The ABC special “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” handily walked away with Wednesday night in the overnight ratings.
“Live in Front of a Studio Audience” pulled in a 1.7 rating in adults 18-49 and 10.4 million viewers. For comparison, its closest competition in the demo were the season finales of “Chicago Med” and “Chicago Fire,” which each drew a 1.1 rating. Its closest competition in total viewers was also “Med” and “Fire,” which each drew around 7.4 million viewers.
The special saw celebrities like Woody Harrelson, Anthony Anderson, Kerry Washington, and Marisa Tomei reenacting classic episodes of “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons.”
In her review for Variety, Caroline Framke wrote, “[The] special was so overwhelmingly dedicated to the fun of the conceit and the enduring accuracy of the punchlines that any technical nitpicks I had quickly faded from memory. By the time Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson was shimmying across the ‘Jeffersons’ set belting ‘Movin’ On Up,’ it became frankly impossible to begrudge the spectacle of it all.”
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The half-hour special “All About ‘All in the Family’ & ‘The Jeffersons’ that aired immediately after drew a 1.4 and 7.9 million viewers. The series finale of “Whiskey Cavalier” drew a 0.7 and 3.8 million viewers.
ABC won the night overall with a 1.3 rating average and 7.8 million viewers.