ABC’s Live in Front of a Studio Audience is bringing back some of its star-studded cast from May for this December’s event. One week before the premiere of the second installment in the new ABC live event, the network announced Woody Harrelson, Marissa Tomei, Ellie Kemper and Ike Barinholtz will reprise their roles in the All in the Family episode that will be brought to the live stage on Dec. 18.
Harrelson played Archie, Tomei played Edith, Kemper played Gloria and Barinholtz played Meathead in the first installment of the event that aired in May. The four stars’ return was expected, though the network had to reach a deal with the actors to get back on the stage of the Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear-produced special
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The Hollywood Reporter also revealed the cast members will be joined by Kevin Bacon, Jesse Eisenberg and Justina Machado in the new special.
The new installment of Live in Front of a Studio Audience will pair an episode of All in the Family with Good Times. The first special paired the sitcom with an episode of The Jeffersons. The specifics episode for the December edition are being kept under wraps, as well as the details of Bacon, Eisenberg and Machado’s roles.
Machado was previously set to take on the role of Florence Johnson in the Jeffersons episode in May, but was replaced when original series star Marla Gibbs reprised the role in a surprise appearance.
The cast of the Good Times portion of the special will be announced at a later date.
Kimmel and Lear returned as executive producer (and are also expected to once again host) the event, as well as Brent Miller, Kerry Washington, Will Ferrell, Justin Theroux and Jim Burrows. Pam Fryman and Andy Fisher will direct the show.
News that the live event would come in December were announced last month, just a few months since ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said the network was interested in holding the event many times in the future following its ratings success.
“It is something that we looked at as a franchise if it worked, and we didn’t know if it would work,” she told Deadline in June. “We didn’t know if people would still care and it was nice they did. With something like that we would look to return it, not on a weekly basis, I think these things are tentpoles around which we can build sustaining weekly scripted programming, to use as a big circulation play.”
The 90-minute special aired on May 22 and drew 10.36 million total viewers, along with a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and Good Times will air Wednesday Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
