The live television special airs May 22.
Classic television shows The Jeffersons and All in the Family are being re-created for this generation courtesy Sony Pictures Television. The Norman Lear-created shows from the 1970s have gone down in TV history as two the most iconic sitcoms to ever grace the small screen, and now they’re back with their own special titled Live in Front a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’’ and ‘The Jeffersons.’
The Jeffersons originated as a spin-f All in the Family and in this remake will star Jamie Foxx as George Jefferson and Wanda Sykes as his wife Louise. Fans the show will remember that the couple’s next door neighbors were Tom and Helen Willis, an interracial couple (the first featured on American primetime TV) played by Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker (Lenny Kravtiz’s mother). This time around, the character Tom will be portrayed by Will Ferrell and he’ll be joined by Kerry Washington who will play his wife.
Also featured in the Live in Front a Studio Audience cast is Woody Harrelson (Archie Bunker, All in the Family), Marisa Tomei (Edith Bunker, All in the Family), Ellie Kemper, Justina Machado, Jovan Adepo, Anthony Anderson, Stephen Tobolowsky, Jackée Harry, Ike Barinholtz, Sean Hayes and Amber Stevens West. The special’s executive producers include Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, Brent Miller, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Justin Theroux. It is slated to air on ABC at 8:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, May 22.