Live In Front Of A Studio Audience - General Discussion

[greekmom]

2 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I thought Wanda was a bit miscast.  Also the original Mother Jefferson is just so iconic in my head I could not really see the replacement actress in her place, also she got the disdain down correctly.

Wanda didn't play Mother Jefferson.  She was Louise "Wheezy" Jefferson (wife of George).  Fran Bennett played Mother Jefferson.

Another thing that struck me odd was George would always take his shoes off when walking on Bentley's back.  That's why the gag in the live show didn't work and Wanda had to steady Jamie Foxx.  I was worried about Stephen's back as Jamie is also bigger than Sherman was.  

[janie jones]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Oy. I'm sure Jamie can do better than this. I guess he didn't take it seriously???

His response to messing up his line indicated to me that he didn't take it seriously.

[MajorNelson]

Overall, I think it was fun to see them run through these scripts.

Woody H
    B
    Nobody could probably get an grade of A and pull off CoC
    His accent changed several times
    CoC had more hair, so I would have appreciated some kind of wig
    Was acceptable

Tomei
    A
    Caught Edith very well

Gloria and Meathead
    B/B-
    Didn't especially like or dislike
    Read a suggestion that Ellie should have had on a blonde wig - agree
    Ellie occasionally shined; probably wasn't whiny enough
 

Henry Jefferson
    did not really know this character, and was confused seeing Anderson there and looking young/together

Foxx
    B+ or A-
    Did well enough and loved his attempts at the original's mannerisms
    Agree with commenters about his being too tall

Sykes
    B+
    For me, did a decent job.  Some people have said she gave her own interpretation of Louise, but with the years that have passed, I believed her part.  The original had very unique raspy voice - hard to copy I'd say

Ferrell
    B-
    Should have had a half-bald cap on
    Under and over played Tom

Helen/Kerry
    A-
    Did a creditable job

The Jeffersons - imo, came off a little better skit that the AITF skit

N word
    I think I'd have been okay without the bleeps.  Went and listened to it on youtube.
    Black actors were saying the word in the two instances, so that's usually permissible isn't it

Norman Lear reflected for Archie, as per the opening song longings, that he had not really gotten his share of the American dream, and hated "tomorrow."  And I think the same feeling underlies a lot of the population today.  That "missing out" realization that used to hit in the late 40's or 50's (Archie) is earlier (today).  Presented as a foil of those times, I don't think the idealism of Meathead and Gloria provided any legitimate answers either.  I guess compared to the 70's, today it seems the working middle class with their neck above water and a SAHspouse isn't much of a thing any more.  So it was at least nice to see an echo of what was.

[Ubiquitous]

50 minutes ago, Twilight Man said:

Over a decade ago, they actually had a show (that only aired seven episodes)................

It was called "The Rerun Show".

It had a cast of people who would attempt to portray the cast of a classic TV show every week.

(An actress would portray Samantha from Bewitched one week, then Kelly from SBTB next week)

and they would have "special appearances" each week as well.

Sometimes "they" would even portray their original characters

(Seeing Bonaduce walking around on his knees pretending to be his 8 year old self was a hoot)

I remember the Rerun Show but am not sure I ever watched it.. it looks interesting. 

[DearEvette]

33 minutes ago, greekmom said:

Wanda didn't play Mother Jefferson.  She was Louise "Wheezy" Jefferson (wife of George).  Fran Bennett played Mother Jefferson.

Oh, I know Wanda was portraying Weezy.  I wasn't referring to her when I mentioned the replacement actress who was playing Mother Jefferson in the live broadcast.

ETA:  Also, I think they ran an ad for the new summer show Grand Hotel every single commercial break.  I felt spammed by a tv show.

Edited May 23, 2019 by DearEvette

[SoMuchTV]

56 minutes ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Good news, found it on ABC... Bad news, it's locked and when I try to go to watch it via logging in, it just takes me to a Lost themed 404 page. 🙄😣

By any chance, are you using Firefox?  I've had trouble with some tv network sites - apparently Firefox has some privacy features that some sites don't like, and they didn't always give a very useful error message.  There's a setting you can change (I don't remember what it is, but I'm sure Google does), or you could try another browser.  Hope that's all your problem is!

