It’s probably no surprise that Norman Lear has seen his relevancy rise even higher in recent years. Lear’s classic 1970s sitcoms, such as “All in the Family,” “Maude,” “Good Times” and “The Jeffersons,” feel just as applicable today as they did 40 years ago.
And that’s part of the motivation behind ABC’s Wednesday night special “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons.’”
The special is a re-creation of two episodes, one from each series, as performed by contemporary stars — including Woody Harrelson as Archie Bunker, Marisa Tomei as Edith Bunker, Jamie Foxx as George Jefferson, and Wanda Sykes as Louise Jefferson.
The actual episodes used are under embargo, but there is a natural thread between the two shows, given that “The Jeffersons,” which ran from 1975 to 1985, is a spinoff of “All in the Family,” which aired from 1971 to 1979. For this special, the two shows’ living room sets have been re-created side-to-side on a sound stage at the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, Calif., and it’s seamless.
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