User reviews

Jamie Fox and Marissa Tormei nailed their respective characters. Others were good but these two stole the show in my opinion as someone who grew up watching both shows.

Some of the actors were trying just a little too hard to recreate the originals. Woody was a good choice to play Archie, but I think he was trying just a little too hard and didn't quite hit the mark. I don't remember the original George Jefferson strutting around as much as Jamie, so his performance seemed a little over the top. Marissa did the best recreating Edith.

At Norman Lear's shows put a mirror up to everyday Americans and exposed us, warts and all, though we didn't always recognize ourselves. I right, am female, small-town, mid-west born and raised smack dab in the middle of the Civil Rights and Women's Liberation movements. My dad epitomized Archie Bunker. Had his chair that no one else ever sat in, and jokingly referred to mom as "Dingbat." She wasn't amused. By the time "All in the Family" ceded to "Archie Bunker's Place" my dad, finally seeing bits of himself in Archie, no longer found the character funny or justified in his bigotry. He stopped referencing people of different ethnicities with the everyday slang he'd grown up with which denigrated them into second class citizens, and instead recognized their equality to him and his family. They weren't stealing jobs or coming to attack the womenfolk (who were clearly demonstrating they could fend for themselves pretty well)...these were hardworking everyday Joes just like him just trying to do what was right, take care of their families, and stand up and be counted. And as the broadcast demonstrated, so many of the divisive issues of 50 years ago remain. The content stands the test of time. The acting? Well, these characters were written to be larger than life so some exaggeration is to be expected and not everyone can rise to the level of the original cast. But these are stories worth telling because we have to be reminded that no matter how far we've come, some things never change...and some things do, like my Dad.

This was genius!!! A total delight to watch, pop culture at its absolute finest with stellar performances by all. Marisa Tomei nailed the character of Edith with poise and grace. This is a true gem!

Only one word could describe this evening... BRILLIANT. Performing 2 incredible episodes of shows that changed the world. The performances were fun, and complimentary to the original performers (especially Jamie Foxx's hair). This was a great idea

I was astounded when I realized they were using an original script. It was amazing. Funny funny funny. My husband and I were so surprised at how very much we enjoyed it - sadly, it had not aged a bi40 years later. The performances were very good with Wanda Sykes and Marisa Tomei standing out. Great job, everyone. Thanks so much.

It is sad that this was brought back to today's time for viewing as that is how far backward today's society has come. Having said that, this was wonderfully done. Woody Harrelson and Jamie Foxx as the male stars played roles just like original, bravo! Wanda Sykes was greatest in female lead. Everyone else was adequate and looked part playing, So good. I hope the demographic of this live show brings in some views and thoughts from the young ones of today. 7/10

What a great time! You can tell the actors did a lot researching their characters and really came into their roles. I laughed a lot and truly enjoyed this show. Well done everyone!

Woody Harrelson is far from what was needed to fill the great Carol O Conners' shoes. He just forced it too much (and not in a meaningful good way) as performances go. Wanda Sykes was an equal letdown as a match for Louises' persona. Edith , and Meathead were the best replacements. George Jefferson , and Gloria were passable. Truly the best achievement of this show ( and the original) was the mirror of racism being laid out in an everyday way for all to see, and comprehend.

Edith was horribly overacted by Melisa Tormei and she appeared far too young for the part, both as Archie's wife and as Gloria's mother. The actors did not appear to be playing the characters, but rather seemed to be trying to play the original actor playing the character. In most cases, this didn't work well. Woody Harrelson had Archie's accent and intonations down well, but his physical gestures were over-the-top. Had to switch this show off part way through, as I found it painful to watch these professionals offering up entertainment that could have probably been improved upon by a high school acting class.

I loved both episodes! I thought they were both well casted, especially Woody Harrelson as Archie Bunker and Jamie Foxx as George Jefferson. I was a little too young to watch the originals although I did enjoy the Jeffersons reruns on TBS after school. It was amazing to see how relevant these old classics are in 2019. The premise of bringing them back to bring social issues like racism to the forefront as a way to teach lessons through laughter is brilliant!! I hope they do this again with other classic shows!!

Every single actor nailed the character they played. I wish Irene Lorenzo had appeared, but that wasn't a dealbreaker. I hope they do this again.

This was great and I want more! The sets were recreated perfectly the episodes were recreated without change, proving how timeless these classics are, and the actors reenacted them wonderfully...and I don't even like Wanda Sykes but I enjoyed her as Isabel Sanford's Louise and she didn't sound a thing like her. Here's hoping for more re-enactments from these two shows (ALL IN THE FAMILY & THE JEFFERSONS) as well as other Norman Lear classics.

Jamie Foxx did an outstanding job of playing George. Close your eyes and you'd swear it was Sherman Hensley. Marissa was very good as edith, although it was overacted. Wanda Sykes was absolutely horrible as Louise. She played Wanda Sykes... Like she does in every single thing she's been in. She didn't even try to embody the part of Louise. Woody Harrelson got the accent down okay. But other than that, it was a poor job. No one can play Archie but O'Connor. One thing is for sure, no way Lear would have done a show where the liberal was portrayed as an embecile. It shows just what Hollywood thinks of conservatives that he painted bunker as the "typical" white conservative. The same way he paints George as a black conservative, but also an embecile. Nevertheless, the shows were genius and funny. Wish they had added in good times. That show was 2nd to only All in thr Family.

Was the acting great-no, but it wasn't awful. I watched All in the Family as a kid and to a lesser extent The Jeffersons. This truly did remind me of those shows, the actors, the ridiculousness of some of the stereotypes. The All in the Family part was better than the Jeffersons part I think primarily because of the story. The AITF was more faithful than the Jeffersons.

