ABC Here's what we know about the cast of the 2019 remake of the beloved sitcoms "All In the Family" and "Good Times," which airs on ABC tonight at 8 p.m. EST.
Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Ellie Kemper and Ike Barinholtz are all set to return for ABC’s Live In Front Of A Studio Audience rebooted special of the beloved sitcom classics All in the Family and Good Times. The star-studded remake airs Wednesday, December 18 at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST on ABC.
Harrelson, Tomei, Kemper and Barinholtz will reprise their roles as Archie and Edith Bunker, Gloria Stivic and Meathead on All In the Family, while Tiffany Haddish, Viola Davis, Andre Braugher, Jay Pharoah, Asante Blackk, Corinne Foxx, and Jharrel Jerome will all star on the Good Times remake. Additionally, ABC’s Anthony Anderson and Patti LaBelle will perform the theme song live for viewers.
Tonight’s broadcast is a sequel to the Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’ recreation, which aired in May, 2019. The live special was nominated for three Emmy Awards, and took home the prize for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), according to Deadline.
Here’s what you need to know about the cast for tonight’s holiday special:
All in the Family 2019 Cast Details
Several of the cast members spoke with Good Morning America ahead of the big premiere and discussed how they felt about the remake.
“I was so excited when they announced that they were doing another one, because it’s just a thrill,” Ellie Kemper, who will reprise her role as Archie Bunker’s daughter Gloria Stivic (originally played by Sally Struthers), said of the second All in the Family special.
Woody Harrelson, who is back again playing Archie Bunker, told GMA that getting laughs from a live audience is a “euphoric” experience, while Ike Barinholtz, who is playing Mike Stivic, compared the energy on set to a highly caffeinated beverage.
“It is very much like if you took like an Americano and then you poured in a Red Bull and then a Jolt Cola – and then gave a quick defibrillator,” Barinholtz said.
Kevin Bacon, Jesse Eisenberg and Justina Machado will all be making an appearance throughout the evening as well, although their roles are unknown at this time and will be announced live during the event.
Good Times 2019 Cast Details
According to Deadline, Viola Davis and Andre Braugher will play Florida Evans and James Evans, while Jay Pharoah portrays J.J Evans. Asante Blackk stars as Michael Evans, Corinne Foxx as Thelma Evans, and Tiffany Haddish is recreating the role of Willona Woods. Jharrel Jerome is also confirmed to join the cast in an unspecified role.
Davis told GMA that she associates the adrenaline of performing in front of a live audience with nerves and fear. “You say adrenaline — I say sheer fear,” she said. “But you know what — it is exciting to me because I have a 31-year career. I come from the theater — I live for that adrenaline.”
“The Evans are a black family living in the projects in Chicago,” Braugher added. “There’s a kind of earthiness, a reality that Norman Lear is trying to set up in a certain way, that I think is appealing to people. Part of Lear’s genius is to make these stories real … so they have the generational strife, they have the racial strife, they have the societal complications and such,” he said. “Those things haven’t changed, and they still ring true for us today.”
The new holiday-inspired live event will reunite executive producers Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, Brent Miller, Will Ferrell and Justin Theroux, along with Kerry Washington, who portrayed Helen Willis of The Jeffersons in the original special last May, according to Deadline.
Tune in Wednesday, December 18 at 8 p.m EST/7 p.m. CST to catch ABC’s Live In Front Of A Studio Audience remake of the beloved sitcoms All In the Family and Good Times. In the meantime, check out this author’s profile for more entertainment news and TV coverage.
READ NEXT: All in the Family Original Cast Then & Today