Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes'
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
A re-creation of classic episodes of "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes."A re-creation of classic episodes of "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes."A re-creation of classic episodes of "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes."
- Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys
- 2 wins & 3 nominations total
Featured reviews
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.
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.
First, if like to apologize to my neighbors whom I'm sure we woke up while laughing as we watched this at 10p on Hulu. Second, this was amazingly funny. The adult child actors all did a great job and it was good to see some of the original actors, though things got briefly awkward when one actress mentions her current project and Jimmy Kimmel cut her off by rambling about cereal (sorry but this wasn't the time or the place to promote other projects). But wow, this was awesome!
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!!
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!!
10cokely
Great remakes of timeless episodes. I enjoyed the all star cast Kevin, Jason, Snoop, Jennifer, Gabby, Ann, Allison, Kathy, Damon amd John. Next year, I would love to see Sanford & Son and What's Happening. Awesome job!!
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.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaThe original episodes remade in this presentation of "Live in Front of a Studio Audience" were The Facts Of Life: "Kids Can Be Cruel" (Season 3 Episode 20/original airdate: March 17, 1982); and Diff'rent Strokes: "Willis' Privacy" (Season 1 Episode 16/original airdate: Feb 23, 1979).
- GoofsAt the end, Arnold (Kevin Hart) calls Willis 'Vern' by mistake, but quickly corrects himself.
Details
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- Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 2020 Special
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- Runtime1 hour 1 minute
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