"All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" are being remade on Wednesday -- but will it be lame?

[Dan Druff]

I'm a big fan of a lot of 1970s TV. My favorite sitcom from the era -- and of all time -- is "All in the Family".

On Wednesday, May 22, Jimmy Kimmel will be presenting a 90-minute special, remaking both "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons".

https://abc.go.com/shows/jimmy-kimme...dnesday-may-22

Woody Harrelson will play Archie, Marisa Tomei will play Edith, Wanda Sykes will play Louise Jefferson, and Jamie Foxx will play George Jefferson.

Reportedly they're going to "remake two classic episodes" of the two shows.

It's not clear if modern actors are simply going to act out the exact scripts of these two shows from the '70s, or if we're going to see a greatly updated version of them.

If they do update the scripts, I have a feeling it's going to be a huge fail, and probably just a transparent attack on Republicans.

The Archie character is one which can easily be misunderstood, especially by people in modern times who either didn't see much of the original show, or don't remember it that well.

Archie was a lot more than an ignorant, bigoted Republican. He was a complex character who was mostly good and loyal to his family, yet didn't understand the world changing around him. It was revealed several times that Archie's bigoted views came from his abusive, racist father. It was also revealed that, due to the early death of his father, Archie had to drop out of high school to support his family, thus explaining his ignorance and lack of education.

At the same time, "educated" liberal Mike/Meathead was often shown to be hypocritical and sanctimonious. In one episode, he objected to being operated on by a female doctor. In another, he chided Archie in front of two black people that he "doesn't understand the problems faced by black people in the inner city", to which one of the black guys asked him, "And you do?" Mike then responded, "Well, I read it in a sociology textbook", and the black guys laughed heartily.

Don't get me wrong -- when it came to politics, the show almost exclusively attacked Republicans, and cast Archie as the ignorant voice of Republican politics. Norman Lear wasn't really being honest when he said that they "gave it to both sides equally".

However, I enjoyed the show because these attacks were more subtle, and the characters were complex enough to where Archie turned out to be lovable, and the liberal characters like Mike were shown to be flawed and often hypocritical.

Most shows trying to make a political point on TV today are embarrassingly one-note, and that note is always, "The left is good, the right is bad."

I'm fearing that any remake beyond the original scripts will fall into the trap of being afraid to say or do anything which could even slightly be taken as a criticism of the left.

I hope I'm wrong.

I'll be watching.

[Zap_the_Fractions_Giraffe]

i'm gonna be pretty fuckin T'd off if they show racism in a negative light

[Dan Druff]

I might actually break my TV if Archie is made into the representation of Trump's racist America.

[cleatus]

not even the slightest mention of 10:13 post in the other thread. weird.

[Dan Druff]

not even the slightest mention of 10:13 post in the other thread. weird.

Yes, you reminded me about this.

I meant to post about it last week but forgot.

[Tellafriend]

I'm a big fan of a lot of 1970s TV. My favorite sitcom from the era -- and of all time -- is "All in the Family".

On Wednesday, May 22, Jimmy Kimmel will be presenting a 90-minute special, remaking both "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons".

https://abc.go.com/shows/jimmy-kimme...dnesday-may-22

Woody Harrelson will play Archie, Marisa Tomei will play Edith, Wanda Sykes will play Louise Jefferson, and Jamie Foxx will play George Jefferson.

Reportedly they're going to "remake two classic episodes" of the two shows.

It's not clear if modern actors are simply going to act out the exact scripts of these two shows from the '70s, or if we're going to see a greatly updated version of them.

If they do update the scripts, I have a feeling it's going to be a huge fail, and probably just a transparent attack on Republicans.

The Archie character is one which can easily be misunderstood, especially by people in modern times who either didn't see much of the original show, or don't remember it that well.

Archie was a lot more than an ignorant, bigoted Republican. He was a complex character who was mostly good and loyal to his family, yet didn't understand the world changing around him. It was revealed several times that Archie's bigoted views came from his abusive, racist father. It was also revealed that, due to the early death of his father, Archie had to drop out of high school to support his family, thus explaining his ignorance and lack of education.

At the same time, "educated" liberal Mike/Meathead was often shown to be hypocritical and sanctimonious. In one episode, he objected to being operated on by a female doctor. In another, he chided Archie in front of two black people that he "doesn't understand the problems faced by black people in the inner city", to which one of the black guys asked him, "And you do?" Mike then responded, "Well, I read it in a sociology textbook", and the black guys laughed heartily.

Don't get me wrong -- when it came to politics, the show almost exclusively attacked Republicans, and cast Archie as the ignorant voice of Republican politics. Norman Lear wasn't really being honest when he said that they "gave it to both sides equally".

However, I enjoyed the show because these attacks were more subtle, and the characters were complex enough to where Archie turned out to be lovable, and the liberal characters like Mike were shown to be flawed and often hypocritical.

Most shows trying to make a political point on TV today are embarrassingly one-note, and that note is always, "The left is good, the right is bad."

I'm fearing that any remake beyond the original scripts will fall into the trap of being afraid to say or do anything which could even slightly be taken as a criticism of the left.

I hope I'm wrong.

I'll be watching.

I'm in. Those actors you name are all outstanding and should be able to do justice to the original cast and shows. Let us know when it airs!

[JoeD]

I don't know how or why you would think this will be anything other than an effort to make the repubs/conservatives look really bad.

No way this will come close to the Roseanne reboot (before they booted her from the show), which did a pretty decent job of needling the absurdities of all points of view.

[Dan Druff]

I'm in. Those actors you name are all outstanding and should be able to do justice to the original cast and shows. Let us know when it airs!

