In, “do we really need this news”, Jimmy Kimmel will present a live 90-minute primetime event on ABC paying tribute to Norman Lear and his iconic TV shows All In The Family & The Jeffersons. This isn’t going to be a standard retrospective and an original episode from each iconic Lear comedy will be re-created.
Woody Harrelson will play Archie Bunker, with Marisa Tomei as 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. Other casting news includes Ellie Kemper playing Gloria Stivic, Will Ferrell playing Tom Willis and Justina Machado will portray Florence Johnston. More casting is set to be announced soon.
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 the introduction of The Jeffersons, which ran from 1975 to 1985 – the first television series to feature an interracial couple (played by Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover). 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.
Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear are set to host Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All In The Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’ and it’s set to air May 22, 8-9:30 PM ET.
