Reflecting on ABC's "Live In Front Of A Studio Audience" Tribute to "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"

I totally got sucked into ABC's Live In Front Of A Studio Audience tribute to "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" last week. I've been re-watching episodes of those classic sitcoms recently on cable television and I was curious how they would translate for a modern audience (with new actors reenacting old scripts). The shows came our remarkably well -- though the "All in the Family" episode that they chose didn't do a good job of incorporating Mike and Gloria into the program. But it was chosen because it was the first time that we'd gotten to see George Jefferson in action.

I almost quit watching "All in the Family" after watching Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei sing "Those Were the Days" at the beginning of the program. I just couldn't take her singing. But she ended up being the highlight of that particular episode.

You can listen to their rendition here.

In contrast, I loved "The Jeffersons" from start to finish. This was a reenactment of the sitcom's pilot, when the affluent family moved to their new high-rise apartment, leaving Louise uncomfortable with her wealth. We were introduced to their interracial neighbors, Tom and Helen Willis, and their eccentric British neighbor, Mr. Bentley -- who in my opinion was mis-cast with Stephen Tobolowsky. Most of this episode featured George pushing Louise into hiring a maid and her discomfort with the entire process. "The Jeffersons" ended up having to censor the n-word 2 or 3 times -- but not the word "honky." That racial epithet just does have the same bite.

In contrast to the "All in the Family" theme performance, Jennifer Hudson did an absolutely stunning version of "The Jeffersons" theme song. Absolute spot-on! You owe it to yourself to check it out here.