Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes' (2021 TV Special) User Reviews

Live In Front Of A Studio Audience And Then Some...

[deedee_2000-985-341635 · 7/10 · 8 December 2021]

What a blast from the past! I loved The Facts of Life and was eager to see how this remake would pan out. Seeing Lisa Whelchel looking ageless was a thrill, Kim Fields was darling and Mindy Cohn was sassy as ever. If only Nancy McKeon would end her Facts of Life boycott and give her fans what they want!

Onto the new cast, Ann Dowd as the new Mrs. Garrett. Was a good fit. It really surprised me how well she slipped into the character. Katherine Hahn as Jo, was true to the spirit of the character also. Gabrielle Union made for a good Tootie, but. Allison Tolman was a standout as Natalie. Tolman nearly stole the show from the other actors which was a wonderful surprise. Unfortunately, Jennifer Aniston was a horrible disappointment as Blair. Blair's character needs a certain charisma for the role to really shine and Aniston, sadly just didn't have what was needed. And i must say Jon Stewart as Rocky Price was a hoot.

Onto Different Strokes. Kevin Hart as Arnold was an inspired choice, he embodied the essence of the late Gary Coleman. Damon Wayans made a great Willis, he truly captured the laid back style of Todd Bridges. And even though i doubt the casting choice, John Lithgow made a genius Mr. Drummond, i could almost see Conrad Bain in certain moments when Lithgow spoke. A wonderful flashback to a treasured sitcom.

I can't wait to see what LIVE does next!!

Memories!

[isiscloud-1 · 9/10 · 8 December 2021]

I loved these. We're some parts better than others, sure, overall, I loved it!

I also loved the classic ads for real products...three's Company for the Bachelor, Oscar Mayer with a nod to Calvin Klein jeans. Alfonso Ribiero @ Maya Rudolph nailed them!

Facts of Life: They could have picked a better episode but enjoyed it with the guys (Will Arnett, Jason Bateman & Jon Stewart). Kathryn Hahn was great as Jo. I've been watching Crossing Jordan and she's so"good" and seeing her play scowling Jo was fun. I feel like Jennifer Aniston should have had a better wig and that would have helped - as well as having a bigger attitude. Nice "I'll be there for you" thrown in for good measure at the end.

Diff'rent Strokes; This felt nearly 100% like the show. Nice dynamic among everyone! So sad that Todd Bridges was there by himself. Also, loved The final comment about "Vernon" smelling like weed.

Congratulations to Norman Lear!

So much fun!

[mverellen · 9/10 · 10 December 2021]

I wish they would do this over and over again! Ann Dowd was amazing but everyone was so great! John Lithgow and Kevin Hart were hilarious! Let's do a Golden Girls episode or Mamas Family next!

Fun and light entertainment

[dresmiles · 10/10 · 9 December 2021]

I enjoyed this special and not sure why people are so caught up in the actors and ages and nailing the original character. This is just good old fashioned entertainment with familiar faces. It was fun to watch and I was not ready for those hilarious remakes of classic commercials *with a twist* LOL.

For old and young

[sandielmoore · 9/10 · 23 December 2021]

For folks that watched these shows and remember these characters, it's entertaining to watch these current and relevant actors playing the parts. For the younger folks that know these actors but have no context to the original show, funny! Spot on!!!... Greta job.

Hilarious!

[ericapolitica · 10/10 · 10 December 2021]

First, if like to apologize to my neighbors whom I'm sure we woke up while laughing as we watched this at 10p on Hulu. Second, this was amazingly funny. The adult child actors all did a great job and it was good to see some of the original actors, though things got briefly awkward when one actress mentions her current project and Jimmy Kimmel cut her off by rambling about cereal (sorry but this wasn't the time or the place to promote other projects). But wow, this was awesome!

Fun Nostalgia

[SampsonBlack · 10/10 · 18 December 2021]

I didn't take this as serious TV, nor should anyone. It was fun. The actors did a terrific job, and it was great entertainment. I can only speak for my house: we laughed from start to finish.

The best part was the opening with Lisa Whelchel. I think Different Strokes was done better. Loved seeing the original cast members. Ann Dowd nailed Mrs. Garrett.

