LIVE IN FRONT OF A STUDIO AUDIENCE: NORMAN LEAR'S 'ALL IN THE FAMILY' AND 'THE JEFFERSONS' - ABC's late-night host Jimmy Kimmel presents a live, 90-minute prime-time event in tribute to classic television sitcoms. "Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons'" teams Kimmel with television icon Norman Lear and executive producers Brent Miller, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Justin Theroux. This special, airing live WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 (8:00-9:33 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network, will take viewers down memory lane, recreating an original episode from each of the Emmy¨ Award-winning series "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons." This legendary night of television will be hosted by Lear and Kimmel, and directed by 10-time Emmy winner James Burrows. (ABC/Eric McCandless) WOODY HARRELSON, MARISA TOMEI

Best-bets for Dec.18: Two winners, two Bunkers

1) “All in the Family” and “Good Times,” 8-9:32 p.m., ABC. Here’s an idea worth repeating (often). Take original scripts from Norman Lear comedies; with Lear, 97, co-hosting, perform them live. That was a big success in May; now it’s back, again with Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei (shown here) as the Bunkers, plus Ellie Kemper and Ike Barinholtz. This time, the second show switches from “Jeffersons” to “Good Times”; Andre Braugher and Viola Davis star, with Tiffany Haddish and Corinne Fox. Read more…

1) “All in the Family” and “Good Times,” 8-9:32 p.m., ABC. Here’s an idea worth repeating (often). Take original scripts from Norman Lear comedies; with Lear, 97, co-hosting, perform them live. That was a big success in May; now it’s back, again with Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei (shown here) as the Bunkers, plus Ellie Kemper and Ike Barinholtz. This time, the second show switches from “Jeffersons” to “Good Times”; Andre Braugher and Viola Davis star, with Tiffany Haddish and Corinne Fox.

2) “The Masked Singer” finale, 9 p.m., Fox, with recap at 8. There are three people left, under the masks of Flamingo, Fox and Rottweiler; chances are, they’re top talents. Recently ousted were gifted singers – Seal finished fourth, Michelle Williams (from Destiny’s Child) seventh and Patti LaBelle eighth. Still, there are surprises: Finishing fifth was Victor Oladipo. Prior to an injury, he had six pro basketball seasons, played in an all-star game, averaged 17.5 points a game and led the league in steals.

3) “Survivor” finale, 8-10 p.m., CBS; reunion at 10. It’s the final five (not six), due to a late move. Dan Spiro – who had been accused of improper behavior with the women – was ejected. That leaves two men – Tommy Sheehan, 26, a 4th-grade teacher in New York, and Dean Kowalski, 29, a tech salesman in New York City – and three women. Lauren Beck, 30, is a nanny in California; Noura Salman, 37, is an entrepreneur in New York; and Janet Carbin, 60, is a chief lifeguard in Florida.

4) “Adventureland” (2009), 9 p.m., Starz. Let’s think of this as Jesse Eisenberg’s night. First, he has a guest role in ABC’s “All in the Family” episode. (So do Justina Muchado, who stars in Norman Lear’s “One Day at a Time” reboot, and Kevin Bacon.) Then switch to this low-key movie about co-workers at a rundown Pittsburgh amusement park. It’s a fairly good story, boosted immensely by the charm of its stars – Kristen Stewart (before she discovered vampires) and Eisenberg.

5) “Ellen’s Greatest Night of Giveaways,” 8-11 p.m., NBC. If you missed these specials, don’t fret: All three nights rerun together. Aided by stars – Michelle Obama, Jennifer Aniston, etc. — Ellen DeGeneres gives things to worthy souls.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *