Kevin Hart and Damon Wayans are starring in a live event that’s sure to bring on the nostalgia. According to Deadline, the longtime comedians will be featured in a new installment of ABC’s Live in Front of a Studio Audience series, where they’ll play famous characters from Diff’rent Strokes and recreate a previous episode from the beloved sitcom.
Wayans will reportedly take on Todd Bridge’s character Willis Jackson, while Hart will act as the late Gary Coleman’s Arnold Jackson. Also featured in the special is John Lithgow, who will portray Mr. Drummond, and The Handmaid’s Tale’s Ann Dowd as Mrs. Garrett.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Live in Front of a Studio Audience special was first brought to the small screen in 2019, with actors Viola Davis, Woody Harrelson, Jamie Foxx and more recreating episodes from the iconic sitcoms All In The Family and The Jeffersons.
Norman Lear, who served as a producer on the original series, told Deadline about the exciting opportunity to bring the shows to new viewers, “Other than with my family, there’s no place I’d rather be in my 100th year than on a soundstage at Sony with these glorious actors reliving what our company had produced all those years ago and sharing it with the millions of viewers who could use a little laughter.”
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Live in Front of a Studio Audience is reportedly also produced by Lear, Will Ferrell, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Kimmel and other notable Hollywood figures. According to Deadline, the 90-minute event will also include a reimagined episode from The Facts of Life, a 1980 spinoff series of Diff’rent Strokes, though the cast has yet to be announced.
Fans can catch the live Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life special this holiday season on December 7.