[reb-warrior · 6/10 · 8 December 2021]

Having just finished a Facts of Life rewatch plus one Different Strokes episode, I was looking forward to seeing this.

How much did I enjoy seeing Lisa Whelchel come out in Blair's Eastland uniform and sing The Facts of Life theme? That was the best. Especially after rewatching The Facts of Life, and Blair becoming my favorite. She looks exactly the same. Lol. Loved seeing Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields. I enjoyed hearing their brief thoughts on the episode. Too bad Nancy Mckeon couldn't be there. Would have loved to see her.

Unfortunately, the episode wasn't that great. They picked season three's episode 20: 'Kids Can Be Cruel.' The actors weren't very good in the roles they played, except for Ann Dowd who nailed Mrs. Garrett. I had thought Jennifer Aniston would be great as Blair, but she played her dour. Blair wasn't dour. There were no signature hair tosses that Blair always did. They didn't have her signature line, "I just had a brilliant idea." Of course, the line may not have been in the original script. But I mean, if they worked it in that would have been fine, especially as a nod to fans. Kathryn Hahn as Jo wasn't very good. I thought she was ott: being loud too much, too much scowling, and body language ott. The actress who played Natalie was decent. The actress playing Tootie didn't seem to have much to do. Too bad they couldn't work in Tootie's signature line "there's gonna be trouble." The other actors playing the male characters played them more like a parody, which this wasn't supposed to be. It was supposed to be a tribute. It was like they thought it was a joke to be there.

I thought Different Strokes was done better as an episode. How touching was it to see Todd Bridges, the last surviving member of the show, making the introductions? I always thought he was wonderful as Willis. They did manage to get in Arnold's signature line "what chu talkin' bout Willis." I really appreciated that. I laughed so much seeing John Lithgow carrying Kevin Hart as Arnold or having him sit in his lap. I actually think the actors did a much better job here than in The Facts of Life. The Boyz II Men singers singing the theme were great.

The actors ALL looked too old. So they looked ridiculous, no matter how hard I tried to suspend my disbelief. Ann Dowd did her homework as did the Different Strokes actors. Now it was live, and they only had a week to get ready for this, so I'm taking these things into account. I really should give it a five, but the opening alone had me so happy with Lisa Whelchel, plus seeing the original cast from both shows. I know the actors who played the parts are good actors, but for The Facts of Life, they just didn't capture the spirit of the show or the characters. But I give them a point for really trying. Plus I thought they did a good job with Different Strokes. 6/10.

An hour down memory lane

[cokely · 10/10 · 10 December 2021]

Great remakes of timeless episodes. I enjoyed the all star cast Kevin, Jason, Snoop, Jennifer, Gabby, Ann, Allison, Kathy, Damon amd John. Next year, I would love to see Sanford & Son and What's Happening. Awesome job!!

Nice attempt!

[cockezville · 7/10 · 8 December 2021]

I thought it was a fun idea to use adults as the actors, but some of them failed. The girls on the Facts of Life , especially Kathryn Hahn and Jennifer Anniston did not carry of off. Anniston was bland and Hahn just missed Jo's . Ann Dowd was amazing.

I thought Kevin Hart was great. You could believe he was an 8 year old. And the scene on John Lithgow's lap was actually touching. I think The Facts of Life fared better. Who knees Will Arnett would look so good in shorts?

But really the whole thing felt like a 60's skit at a church fun event with amateur actors and a pot luck dinner.

Great nostalgia

[hhall8346 · 10/10 · 9 December 2021]

Great fun and loved the casting choices! Ms. Garrett was reincarnated for the evening through Ann Dowd and loved the cameo of the remaining cast from the original cast of Facts of Life and Different Strokes.

The Strokes Of Life

[atlasmb · 6/10 · 8 December 2021]

This second "Live" performance of two sitcoms from the seventies is best evaluated as a nostalgic look back. "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes" ran almost concurrently in their day. Neither can be regarded as the apex of situation comedy, but they were successful.

"Diff'rent Strokes" never was a very good show. Its boring format featured few characters and all of them, except Arnold (Gary Coleman), were tedious. That said, the live remake made the most of its episode, primarily by strong casting. Kevin Hart's Arnold was full of energy and he played up the physical comedy, as when he struggled to dismount from the top bunk bed. Heaven knows John Lithgow could have grabbed plenty of laughs by ignoring the dna of his character, Mr. Drummond, but he sportingly played it safe, giving the role only as much energy as Conrad Bain ever did, which is to say, not much.