Even having said all that, I still enjoyed it and will rewatch it. If this was some kind of a test whether to continue this then they failed. But as nostalgic it was a win.

Believe the negative remarks though, as all those I've read are accurate. Even still if you look at what I put above very worth watching it.

When Gus Van Sant directed a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic "Psycho", line for line, edit for edit, it was widely panned, and achieved an IMDb rating of 4.6 versus the original's 8.5. How could that be, given that they were nearly identical? Clearly, Van Sant saw his remake as a tribute to Hitchcock's mastery and an exercise in painstaking recreation that would focus attention on Hitch's artistic choices. Still, many viewers thought it was insulting; others saw it as a waste of time.

The recreations of episodes from "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" do contain some artistic choices, but they are few. The scripts are word for word exactly the same as when broadcast so many years before. Some of the lead actors have tried to recreate exact copies of the voices, the gestures, and the delivery of the lines. Yet, the IMDb score for this live television special is 7.9---exactly the average of the scores given to the two original television series. Why is that?

For one thing, live performances are a different animal. The recent spate of live television recreations of hit films and plays has been entertaining and interesting. Part of the interest comes from the immediacy of live television. But this is a tribute to producer Norman Lear, so some viewers might be registering their admiration for the man. And others might be signaling approval of the scripts.

If these recreations were actual series in today's markets, they would fail miserably. Though some have maintained they are just as relevant today as when they first aired, they are dated. And the artful recreation of Archie Bunker still lacks the authenticity of Carrol O'Connor's performance.

One of the best things about these series was that they showed equally the racial and class biases of both Archie Bunker and George Jefferson. But they featured hamfisted humor lacking nuance. Their simplified versions of complex issues served to dumb down topics of conversation that could have been more useful. As such, they perpetuated stereotypes as much as they sought to abolish them.

The highlight of this special was Jennifer Hudson's performance of the theme song from "The Jeffersons". The uncanny performances of Jamie Foxx, Woody Harrelson, and especially Marisa Tomei are also worthy of mention.

I wish armchair critics would remember that all of these cast members m, except for Ms. Gibbs, are not to original people so why would you expect the same performance? Everyone did a great job and made me reminisce about my childhood. Thank you to them all and thank you to Mr. Lear for being the voice of truth and reason.

I don't know that we really needed actors to recreate a couple of episodes from old Norman Lear series, but the results are pretty entertaining. Many of the jokes still land and the takes on class and racism are, sadly, as current now as they were then.

The cast is a mixed bag, with some actors doing their own take and some doing an impression of the original. Of the latter, the best is Marisa Tomei, who does a hilarious, dead-on impersonation of Jean Stapleton and seems to be having more fun than anyone else on the show. Of the former, Wanda Sykes is so good as Louise that you'd give her a series based on this.

On the other hand, Jamie Foxx's George is an overly twitch cartoon of what was to begin with a very cartoonish character, and Woody Harrelson's take on Archie is in every way inferior to O'Connor's original creation.

The All in the Family script is overall better than the Jefferson's one, which suffers from an incredibly talky and didactic first half (a hallmark of Lear series that continues with the funny, earnest remake of One Day at a Time). It's thoughtful, but it's not until the second half that things really get going.

But then, the Jefferson's was never one of my favorite Lear series.

Overall, this is a fun nostalgia trip but I probably would have enjoyed watching the original two episodes more.

When I watched these two shows back in the 1970's I thought that they were funny, pointed and iconic. The fact that Archie Bunker's chair is in the Smithsonian Museum is proof of the impact 'All In Thre Family' had.

Something happened when we traveled back in time watching the All In The Family remake, the humor was lost in the translation. Was it that the stories did not transfer or was it that the majority of actors were amazingly inferior to the original.

The acting was often horrible. Woody Harrelson was as bad as any third grader would be playing Archie. He was so obviously campy and pretentious it was like watching a train crash. I kept turning my head hoping to miss the carnage.

Marisa Tomei was acting like a cartoon character. Edith Bunker may have been naive but she was not stupid. Marisa Edith was pitifully idiotic. At least Marisa's Queen's NY accent was fun to listen too.

The Jeffersons remake was a fair amount better. The acting was on point and humor was still funny. Wanda Sykes was a hilarious, but different Louise Jefferson. The original was the calming influence on her husband George while Skyes' Louise was much more caustic, much as Wanda is. Still she was very funny.

Jamie Fox was an excellent George, pompous with a machine gun mouth. He was just taller than the original George who suffered from a comical Napoleon complex.

Jennifer Hudson, looking slim and fantastic in a short tight dress, has a big set of pipes and she gave a great live rendition of the 'Moving On Up' theme song.

The one huge and pleasant surprise was the appearance of Marla Gibbs, now 88 years old and looking decades younger, in her original series role as Florence the sharp witted, nemesis of George, housekeeper. She still has great comic timing and she still is Florence!

I really enjoyed this flash back in time. I loved the originals and the original cast was amazing. Thus comes the biggest challenge - paying tribute without being campy. And for the most past the succeeded.

I thought Woody was a little flat. Carroll was larger then life and Woody couldn't match it. Jaime was a bit over the top when he first came on but once he settled down he did a good job.

The ladies stole the show. Marisa, Kerry, and Wanda were fantastic. And having Marla on was a wonderful moment.

I am very happy they did these shows.

What a great tribute to these two phenom shows! The whole production, beginning to end, was just perfect! Classy! Most enjoyable! Marisa Tomei just brought it! Wanda Sykes was "right on" perfection! Jamie Foxx! Loved how he handled his "live show" flub. Just precious! I only wish I could view it with NO commercials during the show. It was so much like a Broadway show, I actually STOOD UP and applauded at the end! SO!!