Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times'

The show was fun and everyone did great, BUT there is no JJ but Jummie Walker

I watched this last night to start with out of sheer boredom but I wound up really enjoying my time with both family's I laughed out loud numorous times the shows speeds were good and moved right along I am so happy I chose to watch this last night

I know the show word for word. I'll just speak on what I thought of the performances.

Viola Davis did a good job as Florida. Her portrayal was a little harder than the original but it worked.

James is my favorite character and NOBODY can do James so I won't speak on it.

I thought Tiffany Haddish struggled as Willona...

Michael...

Corinne Fox only came across as Thelma here and there but she wasn't bad.

I can't say the J.J. was awful, but the casting seemed wrong to me. Jay Pharoah did hit on the character a few times so there is that.

Jharrel Jones stole the show as Jimmy Pierson. He embodied the original actor so well. Bravo!

I grew up watching these Lear shows and remember them well so I was excited to watch this.

Good Times- I felt as if some of the actors do not know their lines as most kept making an "uh" with a brief pause then deliver their lines. I don't have the original ep to watch to see if that's how they did it, but I recall the series particularly well and I'm pretty sure that was not the case. I really like Anthony Anderson, but a singer he is not. Even though I didn't like this remake as much as the original, it was still worth seeing.

AitF - I actually saw the original not too long ago so I can compare the two. This was a better job of remaking and staying close to the original. In the original for this ep I didn't like Mike's acting particularly as it felt forced. In the remake I don't like the replacement actors but I feel like they generally delivered.

So all in all, for those of us old enough to have watched the originals this was a nice treat although it was a little light on the sugar.

In a remarkable coincidence, this special aired at the same time articles of impeachment for President Donald J. Trump were being held so during commercials, we saw both of those articles being voted in and Jimmy Kimmel commenting on it. The "Good Times" segment had the real treat of having original James Evans-John Amos-this time portraying the alderman Fred Davis-who is treated friendly by James and J.J. but indifferently by the women and Michael. After that, Jimmy then introed the other surviving "GT" cast members who showed up: BernNadette Stanis, Ja'net DuBois, and Jimmie Walker, none of whom had time enough to say anything. "All in the Family" takes place on Christmas Eve with among the guests, a friend of Michael's who returns from Canada which he went to avoid the draft and a friend of Archie's whose son died in Vietnam. While I still think Woody Harrelson doesn't do Archie justice, he's a little better this time especially when trying to talk about what he goes through near the end. In the middle of this, Martin Short sings "The Facts of Life" theme before Jimmy tells him they're not doing that show! Verdict: I thought this was a little better than the previous take on Norman Lear shows done last May.