[Vixenstud]

I love AITF as a whole but was bored with the skit so I puttered about, waiting for The Jeffersons skit.

Woody and Marisa were great (although Marisa over sang the word 'days' at the end of the song IMO) and I liked the Lionel actor.  Sean Hayes was wasted in the Frank Lorenzo role....couldn't stand the character then and Sean was on for about two minutes.  

Now The Jeffersons?  Jamie was on point as George and I loved when he flubbed his line and all that happened after.  He was overdoing the mannerisms in the beginning but then he ran with it and I enjoyed the ride.

Ja'net Du'Bois is still alive, couldn't she have sang the theme song?  The only positive thing I'll say for J-Blah is she had on the fiercest dress/romper/whatever that was, it was beautiful!  

I just found out that Amber Stevens West had her baby last year, so it was jarring to see her because I thought she was still pregnant.

Wanda did a good Weezy and I liked seeing Jackee....was also good seeing Marla Gibbs, 

Kerry and Will did a great job, Kerry had Helen's voice down pat.  It was annoying that the N-word wasn't used yet 'honky' was said loud and clear.

Finally, Norman Lear?  You look mahvelous for 96!

As much as I hope this is a one-off, if the ratings were good you just know we're going to get a Good Times/Maude show.

[babyhouseman]

3 hours ago, Vixenstud said:

As much as I hope this is a one-off, if the ratings were good you just know we're going to get a Good Times/Maude show.

https://pix11.com/2019/05/23/all-in-the-family-jeffersons-reboot-is-a-hit-wins-wednesday/

They won the night so there will probably be follow-ups. 

I loved these shows as a child. My father had pajamas that looked like Archie Bunker's, and I remember seeing the chair when we went to the Smithsonian. 

I went in with low expectations. Like others, I though Marisa Tomei was really good. Jamie Foxx overdid the swagger some. Gloria was too blah. Sean Hayes wasn't right for Frank, but I always loved how Frank needled Archie. 

I know it's a small matter(no pun intended), but the heights threw me off with Wanda Sykes being short and Mother Jefferson being tall. I agreed with whoever said George's height was part of his personality; it was referred to a lot on the original show. 

[msrachelj]

22 hours ago, callie lee 29 said:

I'm not. There's no way in hell that word is getting by the FCC at 9pm on Wednesday. 

but it's ok to say kike or hebe or whatever it was, and pollock? if it was going to be the original script, they should have stuck to it and had a  conversation at the end.

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

10 hours ago, blondiec0332 said:

It's on Hulu if anyone has a subscription.

Thanks for the info, but that's not an option for me as I don't have one and at this time don't plan on getting one.

There's a free trial. You might have to set up a new email account if you've already used yours.

I cannot find the 90 minute after show, "All About 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons,'" anywhere.

  
  

7 hours ago, MajorNelson said:

Woody H
    B
    Nobody could probably get an grade of A and pull off CoC
    His accent changed several times
    CoC had more hair, so I would have appreciated some kind of wig
    Was acceptable

Although I did a double take at Woody's hair, it worked for me because a lot of Archie Bunker types might have that kind of hair. 
But I was annoyed that Woody didn't wear his fat suit like he did in the 17-years-later scenes of season one of True Detective. In this outing of AITF, he seemed to be showing off his trim body at age 57. IDK. Maybe he wasn't, but having watched True Detective 5 years ago, it seemed that way to me.

[kicotan]

46 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

but it's ok to say kike or hebe or whatever it was, and pollock? if it was going to be the original script, they should have stuck to it and had a  conversation at the end.

I agree.

context is everything...they went out of their way to explain the context of the humor, just in case folks were unaware that it was intentionally written to provoke dialogue, originally written and broadcast in the 70’s, with honkey, heeb and the n-word included.

I think that was part of how influential it was, that it was written with words and attitudes around themes that folks actually used and represented, as ugly as they were/are, the original show didn’t censor them and threw them in the face of the viewer.

[AntiBeeSpray]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

There's a free trial. You might have to set up a new email account if you've already used yours.

I cannot find the 90 minute after show, "All About 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons,'" anywhere.

