ABC will soon bring remakes of the classic sitcoms “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Facts Of Life” to screens with the third installment of its “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” franchise.
Jimmy Kimmel made the announcement Thursday on his late-night show, saying the “Diff’rent Strokes” update will feature John Lithgow as Mr. Drummond, Kevin Hart as Arnold, Damon Wayans as Willis, and Ann Dowd will play Mrs. Garrett. “The Facts of Life” cast will be announced later.
“Different Strokes” ran on NBC from 1978 to 1985, before making the switch to ABC from 1985, to 1986. The comedy starred Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis, two African-American boys from Harlem who were taken in by a rich, white Park Avenue businessman and widower named Phillip Drummond.
“The Facts of Life” was a spinoff centered around the Drummonds’ first housekeeper Mrs. Edna Garrett, who tought a group of girls at a boarding school how to address some of life’s most pressing issues. It aired on NBC from 1979 to 1988.
The live events will air at from 8-9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7. The one-night-only live event will reunite executive producers Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, Brent Miller, Kerry Washington, Will Ferrell, Justin Theroux and Jim Burrows
Previous installments have included “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times” and “All in the Family.”