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CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION | ||
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Positive:
6
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews
May 23, 2019
Season 1 Review:
The acting wasn’t flawless and the rhythms of the 1970s comedy occasionally felt jarring on a 2019 stage. But the special was so overwhelmingly dedicated to the fun of the conceit and the enduring accuracy of the punchlines that any technical nitpicks I had quickly faded from memory. ... TV could frankly do a whole lot worse than gathering talented performers to tackle smart, topical comedy with such visceral joy that they’re practically vibrating off the screen. That the material remains so stubbornly timely is a bonus.
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May 23, 2019
Season 1 Review:
A loving, celebratory exercise in the art of situation comedy — a production by TV nerds for TV nerds. ... s Bunker, Harrelson delivered a solid Carroll O’Connor impression, though sometimes his accent veered into Queens-by-way-of-Hyannis-Port territory. Marisa Tomei was a sheer delight as Edith Bunker. ... The In Living Color vet brought an electric sketch-comedy energy to his performance. So what if it was more impression than interpretation? Foxx gave the people what they wanted.
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May 23, 2019
Season 1 Review:
It was effective as a televised stage play; as, yes, an admittedly nostalgia-riddled exercise in watching contemporary actors try to nail the mannerisms of old sitcom characters; and as a reminder that the same social issues addressed in these nearly 50-year-old comedies remain relevant today.
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May 23, 2019
Season 1 Review:
The special, directed by sitcom master James Burrows, astutely pulled back from the sets as the show headed to commercial to reveal the studio audience and convey the exciting – likely nerve-racking for cast and crew – live-event nature. The performances, both in front of and behind the camera, were almost seamless.
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May 23, 2019
Season 1 Review:
Of the two live episodes, "The Jeffersons" was easily the better, and also made the unexpected case that it was possibly the better series all along. Foxx nailed Sherman Hemsley's George, Wanda Sykes nailed Louise (originally played by Isabel Sanford), Jackée Harry nailed Diane Stockwell (Paulene Myers), Will Ferrell nailed Tom Willis (Franklin Cover) and Kerry Washington nailed Helen Willis (Roxie Roker).
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May 23, 2019
Season 1 Review:
Harrelson's work, and perhaps the entire All in the Family episode, peaked with a marvelously off-key rendition of the theme song. ... The pacing of the Jeffersons episode was far better than that of All in the Family, or maybe it's just that I appreciated how well Foxx and Sykes were working off each other. Throw in format legends like Jackée Harry and the great Marla Gibbs, and this became a multicam master class.
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May 23, 2019
Season 1 Review:
Fun but only partly successful exercise in nostalgia and cultural context. ... [Woody Harrelson] got the Bunker voice and mannerisms down okay, but lacked O’Connor’s subtler, seething presence. Tomei made a passable Edith, all sweetness and screech, more costume party than performance. ... The second-half “Jeffersons” staging seemed smoother and more enjoyable, thanks in no small part to Jennifer Hudson’s showstopping rendition of the theme song.
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May 23, 2019
Season 1 Review:
A lot of the actors (including three of the four leads) were working hard to evoke the original casts. Between that and the overly enthusiastic studio audience (who not only cheered the entrances of most of the actors, but sometimes cheered when they reappeared later), the whole thing was too karaoke. It was entertaining — Tomei’s delivery of the line about how George’s brother Henry (Anthony Anderson) would be happy to say goodbye to Archie made me laugh as hard as Stapleton’s version back in the day — but hollow.
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