  
  

Although I did a double take at Woody's hair, it worked for me because a lot of Archie Bunker types might have that kind of hair. 
But I was annoyed that Woody didn't wear his fat suit like he did in the 17-years-later scenes of season one of True Detective. In this outing of AITF, he seemed to be showing off his trim body at age 57. IDK. Maybe he wasn't, but having watched True Detective 5 years ago, it seemed that way to me.

Ah thanks. ABC's site finally worked on my end. Turns out I think that too many people were trying to watch it at the same time. 😂

Both my mom and I really liked it, as in both All in the Family and the Jeffersons. We were laughing the whole way through.

 

8 hours ago, Vixenstud said:

I love AITF as a whole but was bored with the skit so I puttered about, waiting for The Jeffersons skit.

Woody and Marisa were great (although Marisa over sang the word 'days' at the end of the song IMO) and I liked the Lionel actor.  Sean Hayes was wasted in the Frank Lorenzo role....couldn't stand the character then and Sean was on for about two minutes.  

Now The Jeffersons?  Jamie was on point as George and I loved when he flubbed his line and all that happened after.  He was overdoing the mannerisms in the beginning but then he ran with it and I enjoyed the ride.

Ja'net Du'Bois is still alive, couldn't she have sang the theme song?  The only positive thing I'll say for J-Blah is she had on the fiercest dress/romper/whatever that was, it was beautiful!  

I just found out that Amber Stevens West had her baby last year, so it was jarring to see her because I thought she was still pregnant.

Wanda did a good Weezy and I liked seeing Jackee....was also good seeing Marla Gibbs, 

Kerry and Will did a great job, Kerry had Helen's voice down pat.  It was annoying that the N-word wasn't used yet 'honky' was said loud and clear.

Finally, Norman Lear?  You look mahvelous for 96!

As much as I hope this is a one-off, if the ratings were good you just know we're going to get a Good Times/Maude show.

The N word was used. It was just censored. 

Edited May 24, 2019 by AntiBeeSpray

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well you can watch the originals unedited On Demand on Starz Encore if you have it. It’s also on MeTV.

Sundance will be airing All In The Family from the pilot starting next Wednesday. Since they always censor everything including the N-word, except if the show is about Nazis or Hate Crimes, I expect they’ll censor the N-word.

[kicotan]

Speaking of censorship...why is “God” bleeped out when they say God damn instead of “damn”.

”God” is the insulting word?

[Kromm]

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Oh poor Woody.  He SO was the weak point of this, and I bet by now he knows it. 

Marisa was indeed the MVP. As over the top and variable as Woody's accent sounded, Marisa's was not only dead on, but solid and consistent. And she's the piece of casting I thought was totally nuts beforehand. I guess I forgot how good an actress she really is (and a pretty good comedienne as well). 

[Machiabelly]

34 years between appearances as the same character. Is that a record?

[Kromm]

On 5/22/2019 at 9:43 PM, shapeshifter said:

I am so glad the script was not changed. It was amazingly revealing of how little crap has changed.

Kidding, right? So totally relevant!

Indeed. While there are less people like Archie in Queens, NY now, that's been more than made up by the increasing numbers of them in other parts of the country. Many of the specific arguments have changed, and a lot of the terminology used, but the underlying attitudes are still there. 

And geez. The Nixon talk echoed SO loudly now.  It boomed with relevance.  And Gloria's rant about "why not a woman President" ?  Practically straight out of 2019. 

[opus]

Some of you said you missed it? ABC is rerunning it this Saturday.

https://deadline.com/2019/05/all-in-family-jeffersons-repeat-norman-lear-jimmy-kimmel-1202621596/

[Kromm]

Jeffersons:  Jennifer Hudson killed the theme song.  She had the unique intonations of it down perfectly. 

Wanda Sykes: was a lot better than I expected.  I saw her more as perfect for Florence. Of course they got an even better Florence. 

Jamie Foxx: overplayed the role, but settled into it further in. 

The guy who played Bentley wasn't English enough. Why couldn't they find an actual Englishman? Hollywood is lousy with them.  

It's a small role, but I wasn't that fond of their Lionel. 

