Posted in: ABC, Preview, Trailer, TV | Tagged: ABC, bachelor, big sky, black-ish, Diff’rent Strokes, facts of life, The Rookie

Big Sky, The Rookie & More: ABC's 80s Retro Ads Honor "Live" Broadcast

In just a few hours, Jimmy Kimmel & Norman Lear's Live in Front of a Studio Audience will be hitting our screens with an impressive line-up of stars who are going live to show their love for two classic sitcoms. "The Facts of Life" reenactment stars Jennifer Aniston as Blair, Gabrielle Union as Tootie, Allison Tolman as Natalie, Kathryn Hahn as Jo, Jon Stewart in a mystery role, and Ann Dowd as Mrs. Garrett. Dowd's Mrs. Garrett pulls double-duty tonight, also appearing in a reenactment of an episode of "Diff'rent Strokes," joining John Lithgow's Mr. Drummond, Kevin Hart's Arnold, and Damon Wayans's Willis for the performance. In honor of the special occasion, ABC and Hulu have put together a number of 80s-themed ads promoting some of the network's biggest shows- including Big Sky, The Rookie, Black-ish, Queens, The Bachelor, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and New Year's Rockin' Eve:

Here's a look at the rundown of the 80's-themed commercials that will be running in honor of tonight's "Live" broadcast:

Now here's a look back at the official cast announcement trailer that was released earlier this week, with ABC's Live in Front of a Studio Audience set to hit our screens tonight from 8:00-9:30 pm ET:

This edition of ABC's Live in Front of a Studio Audience will be produced by Kimmelot, ACT III Productions, Gary Sanchez Productions, D'Arconville, Simpson Street, and Sony Pictures Television. Lear, Kimmel, Brent Miller, Kerry Washington, Will Ferrell, Justin Theroux, and Jim Burrows will executive produce. Burrows and Andy Fisher are set to direct the live show. "Other than with my family, there's no place I'd rather be in my 100th year than on a soundstage at Sony with these glorious actors reliving what our company had produced all those years ago and sharing it with the millions of viewers who could use a little laughter," said Lear. Executive producer Washington added, "It has been an honor and highlight of my career to collaborate with the legendary Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, ABC, and Sony. Part of the magic of Norman's iconic TV series is that they resonate with audiences today just as much as they did decades ago. Reliving and reimagining them feels like pure joy. I keep wondering when this will start to feel like work!"

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