ABC/Eric McCandless(LOS ANGELES) — Wednesday was a night of nostalgia and laughs as ABC brought back a couple of beloved Norman Lear sitcoms, All in the Family and Good Times.
The Good Times episode kicked off with a version of the opening theme, delivered by Patti LaBelle and black-ish star Anthony Anderson.
The episode, titled “The Politician,” centered on a young politician named Jimmy Davis, played by Jharrel Jerome, trying to unseat crooked incumbent, Fred Davis, played by original Evans family patriarch John Amos.
As for the performances, Viola Davis and Andre Braugher stayed faithful to the original performances by Amos and Ester Rolle, right down to the fake gap in Davis’ teeth.
Asante Blackk and Corinne Foxx, as Michael and Thelma Evans, also stayed true to the original cast members, as did Tiffany Haddish, who played Willona Woods.
Jay Pharoah, famous for his spot-on impersonations on Saturday Night Live, drew laughs with his impression of Jimmy Walker’s J.J Evans. Walker, along with Ja’net Dubois and Bernnadette Stanis — the original Willona and Thelma – were all in attendance on Wednesday.
Aside from a few flubbed lines, the segment went off without a hitch.
Next, Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Ellie Kemper and Ike Barinholtz were back as Archie and Edith Bunker, Gloria Stivic and Mike ‘Meathead’ Stivic, respectively, for the 1975 All in the Family episode “The Draft Dodger.”
In the episode, The Bunkers’ Christmas dinner turns into a nightmare when they play host to a draft dodger and a father whose son was killed in Vietnam, played respectively by Jesse Eisenberg and Kevin Bacon. Justina Machado played Teresa Betancourt, a boarder at the Bunkers’ house.
The special also featured a random appearance by a confused Martin Short, who sang the theme from The Fact of Life.
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