Kerry Washington was great. Helen was always very saucy and she played that in proper proportion. And I appreciate Will Ferrell's restraint here. I often hate his comedy, but he's a good straightman and this was closer to that. It's a slightly silly role but he reigned it in rather than pushing it. The right decision. 

And I found this episode almost as relevant as the All in the Family one. Right down to Florence's last line of the night. 

[callie lee 29]

4 hours ago, msrachelj said:

but it's ok to say kike or hebe or whatever it was, and pollock? if it was going to be the original script, they should have stuck to it and had a  conversation at the end.

Actually, I don't say any of them are okay (or even not okay). What I did say is that I am not surprised that a major non- cable network, owned by Disney, bleeped a racial epiheit in an assumption that the FCC  would very possible have an issue with it and impose fines. Whether it not that was a good/valid/smart/logical assumption I do not know. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Kromm said:

Indeed. While there are less people like Archie in Queens, NY now, that's been more than made up by the increasing numbers of them in other parts of the country. Many of the specific arguments have changed, and a lot of the terminology used, but the underlying attitudes are still there. 

This is why Woody Harrelson's slips into southern twangs seemed organic to the script to me.

  
  

1 hour ago, Kromm said:

And Gloria's rant about "why not a woman President" ?  Practically straight out of 2019. 

I was thinking 2016 *sob* but, yeah, post-#MeToo and all that too.

[AntiBeeSpray]

13 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Well you can watch the originals unedited On Demand on Starz Encore if you have it. It’s also on MeTV.

Sundance will be airing All In The Family from the pilot starting next Wednesday. Since they always censor everything including the N-word, except if the show is about Nazis or Hate Crimes, I expect they’ll censor the N-word.

I don't have either. I don't think I have Sundance as well.

 

11 hours ago, Kromm said:

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Oh poor Woody.  He SO was the weak point of this, and I bet by now he knows it. 

Marisa was indeed the MVP. As over the top and variable as Woody's accent sounded, Marisa's was not only dead on, but solid and consistent. And she's the piece of casting I thought was totally nuts beforehand. I guess I forgot how good an actress she really is (and a pretty good comedienne as well). 

I didn't mind him in it at all. Both him and Jamie Foxx were a bit over the top to be honest and Jamie made a mistake. Not a big one, but it was there. Thankfully he recovered very nicely from it. Thought Woody did a good job, given that the role is so iconic and people remember Carroll O' Connor so much in it. No one can replace him, role wise. And I didn't expect Woody to. He did his best.

And count me in as someone who didn't mind the person who played Meathead. Thought he had the role down pat.

[starri]

I was surprised that I ended up really enjoying it.  I mean, as with many things in this vein, it's best described as "unnecessary but fun" but it WAS fun.  Jeffersons was definitely the stronger of the two, but Anthony Anderson, Marisa Tomei, and Wanda kept AITF from being a total disaster, even with Jaime Foxx seeming to completely miss the point of what they were trying to do.

I think the best moment was J-Hud singing.

The thing got phenomenal ratings, so I'm sure they're going to do it again.  Dare I hope for Golden Girls next time?

[GHScorpiosRule]

So, I watched the original pilot for The Jeffersons last night. One, I wish Kerry had done her hair the same way Roxie had--hair pulled back in a chignon.

And the dude that played Bentley in the revival? Did an ad lib. Bentley, in the pilot, didn't do the "oops! Back went out again! Just kidding!" before leaving after George walked over his back. And Louise was much sharper, tone wise than Wanda played her.

But still. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Though I do wonder if Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers, have said anything about this? If they have, I must have missed it.

[starri]

34 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

But still. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Though I do wonder if Rob Reiner, Sally Struthers, have said anything about this? If they have, I must have missed it.

Sally said something bitchy about Norman Lear being better served by being retired and traveling. 

[Vixenstud]

13 hours ago, msrachelj said:

but it's ok to say kike or hebe or whatever it was, and pollock? if it was going to be the original script, they should have stuck to it and had a  conversation at the end.

And Helen said honky!

[bunnyface]

Finally got to watch this last night.  I think Sean Hayes must be a one-trick pony.  He "Just Jack"ed Frank Lorenzo into an idiotic character.

