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It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… Kevin Hart as Super Arnold?
ABC announced late Thursday night that Live in Front of a Studio Audience will return for a third installment on Tuesday, Dec. 7 (at 8/7c), recreating episodes of Diff’rent Strokes and its spinoff, The Facts of Life.
The cast of Diff’rent Strokes will feature Hart as Arnold, succeeding Gary Coleman; John Lithgow (3rd Rock From the Sun) as Phillip Drummond, succeeding Conrad Bain; Damon Wayans (My Wife and Kids) as Willis, succeeding Todd Bridges; and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Mrs. Garrett, succeeding Charlotte Rae. No word yet on who might play Arnold and Willis’ sister Kimberly, originally portrayed by Dana Plato.
The cast of Facts of Life will be announced at a later date.
The legendary Norman Lear — whose Embassy Television produced both Diff’rent Strokes and Facts of Life — will return as an executive producer, alongside Jimmy Kimmel, Brent Miller, Kerry Washington, Will Ferrell, Justin Theroux and Jim Burrows.
“Other than with my family, there’s no place I’d rather be in my 100th year than on a soundstage at Sony with these glorious actors reliving what our company had produced all those years ago and sharing it with the millions of viewers who could use a little laughter,” executive producer Norman Lear said in a statement. Added Washington, “It has been an honor and highlight of my career to collaborate with the legendary Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, ABC and Sony. Part of the magic of Norman’s iconic TV series is that they resonate with audiences today just as much as they did decades ago. Reliving and reimagining them feels like pure joy. I keep wondering when this will start to feel like work!”
The first Live in Front of a Studio Audience special aired May 2019, and recreated episodes of All in the Family and The Jeffersons. That was followed by a second installment in December 2019, featuring a new reenactment of All in the Family and a classic episode of Good Times.
The original Diff’rent Strokes aired for seven seasons on NBC, between 1978 and 1985, before relocating to ABC for its eighth and final season, which wrapped in 1986. Midway through Season 2, Rae departed Diff’rent Strokes to headline her own spinoff, the above-mentioned Facts of Life, which ran for nine seasons between 1979 and 1988.
The 90-minute Live in Front of a Studio Audience special will lead into the previously announced sneak preview of new ABC midseason comedy Abbott Elementary, airing at 9:30 pm. (For a complete overview of ABC’s midseason plans, click here.)
Are you looking forward to reenactments of Diff’rent Strokes and Facts of Life? And who would you cast as Blair, Tootie, Natalie and Jo? Put on your thinking caps, then drop a comment with your dream casting below.
Is John Lithgow going to sit Kevin Hart down on his lap for a lecture? Lolol.
Didnt Damon Wayans say he quit acting because of health reasons ?? ( And bcuz he ruined Lethal Weapon by his diva personality)
So, you’re going to blame Damon for the unprofessionalism and ridiculous antics of Clayne Crawford? Why am I not surprised?
I heard the audio recording and there were TWO unprofessional, immature, million dollar babies bitching at each other. Clayne wasn’t the only problem on that set.
Why didn’t you reply to the Shadow Ozzy as well? It was ok with what he said about Damon but not what I said about Clayton? Give me a break, we all heard the audio recording.
In regards to the health reasons, there’s a difference between the potential rigors of being part of a series regular role and taking a few weeks or months to rehearse for this then do it for an hour.
Plus any health difficulties (mental or physical) may have subsided to some extent since then.
Agreed. Wayans specifically outlined that his issues were with maintaining his insulin levels for his Type-2 Diabetes during the long and intense work schedule. For a show like this, they will probably rehearse via Zoom until the week the show airs, then do dress rehearsals anyway.
I’m really looking forward to the third installment of these favorite shows from my past. Our family enjoyed the last ones. They were fun to watch.
I’m looking forward to seeing which younger women are cast (I’d personally really like to see Yara Shahidi as Tootie), but Ann Dowd as Mrs. G is perfection!
If they’re ignoring appropriate ages for The Facts of Life Girls, then I recommend Quinta Brunson for Tootie. They both have effervescence.
Not sure how I feel about adults playing the kids but I wills till watch because I loved both these shows as a kid (yes I’m old).
I wonder what episodes they will do. I assume it will NOT be the one where Dudley got molested (yikes).
Based on the costumes they used for the Head Swaps
it looks like they’re adapting Season 1 Episode 16 “Willis’ Privacy”
Adults as Kids I’m guess is three-fold.
1. the rigors of a “stage play” might cut too close for CA Labor Laws to use actual Minors (especially Season 1 age appropriate kids) to say nothing of the stress on a 10 year old to get it right live
2. commentary on the general practice of 20+ year-olds cast as teens (Dawsons Casting on TVTropes) and the specific act of Coleman being ~11 playing ~6 in the pilot
3. the “Kevin Hart is Short” Joke
Who’s been asking for this? No one! That’s a hard pass.