"The Facts of Life" was the more enjoyable remake. Ann Dowd channeled Mrs. Garrett brilliantly, anchoring the episode. But it was Allison Tolman (as Natalie) who most embodied her character, bringing the warmth of fond remembrance to the viewer. The episode they reenacted was actually fairly good---a story about how thoughtlessness can affect others.

The Dick Clark Award for Defying Time goes to Lisa Whelchel, who could have stepped into her role as the original teenaged Blair like she had found a portal through time. It would have been bold stunt casting to let her reprise her own role, but it would have been so worth it.

Missed Jo

[etwagner-48179 · 4/10 · 8 December 2021]

While I did miss Nancy returning with her former cast mates, what I mean is I missed Jo.. the character. I usually enjoy Hahn's roles and characters but my God did she miss play Jo. It was overacted with weird random movements and oddly loud. It was not a fit unfortunately. Nancy was to smooth at slipping her insults in as Jo, Hahn seemed to playing a starving, angry orphan child or something. It was not Jo and It was disappointing to say the least. At least Lisa was there and looked almost exactly the same. I did Appreciate them using actors who would have been around to enjoy those shoes when they were young however the characters are best left to their original actors. The sets were on point though 👌🏻

This took me back

[and_shove_it_up_your_butt · 7/10 · 9 December 2021]

I LOVED this episode of the "Live" series and I hope they come back and give us Maude and Sanford and Sons.

Can I just say how amazing Norman Lear looks and how incredibly funny and brilliant he is?

Thoughts on FOL: I swear I was watching Mrs. Garrett on the screen. Ann Dowd had her mannerisms down to a science. Jennifer Aniston was the only person that didn't flow well with the show for me but instead was a distraction. Gabriel Union and the iconic Tootie hairstyle was everything. Jason Bateman, John Steward and Will were perfectly cast and hilarious to watch. Allison was great at playing Natalie and Kathryn was the perfect Joe. Wow!! The only person that killed it for me was Jennifer. She didn't fit the role well as Blair IMO and instead took away from the flow. She literally played "Rachel" from Friends.

Thoughts on DS: I loved everything about this one except that Kimberly wasn't there. John Lithgow is always such a pleasure to watch. He is such a versatile actor. You could tell that everyone really got into their characters and seeing John and Kevin interact was really sweet, lol. And Kevin really did embody Gary Coleman which made it that much more enjoyable and funny. I'd watch another episode of this if they ever decided to do it again. Bring back Dudley next time.

One good one bad

[ravenlunatyk-77480 · 6/10 · 11 December 2021]

I agree with most of the user reviews . Lisa whelchel looks amazing, Jennifer Anniston was a bad choice and was terrible. Ann Dowd started off flat but picked up momentum as it went on. Could have been nerves on both actresses parts. Allison ok. Kathryn Hahn was terrible. Clearly she tried but missed Jo's accent which could have helped the part not be such a failure but the overacting and exaggerated movements were a terrible choice. The deep voices of Anniston and Union didn't fit. Overall a 3 for that segment. Kevin Hart on the other hand was hilarious and amazing. He couldn't have been more perfect. I laughed so many times. He must've watched the episode several times to pick up the mannerisms and executed perfectly. Where Hahn failed Hart nailed. I loved the choice of Snoop Dog and the joke at the end "why does Vernon always smell like weed?" Hart alone saved the night and made this worth watching. This I rate an 8/10.

That was hard to watch

[Thecritix · 1/10 · 8 December 2021]

Anyone notice how much younger Lisa Welchel looked then Aniston?(looks like aveeno is not working) Tootie sounded like she smoked a carton of cigarettes. Ann Dowd nailed it and presented herself as the only actress on stage.

Diff'rent strokes was done better. Wayans, Hart and Lithgow did a much better job 8/10 for that segment. I can't believe I made it to the second segment, the first was so cringing.

What the fudge

[single_in_in · 2/10 · 9 December 2021]

Old as dirt actress playing the girls on facts of life ... could have used the original Blair if you was going to do this.

This was awful like awful the only o.e even halfway decent was the chunky girl.