I really think you could put the whole cast in modern clothing, update the houses to look like they would today, keep the entire script with small changes to single words, like Nixon into Trump, and get a piece that is every bit as relevant and recognizable.  I think that is the genius of the writing. 

I enjoyed it for the most part, but that doesn't mean I'm craving a whole slate of these types of programs.  Unfortunately, if this one is deemed successful, they will beat the entire idea into the ground.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Vixenstud said:

15 hours ago, msrachelj said:

but it's ok to say kike or hebe or whatever it was, and pollock? if it was going to be the original script, they should have stuck to it and had a  conversation at the end.

And Helen said honky!

Slurs exist on a shifting continuum, with the extremity of a particular slur changing over time. For many decades now, the N-word has been at the far end of that continuum. I never thought honky was very offensive, but I guess it depends also upon whether it is said jokingly and/or if it is received that way--as with all labels. And each individual or community can have a different arrangement of slurs on their own continuum; as a child, my dad was chased down the street with one of the above terms yelled at him in a derisive manner, so that term would be at the extreme for him.

[AntiBeeSpray]

6 hours ago, starri said:

I was surprised that I ended up really enjoying it.  I mean, as with many things in this vein, it's best described as "unnecessary but fun" but it WAS fun.  Jeffersons was definitely the stronger of the two, but Anthony Anderson, Marisa Tomei, and Wanda kept AITF from being a total disaster, even with Jaime Foxx seeming to completely miss the point of what they were trying to do.

I think the best moment was J-Hud singing.

The thing got phenomenal ratings, so I'm sure they're going to do it again.  Dare I hope for Golden Girls next time?

Disagree there. I didn't find AITF to be a disaster at all, seriously. I don't get why people think that it was. Seen far worse acting.

[Vixenstud]

4 hours ago, starri said:

Sally said something bitchy about Norman Lear being better served by being retired and traveling. 

You mean this?

Sally Struthers said she was stunned to hear about Wednesday's live performance of an "All in the Family" script on ABC.

"Why? What is the point? It's a classic," she said. "'All in the Family' came at a moment in time that somehow turned out to be the perfect moment to put something that quote-unquote radical on TV, and it was the perfect cast. We had the perfect writers."

You can't turn around 40 years later and remake it, she said. She agrees there's a lot of civil unrest that mirrors the stress and upset of the 1970s, when civil rights issues, the war on drugs, the counterculture and more were roiling society. 

"Nobody is going to be Carroll O'Connor," Struthers said. "Nobody but nobody is going to be another Jean Stapleton (who played Archie's wife, Edith). And I honestly don't see the point."

Her nephew suggested the networks might be interested in seeing how well the live show of "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" — with stars Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Ellie Kemper, Anthony Anderson, Sean Hayes, Jamie Foxx, Wanda Sykes, Justina Machado, Will Ferrell and Kerry Washington — score before rebooting the two series. 

"Norman Lear is in his 90s," Struthers said. "I think he should just have fun and travel, and stop trying to make another mark on TV. He's made enough marks."

[cpcathy]

I have to say I enjoyed for something fun and light. I don’t need to see more episodes of these particular shows, but live episodes of other sitcoms would be neat. 

I thought Woody was weak, and I think he is a great actor, but he was out of his element. No one can really match COC’s line readings, especially his expressions. So classic and funny. I’ve heard Woody do his Texas drawl too many times to want to listen to him do New York. That great comic timing was there in bits, though, thanks to Jimmy Burrows.

I’m going to disagree with most here that I loved Jamie Foxx. George Jefferson is such an outrageous character I thought Jamie made the right move with his portrayal. He gave us what we want to see, not a “realistic portrayal of George Jefferson, drycleaner.”

[AntiBeeSpray]

4 hours ago, Vixenstud said:

You mean this?

Sally Struthers said she was stunned to hear about Wednesday's live performance of an "All in the Family" script on ABC.

"Why? What is the point? It's a classic," she said. "'All in the Family' came at a moment in time that somehow turned out to be the perfect moment to put something that quote-unquote radical on TV, and it was the perfect cast. We had the perfect writers."

