ABC has announced a special rebroadcast of its season finale, “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons,’” scheduled for Saturday, May 25, at 8 PM ET.
Following this, ABC will also re-air the Nightline documentary on the legendary creator Norman Lear, which originally followed the live revival of episodes from these iconic series.
Jimmy Kimmel’s labor of love not only captivated audiences but also secured a significant victory for ABC on the final night of the 2018-19 season. From 8-9:30 PM ET, the live, star-studded reboot of Lear’s sitcoms drew an impressive 10.36 million viewers and a 1.7 rating in the key demo, outperforming all other broadcast primetime shows. This marks a six-month high for ABC in the 90-minute Wednesday time slot, the previous peak being the CMA Awards in November. Excluding awards shows, this was ABC’s strongest performance since the start of the TV season.
The event, officially titled “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons,” featured a stellar cast including Woody Harrelson, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Foxx, and Wanda Sykes. Kimmel’s passion project saw its highest ratings in the first half hour, with a 7.6/14 rating, eventually tapering off to 5.9/10 by the broadcast’s end at 9:33 PM ET.
Highlights of the show included Jennifer Hudson’s powerful rendition of “Movin’ On Up,” the theme song from The Jeffersons, Marisa Tomei’s impeccable portrayal of Edith Bunker, and Marla Gibbs’ surprise appearance, reprising her role as Florence Johnston, George and Louise Jefferson’s maid.
“All in the Family” originally aired on CBS from 1971 to 1979, starring Carol O’Connor and Jean Stapleton as Archie and Edith Bunker. The show broke ground by addressing controversial topics such as women’s rights, racism, and homosexuality. Its success led to the creation of the spin-off “The Jeffersons,” which enjoyed a successful run on CBS from 1975 to 1985.