Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes'

While I did miss Nancy returning with her former cast mates, what I mean is I missed Jo.. the character. I usually enjoy Hahn's roles and characters but my God did she miss play Jo. It was overacted with weird random movements and oddly loud. It was not a fit unfortunately. Nancy was to smooth at slipping her insults in as Jo, Hahn seemed to playing a starving, angry orphan child or something. It was not Jo and It was disappointing to say the least. At least Lisa was there and looked almost exactly the same. I did Appreciate them using actors who would have been around to enjoy those shoes when they were young however the characters are best left to their original actors. The sets were on point though 👌🏻

I thought it was a fun idea to use adults as the actors, but some of them failed. The girls on the Facts of Life , especially Kathryn Hahn and Jennifer Anniston did not carry of off. Anniston was bland and Hahn just missed Jo's . Ann Dowd was amazing.

I thought Kevin Hart was great. You could believe he was an 8 year old. And the scene on John Lithgow's lap was actually touching. I think The Facts of Life fared better. Who knees Will Arnett would look so good in shorts?

But really the whole thing felt like a 60's skit at a church fun event with amateur actors and a pot luck dinner.

What a blast from the past! I loved The Facts of Life and was eager to see how this remake would pan out. Seeing Lisa Whelchel looking ageless was a thrill, Kim Fields was darling and Mindy Cohn was sassy as ever. If only Nancy McKeon would end her Facts of Life boycott and give her fans what they want!

Onto the new cast, Ann Dowd as the new Mrs. Garrett. Was a good fit. It really surprised me how well she slipped into the character. Katherine Hahn as Jo, was true to the spirit of the character also. Gabrielle Union made for a good Tootie, but. Allison Tolman was a standout as Natalie. Tolman nearly stole the show from the other actors which was a wonderful surprise. Unfortunately, Jennifer Aniston was a horrible disappointment as Blair. Blair's character needs a certain charisma for the role to really shine and Aniston, sadly just didn't have what was needed. And i must say Jon Stewart as Rocky Price was a hoot.

Onto Different Strokes. Kevin Hart as Arnold was an inspired choice, he embodied the essence of the late Gary Coleman. Damon Wayans made a great Willis, he truly captured the laid back style of Todd Bridges. And even though i doubt the casting choice, John Lithgow made a genius Mr. Drummond, i could almost see Conrad Bain in certain moments when Lithgow spoke. A wonderful flashback to a treasured sitcom.

I can't wait to see what LIVE does next!!

I LOVED this episode of the "Live" series and I hope they come back and give us Maude and Sanford and Sons.

Can I just say how amazing Norman Lear looks and how incredibly funny and brilliant he is?

Thoughts on FOL: I swear I was watching Mrs. Garrett on the screen. Ann Dowd had her mannerisms down to a science. Jennifer Aniston was the only person that didn't flow well with the show for me but instead was a distraction. Gabriel Union and the iconic Tootie hairstyle was everything. Jason Bateman, John Steward and Will were perfectly cast and hilarious to watch. Allison was great at playing Natalie and Kathryn was the perfect Joe. Wow!! The only person that killed it for me was Jennifer. She didn't fit the role well as Blair IMO and instead took away from the flow. She literally played "Rachel" from Friends.

Thoughts on DS: I loved everything about this one except that Kimberly wasn't there. John Lithgow is always such a pleasure to watch. He is such a versatile actor. You could tell that everyone really got into their characters and seeing John and Kevin interact was really sweet, lol. And Kevin really did embody Gary Coleman which made it that much more enjoyable and funny. I'd watch another episode of this if they ever decided to do it again. Bring back Dudley next time.

This second "Live" performance of two sitcoms from the seventies is best evaluated as a nostalgic look back. "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes" ran almost concurrently in their day. Neither can be regarded as the apex of situation comedy, but they were successful.

"Diff'rent Strokes" never was a very good show. Its boring format featured few characters and all of them, except Arnold (Gary Coleman), were tedious. That said, the live remake made the most of its episode, primarily by strong casting. Kevin Hart's Arnold was full of energy and he played up the physical comedy, as when he struggled to dismount from the top bunk bed. Heaven knows John Lithgow could have grabbed plenty of laughs by ignoring the dna of his character, Mr. Drummond, but he sportingly played it safe, giving the role only as much energy as Conrad Bain ever did, which is to say, not much.

"The Facts of Life" was the more enjoyable remake. Ann Dowd channeled Mrs. Garrett brilliantly, anchoring the episode. But it was Allison Tolman (as Natalie) who most embodied her character, bringing the warmth of fond remembrance to the viewer. The episode they reenacted was actually fairly good---a story about how thoughtlessness can affect others.

The Dick Clark Award for Defying Time goes to Lisa Whelchel, who could have stepped into her role as the original teenaged Blair like she had found a portal through time. It would have been bold stunt casting to let her reprise her own role, but it would have been so worth it.