not just to Lear and Jimmy Kimmel, but also Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Brent Miller, and Justin Theroux.
Kimmel and Theroux first announced the plan two years ago on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
Here are the details:
For the All in the Family episode, Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei will play Archie and Edith Bunker. Ellie Kemper will play daughter Gloria.
For The Jeffersons episode, Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes will portray Georgie and Louise, while Justina Machado will play their maid, Florence, and Will Ferrell will play their neighbor Tom Willis.
More casting will be announced closer to air: 8 p.m. May 22, 2019.
“The fact that a group of Oscar winners eagerly agreed to play these iconic characters is a testament to the greatness of these shows and their creator, Norman Lear,” said Kimmel in a statement. “To be a part of this is a dream come true for me and for everyone involved.”
Lear added, “I cannot wait to see what these glorious performers make in our time of these indelible characters.”
Why ABC and not CBS, where these shows aired? Well, for one thing, Lear already has a new deal since 2018 with Sony Pictures giving him the option to re-imagine his 1970s sitcom classics.