You can't turn around 40 years later and remake it, she said. She agrees there's a lot of civil unrest that mirrors the stress and upset of the 1970s, when civil rights issues, the war on drugs, the counterculture and more were roiling society. 

"Nobody is going to be Carroll O'Connor," Struthers said. "Nobody but nobody is going to be another Jean Stapleton (who played Archie's wife, Edith). And I honestly don't see the point."

Her nephew suggested the networks might be interested in seeing how well the live show of "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" — with stars Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Ellie Kemper, Anthony Anderson, Sean Hayes, Jamie Foxx, Wanda Sykes, Justina Machado, Will Ferrell and Kerry Washington — score before rebooting the two series. 

"Norman Lear is in his 90s," Struthers said. "I think he should just have fun and travel, and stop trying to make another mark on TV. He's made enough marks."

That sounds like a bit of sour grapes to me.

I felt similarly when I first heard about this special, but honestly, it wasn't bad, and if you prefer the older episodes, this set of them doesn't take anything away from it.

Didn't view this as a reboot. Just a nod to a pair of classics. Nothing more.

[starri]

I think that I didn't like about Woody and Jamie was that they seemed to be playing Carroll O'Conner and Sherman Hemsley, not Archie and George.

[Nordly Beaumont]

4 hours ago, Vixenstud said:

"Why? What is the point? It's a classic,"

Why does it have to have "a point" other than it's fun for the actors and the audience?

[nickp1991]

Jamie Foxx with every physical gesture and nuance of George Jefferson was beyond amazing!!!!!

[rmontro]

On 5/22/2019 at 8:51 PM, Nordly Beaumont said:

Times and fashions sure make a difference - Marissa Tomei is 54 and Woody Harrelson is 57. Jean Stapleton and Carrol O'Conner were 48 and 47 when they started on All in the Family.

Wow.  Goes to show what they mean when they say things like "50 is the new 40".  Stapleton and O'Conner were more in line with what we grew up thinking "old people" looked like.

2 hours ago, starri said:

I think that I didn't like about Woody and Jamie was that they seemed to be playing Carroll O'Conner and Sherman Hemsley, not Archie and George.

I noticed that, but it led me to think of Archie and George more as stage characters than I ever had before.  There are certain mannerisms that you expect them to have, and they put them in there.  They could have done a completely different take on the characters, and put more of their own spin on them, but I guess it was more important to them to play tribute to the original actors, and the choices they made.  

Besides, Marissa Tormei was channeling Jean Stapleton just as much.  Stage characters.

[Dobian]

It was good fun.  Some actors were better than others.  I thought Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes were terrific as the Jeffersons.  Jamie's flub and how he handled it was funny, I saw Woody Harrelson turn his back to the camera because he was laughing.  It reminded me of Harvey Korman and Tim Conway on the Carol Burnett Show.  Woody Harrelson was okay as Archie.  I didn't think he was the best casting choice, but he was adequate.  Marissa Tomei was great as Edith.  The guy who played Meathead just wasn't funny the way Rob Reiner was.  Ellie Kemper didn't even try to channel Gloria.  Gloria was opinionated but very sweet and had that high pitched warbly voice.  I also saw Ellie break into her Kimmy Schmidt laugh at one point.  And why no blonde wig?  Will Farrell as Tom was mostly stunt casting.  A much better choice for that part would have been Bob from Schitt's Creek.  The guy who played Harry was okay.  It was great remembering when Paul Benedict played the character, he was hilarious.  The guy who played Lionel was very reminiscent of Mike Evans.

I grew up watching these shows and actually remembered the episodes.  It was a fun nostalgia trip, and pretty cool to see how people's views and understanding back in the 1970s were pretty close to our own, and the writing especially of the All in the Family episode is just as relevant and relatable today.  And Norman Lear, 96 years old!  He looks great.

[shapeshifter]

On 5/23/2019 at 10:32 PM, opus said:

Some of you said you missed it? ABC is rerunning it this Saturday.

https://deadline.com/2019/05/all-in-family-jeffersons-repeat-norman-lear-jimmy-kimmel-1202621596/

And TitanTV is now listing it. 
Setting my ol' DVD recorder now.

