Live In Front of A Studio Audience

[Kirk Prime]

So last night, ABC had some modern actors do word for word remakes of an episode of All in the Family, and an episode of The Jeffersons.

It was definitely worth the watch for several reasons.

Starting with All in the Family--

Obviously, they wanted an episode that featured the Jeffersons, and this one wasn't bad.

However, what I really took away from this was just how brilliant the original cast was. I like Woody Harrelson and think he is a good actor, but he did not do Archie justice. Marisa Tomei is award winning and should be, but I wasn't thrilled with her Edith. I absolutely love Ellie Kemper on Kimmy Schmidt and The Office, but her performance was off, and I don't even know who the guy who played Meathead was.

The guy who played Frank Lorenzo was over the top.

Harrelson came off like someone who was doing Carroll O'Connor doing Archie Bunker. The accent was terrible.

Tomei looked like she was having a ball, but she didn't look like Edith.

There were subtle things the original cast did that were vital to the success of the show. Yes, Archie had some bigoted views, but most of them were born out of ignorance, not hate. O'Connor had to play this role so that we liked Archie, and he was perfect. While these shows are so different, a similar character was the Skipper on Gilligan's Island. You needed an actor that could treat Gilligan like that, but you still like him. Ironically, I believe Carroll O'Connor almost was the skipper.

Woody Harrelson didn't pull that likeable Archie thing off.

Edith absolutely adored Archie, with all his faults. I couldn't see this person as someone that Edith would like.

I watched the original version right after the special, and there was a line where Gloria called Archie a racist. When Kemper said it, it was disrespectful and nasty. When Struthers said it, it didn't feel that way.

The original episodes still hold up well today. But it is amazing how much a cast matters.

Moving to the Jeffersons, they redid the pilot.

I think the Jeffersons was much better done, but if you watch the actual pilot, the original cast was absolutely better. Will Ferrell was awful as Tom Willis. But I liked Kerry Washington. The guy who played Mr. Bentley was also pretty bad. Wanda Sykes did not make me forget Isabel Sanford.

The star was Jamie Foxx.

Somehow, and yes I know he flubbed a line in All in the Family, but that said, he had George perfectly.

Unlike Harrelson, Foxx was able to mimic the iconic Sherman Hemsley but didn't come off like someone doing Sherman Hemsley doing George Jefferson. He got the mannerisms and the voice so perfect that it felt right. He won the night easily.

What I found odd was the bleeping out of the N Word. I have no issue with that, as I understand the offensive nature of the word, but while they did that, but left the word "honky" in. Seems like a double standard. I'm fine with bleeping out both or neither, but it didn't seem right that it was split.

 

[Owain Taggart]

It was a pretty amazing watch, especially those theme song renditions. They really nailed some of the casting, like Wanda Sykes made for a pretty spot-on Louise for instance, and Jamie Foxx as George Jefferson! I loved that he actually ended up flubbing his line. Agreed about Woody Harrelson though. He seemed to be putting the accent on a little thick. All-in-all, a rather entertaining evening and pretty neat social experiment.

 

[Kirk Prime]

What was amazing to me was that you really appreciate the original cast. Wanda Sykes was just ok for me. She wasn't bad, but Isabelle Sanford really made the character. It's very hard for another actor to give the character the right "feel," while not coming off as doing an impression of the original actor.

The Jeffersons went much smoother, but that's because Jamie Foxx just nailed it. I felt that Foxx was George Jefferson--not Jamie Foxx doing Sherman Hemsley doing George Jefferson. Flubbed line or not, he was the star. Of course, Marla Gibbs showing up at the end was a terrific surprise.

I didn't like the All in the Family as much. Like I said yesterday, bringing Archie Bunker to life required the PERFECT actor, and they got that with Carroll O'Connor. Making Archie likeable with those lines is not easy.

What was always so good about that show was that Archie's bigotry was more due to ignorance than actual hatred. And what I loved about that show is that whenever Archie encountered a black person or a Jewish person, the recipient of his prejudice was more amused than offended and always had fun with Archie.

That's a big reason that the show was so funny. It couldn't have worked if Archie's lines were delivered with even the slightest twinge of hatred. Otherwise Archie moves from ignorant bigot to hateful racist.

It's amazing how other actors, VERY GOOD actors, delivering the same lines couldn't quite get it down.

Even Ellie Kemper, whom I love, didn't come off right to me.

I think also the studio audience's extra clapping didn't really work for me. I watched the original episodes on Youtube after the special and the timing was just a little better.

I wouldn't mind seeing this again. Maybe leave All in the Family alone and do another episode of the Jeffersons--preferably the one where George and Helen have that little dance off--because THAT was hilarious.

For the second show, maybe do the Black Jesus episode of Good Times.

Good Times was SUCH a terrific show, especially the first 3 seasons. I would love to see who they would cast.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Well sure, I don't think they were out to match the original shows 100%. The original shows are our best time capsules, and the actors and their line deliveries are what helped make the shows what they are and I don't think it's possible to really replicate that. That's as much down to the original actors themselves and the times they were living in. Rather, I think they were out to capture the sentiment and see how well they hold up in modern times, and I think they did reasonably well all things considered.

I did find Ellie Kemper to be a bit of a weak link. For the most part, she kind of faded in the background for me and almost forgot she was even there. And while Marisa Tormei was interesting as Edith and got the voice down, I found her to be very young for the part.