Thanks to The Leftovers and Handmaid’s Tale, we think of Dowd primarily for her stern, authoritative dramatic brilliance, but she shuffled right into the warmth and high-piled hair that made Charlotte Rae so beloved. There were exceptions, starting with Ann Dowd, who provided the heart and soul of both shows as Edna Garrett. For Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes, the onus was on the two casts - and instead of strategizing to pair actors and roles in intended harmony, this was mostly “Wouldn’t it be funny if…” stunt-casting. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when it comes to heavy lifting, a script from All in the Family can be counted on to do at least half of the work. Norman Lear made great shows that changed the medium forever and then he made shows through his production banner that were mostly intended to, God forbid, be successful. ![]() But in these two episodes of resurrected TV, I’m not sure there was a clever line of dialogue or bold concept. And were I to be understanding, I’d say that Tuesday’s Diff’rent Strokes episode - 1979’s “Willis’ Privacy” - was chosen because it was a generic example of the series in “funny” mode, since attempting to do one of its very special episodes would have bordered on disaster. Were I to be generous, I’d say that Tuesday’s Facts of Life episode - 1982’s “Kids Can Be Cruel” - had an anti-bullying message that, while rather quaint when you replace social media viciousness with slam books, still works. They weren’t necessarily the “best” episodes of any of those shows, but you could see why the material was selected. Going back to those first Live installments, you could see the care that was taken to find episodes that were both representative and made points that could strike a chord with modern viewers as well. They’re timeless because they’re broad and they allowed generations of viewers to simultaneously grow up with their characters and their stars. I don’t mean to say that The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes are bad, but their timelessness doesn’t come from prescience or any particular excellence. For this year’s pair of restaged favorites, Kimmel selected Diff’rent Strokes and its spinoff The Facts of Life, two sitcoms that were central in my childhood but in that way better left in the haze of nostalgia than experienced with jaded eyes. ![]() ![]() There’s no better way to honor Norman Lear than to make it clear that not only is he the sharpest, most charmingly foul-mouthed nonagenarian on Earth, but he was a creator possessed of a genius that transcended its era of origin.Īfter two years away, Live in Front of a Studio Audience returned on Tuesday (Dec. Neither installment was perfect, but they worked because of a common thread, namely that All in the Family and its various spinoffs were shows that were decades ahead of their time, boasting sharp punchline writing and topicality that could find a home on a broadcast network today.
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