I asked and now they’re delivering!
No one has to ask for anything that is made in order to potentially enjoy it if it is.
That’s the cool thing about TV, in this day and age if something is on that you don’t like, turn the channel.
These two shows are literally all all anyone has been asking for since these specials started. Go away.
IIRC they did “Live Studio Audience” special like this a couple of Years ago with All in the Family & the Jeffersons to mark some milestone in Lear’s Life/Career
as I recall it did respectable ratings and didn’t suck as an acting exercise actually surprised they haven’t done more before now
VERY good ratings, indeed:
https://tvline.com/2019/05/23/all-in-the-family-live-jeffersons-ratings-abc/
I liked the live performances, but having Kevin Hart play an 8-12 years old is towing the line of buffoonery.
It is an insult to Gary Coleman, who carried the show for years until his parents and Hollywood chewed him up and spit him out.
I would have preferred a cute kid like the kid from the Wonder Years as Arnold.
Don’t they mean Damin Wayons Jr.? Damon Wayons is 60!!!
Honestly, this just seemes like a hot mess.
If they are going to treat these before a live audience shows’ legacies so callously goung forward, then just don’t do it.
Well said, Mimi.
I like the parents, and the older sister is growing on me, but the kid playing”Kevin” is so annoying. Then again, if I recall, I stopped watching the original because Kevin started grating on me.
Kevin is playing Arnold…
Jbj is talking about the character of Kevin from The Wonder Years.
I agree. This casting is very strange is just making a mockery of the reenactment.
Not sure about Blair, Natalie, or Tootie but Jo definitely has to be Stephanie Beatriz from Brooklyn Nine Nine
She wouldn’t be able to do it as she’s starring in the West End (UK) in a play this December.
Even though the Diff’rent Strokes episode will likely be hilarious, having Hart and Wayans play Arnold and Willis is stupid. You need someone a lot younger for those roles. It’s kind of an insult to the late Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges.
I’m glad they’re doing this but why are they using older men 42/61 to play young children?
Todd Bridges is still living, he could easily reprise Willis
Right! Especially if you’re going to use adults.
Heck, I wouldn’t mind if they brought back Kim, Mindy, Lisa and Nancy to play their Facts roles (though I don’t think they’d do it)! They are still around and still look great! if they’re casting adults as kids, then why not?
Ann Dowd! That is fun casting. For me, that’s the hook right there. Reel me in!
Hard pass on anything Wayans is involved in after his behaviour during the production of Lethal Weapon.
Do we know which episodes they are going to re-create? I would love it if they re-created the two-part second season premiere of “The Facts of Life” that introduces Jo and features Tootie pouring a pitcher of beer on a cop’s head: “Yeah, creep!”
WTF?! This casting is so bizarre. I haven’t watched any of these specials, because these current actors can never do the original actors justice. But I’m really, really, REALLY not going to watch this one. Is Norman Lear almost 100 years old?! Whoa.
There were 4 first season “Diff’rent Strokes” episodes that Kimberly didn’t appear in, and they could do one of those.
I was really hoping for MAUDE and (The original) ONE DAY AT A TIME (Too soon?) This time around. Maybe the next time – if there is one? Didn’t Jimmy K. Say in an interview the network was only committed to 3 specials.
as a huge fan of the Facts of Life, I hope they do the show justice and show respect towards it
We’re getting farther and farther away from my dream of Alison Janney starring as Maude.
I don’t get the casting of Hart & Wayans as Arnold and Willis at all.
For crimney sake… Adults in children roles? With?
Why not have the original cast members who are still alive play themselves!!!!
That would be Todd Bridges, and the Ginger who played ‘Cousin Oliver’, er I mean Sam in the later seasons.
looking back to the era of the series who would have expected Bridges to be the last surviving member of the original cast
For Blair Warner – Lisa Welchel
For Jo Polniaczek – Nancy McKeon
For Natalie Green – Mindy Cohn
For Tootie Ramsey – Kim Fields
—
Since they decided on adults for Different Strokes, do the same with Facts & just use the original actresses. For Kimberly Drummond I have no idea.
And find a reason for Molly Ringwald to appear and play a ukulele and make some dramatic comment like her character of Molly would do in season 1.
I think Bryce Dallas Howard would be a good pick for Kimberly Drummond or Blair Warner.
What on earth happened to lead to that group of producers? Washington, Ferrell and Theroux’s name have never been seen together before haha
They should have cameos for Todd Bridges and Janet Jackson to appear in Diff’erent Strokes. Todd has been through so much in his life and the only surviving member of the cast.
Why?
That’s exactly my point.