Who better to comment on the live performance of “All In The Family” than Gloria herself?
It seems like every popular show from previous decades is either getting a reboot, a refresh, or a reunion. Call it what you want: Nostalgia or a cash grab. But it looks like plenty of networks are working hard to give shows of the past a new opportunity in the present.
This was the case for All in The Family Live, a live performance of an All In The Family script with new actors, presented on ABC in 2019. This wouldn’t be the last time ABC put on a live performance of a previous classic; The network also held a live performance of Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life in 2021. The live performance of All in The Family was shown in addition to a live performance of an episode from Good Times.
Sally Struthers, the original Gloria on All In The Family, was actually asked about the live performance of the television series she became known for during an interview with the Delaware News Journal. In response, she had a simple question: “Why? What is the point? It’s a classic.”
She continued, “All In The Family came at a moment in time that somehow turned out to be the perfect moment to put something that quote-unquote radical on TV, and it was the perfect cast. We had the perfect writers.”
True, at the time that All In The Family arrived on television, it was considered out of the ordinary, in terms of content and messaging. Today, however, some people may consider some All In The Family episodes to be tame viewing in comparison to other series on air.
Struthers also went on to say that even though the performance was meant to be a one-time thing, you could never beat the original cast of the series. She said, “Nobody is going to be Carroll O’Connor, nobody but nobody is going to be another Jean Stapleton. And I honestly don’t see the point.”
While fans were no doubt delighted to see their favorite show on television for one night, Struthers has a decent point: You just can’t beat the real thing.