It's airing this Wednesday.

[TheXFactor]

Not a real re-make...they are just re-imagining them as a 90-minute gay musical.

Similar to what they did to Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz.

It's time to ruin "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" by turning them into a gay musical number.

I would be surprised if I don't see John Legend sing.

[big dick]

Archie and Edith simply can not be replaced.

top 3 best shows ever

[FRANKRIZZO]

One of the better episodes was when Sammie Davis jr visited and was given a twinkie. He gave archie a kiss on the cheek. Those where the days.

[lol wow]

Seriously how old are you people

[JimmyG_415]

It is amazing the people you stick up for.

I just saw an episode where he was making sure his neighbor didn't sell his house to Jews.
Its the episode where the Jeffersons move in. He said 'no Archie' and this was after he'd already closed escrow w/them.
Mrs Jefferson came over to get the key, and Archie thought she was the new neighbor's maid.
Not much to misunderstand there.

That said Rob Riener called Carroll O'Conner more liberal than him, and that is saying something.

The Archie character is one which can easily be misunderstood, especially by people in modern times who either didn't see much of the original show, or don't remember it that well.

[Dan Druff]

Marisa Tomei leaked on Instagram that they were remaking "Henry's Farewell", which aired in Season 4 in October 1973.

A post shared by on Jan 01, 2017 at 12:00pm PDT

 

https://instagram.com/p/Bxmi1V4hl62/

Strange episode for them to choose. It was actually one of the show's weaker ones. If you're going to do a one-off remake of a single episode, why not choose one of the classics?

Here was the original:




I hate to say it, but I think they probably chose this one because of the beginning where there's discussion of how Richard Nixon is acting like a "king" and that he's just in the White House to make money.

Sound like any accusations about a modern President we might know?

[JohnCommode]

I was never a Jeffersons fan except for the characters' appearances on All in the Family.

At that time in the early 70's, CBS had this two hour block of shows on Saturday nights that may have been the most popular group of shows in network tv history:

8:00 All in the Family

8:30 Mash

9:00 The Mary Tyler Moore Show

9:30 The Bob Newhart Show

Today, those shows would never be on a Saturday. Saturday audiences are considered to be too geriatric and downscale.

[Dan Druff]

The Archie character is one which can easily be misunderstood, especially by people in modern times who either didn't see much of the original show, or don't remember it that well.

[

It is amazing the people you stick up for.

I just saw an episode where he was making sure his neighbor didn't sell his house to Jews.
Its the episode where the Jeffersons move in. He said 'no Archie' and this was after he'd already closed escrow w/them.
Mrs Jefferson came over to get the key, and Archie thought she was the new neighbor's maid.
Not much to misunderstand there.

That said Rob Riener called Carroll O'Conner more liberal than him, and that is saying something.

I'm not really sticking up for a "person" here, since Archie Bunker is fictitious.

But don't take my word for it. Archie was called the "lovable bigot" in the 1970s, and the success of the show was largely attributed to the fact that Archie was a lovable, albeit ignorant character.

In some of the earlier seasons, Archie was a lot harsher and more directly racist. The episode you cited regarding not wanting Jewish or black neighbors is a good example. But we saw less and less of that as the series progressed.

The episode they're remaking, interestingly, is from Season 4, when Archie had already been somewhat toned down. However, for whatever reason, Archie was especially racist and offensive in this particular episode.

In fact, I just watched the whole thing again (it's been several years since I last saw this one), and it was honestly one of the worst episodes of the series run. Even the jokes mostly fell flat.

I have a feeling that they're choosing to remake this one because it translates well into Trump-bashing and implying that Archie is a typical Trump supporter (and thus is very racist).

I guess we will see later today, though it will interfere with radio so I'll have to record it and watch it later.

In later seasons, Archie was softened to the point of taking in a Puerto Rican roomer, hiring a black live-in maid (whom he treated with respect), and becoming a foster parent to a Jewish girl.

Also, you might recall that famous episode featuring Gregory Sierra, where the Bunker's house is vandalized with a swastika, as anti-Semites got the wrong address and believed Jews lived there. He was visited by the "Hebrew Defense League" (a reference to the JDL), a radical organization which fights anti-Semitic violence with their own violence in defense. Archie was shown to be very supportive of the HDL, though the episode had a depressing ending when the leader of the organization was murdered outside the Bunker's house with a car bomb.

Anyway, I guess we will see tonight whether this remake is a fail, or if it's done with respect for the original material.

Just because Lear is involved doesn't mean anything.

Look how much Michael Mann ruined Miami Vice with his 2006 movie.

[Daly]

Marisa Tomei leaked on Instagram that they were remaking "Henry's Farewell", which aired in Season 4 in October 1973.

A post shared by on Jan 01, 2017 at 12:00pm PDT

 

https://instagram.com/p/Bxmi1V4hl62/

Strange episode for them to choose. It was actually one of the show's weaker ones. If you're going to do a one-off remake of a single episode, why not choose one of the classics?

Here was the original:




I hate to say it, but I think they probably chose this one because of the beginning where there's discussion of how Richard Nixon is acting like a "king" and that he's just in the White House to make money.

Sound like any accusations about a modern President we might know?

And for this reason, I’m out.

[duped_samaritan]

Watching now. Garbage.

[LegalizeMeth]

I actually think its pretty funny. Lady is doing Edith much better than Woody is doing Archie IMO.

[Dan Druff]

I can't watch until after radio because I'm on the west coast, so I'm recording it.

Are they remaking the script for modern times?

Or is it set in the 70s?