[janie jones]

On 5/24/2019 at 6:23 AM, bunnyface said:

I really think you could put the whole cast in modern clothing, update the houses to look like they would today, keep the entire script with small changes to single words, like Nixon into Trump, and get a piece that is every bit as relevant and recognizable.  I think that is the genius of the writing.

I don't feel like the writers can take credit for any prescience regarding our society remaining stagnant in these areas for decades.

[kelslamu]

I thought Woody Harrelson did a pretty good job as Archie.  Tomei did okay as Edith.  While Foxx did get the mannerisms down, it was a bit over the top to me.  

[msrachelj]

18 hours ago, rmontro said:

Wow.  Goes to show what they mean when they say things like "50 is the new 40".  Stapleton and O'Conner were more in line with what we grew up thinking "old people" looked like.

I noticed that, but it led me to think of Archie and George more as stage characters than I ever had before.  There are certain mannerisms that you expect them to have, and they put them in there.  They could have done a completely different take on the characters, and put more of their own spin on them, but I guess it was more important to them to play tribute to the original actors, and the choices they made.  

Besides, Marissa Tormei was channeling Jean Stapleton just as much.  Stage characters.

i came here to say something similar. this was more of a (overacted, scene stealing) play than it was a redo of a tv show. i watched it but didn't like it. my god, it felt like a high school production. not a smooth professional television show. yes, it was live which may hav contributed to it. so maybe they shouldn't have done it that way. 

[shapeshifter]

32 minutes ago, msrachelj said:

i came here to say something similar. this was more of a (overacted, scene stealing) play than it was a redo of a tv show. i watched it but didn't like it. my god, it felt like a high school production. not a smooth professional television show. yes, it was live which may hav contributed to it. so maybe they shouldn't have done it that way. 

Or maybe they never rehearsed together?

[UYI]

Okay, so I wasn't able to watch on Wednesday night because I was out of town for two days, but it's about to be rerun on ABC again in less than ten minutes so I'm getting ready to finally see it! I made it a point to skip over these last two pages so I avoid getting spoiled on anything (well, okay, I know Marla Gibbs shows up--I'll take that spoiler, but that's it for now). 

SO excited! 😄 

ETA: So I finally watched it tonight. I'm kind of tired right now, but I DO have things to say about this. I'll try to have a bigger post on my thoughts in the next day or so. 

Edited May 26, 2019 by UYI

[Kromm]

On 5/24/2019 at 8:53 AM, starri said:

Sally said something bitchy about Norman Lear being better served by being retired and traveling. 

Sally Struthers can stuff it.  She revealed herself as an intolerable blowhard years ago and has done nothing since to change my opinion of her.

[Ohwell]

So I finally got to watch this last night.  It was bad--really bad--and shouldn't have been done.  That's all I've got.   

[Kromm]

21 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

So I finally got to watch this last night.  It was bad--really bad--and shouldn't have been done.  That's all I've got.   

Can you be more specific?  Did it seem too dated to you?  Badly acted? Politically offensive to your values? 

[dingochick]

Would have been nice to see a shorter man in role of George, I’m thinking Eric Laneuville specifically. 

[biakbiak]

I was listening to THR’s podcast TVs Top 5 and they had the head of ABC on and she said they would be doing it again probably more than once next tv season. She didn’t say what shows but it seems that Jimmy will be in charge of picking them and it won’t be limited to Norman Lear’s work. Things like The Golden Girls were some examples. 

 

1 hour ago, dingochick said:

Would have been nice to see a shorter man in role of George, I’m thinking Eric Laneuville specifically. 

He’s not a big enough name, is only 12 years younger than Sherman Hemsley and hasn’t regularly acted in years choosing to be behind the camera directing.

[Ohwell]

7 hours ago, Kromm said:

Can you be more specific?  Did it seem too dated to you?  Badly acted? Politically offensive to your values? 

I don't need to be more specific.  I'm only expressing an opinion that I just that I didn't like it.   

[SoMuchTV]

5 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I don't need to be more specific.  I'm only expressing an opinion that I just that I didn't like it.   

Fair enough. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But I also don't fault @Kromm for asking. Sometimes I'm ambivalent on something and I'm sincerely interested in why someone feels the way they do.