Archie Bunker is coming back to prime-time network TV and he might look a little different to viewers 鈥� even if what he says is exactly the same.

Woody Harrelson is stepping into the iconic role as part of a 90-minute ABC special celebrating writer, director and producer Norman Lear. It airs May 22.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be exciting as hell,鈥� said Lear. 鈥淎nother version of Archie Bunker is going to play Archie Bunker. A great, great talent is going to be Archie Bunker.鈥�

The live special will recreate one original episode from 鈥淎ll in the Family鈥� and another from 鈥淭he Jeffersons.鈥� It will be hosted by Lear and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who dreamed up the idea.

鈥淚t really is astonishing just how great these shows are. I say 鈥榓re鈥� and not 鈥榳ere鈥� because they are still great,鈥� Kimmel said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited that a new generation will get to see them, and be reminded of them, and then maybe take the time to go back and watch all the old ones.鈥�

Joining Harrelson, who will be playing Carroll O鈥機onnor鈥檚 old role in 鈥淎ll in the Family,鈥� will be Marisa Tomei playing Bunker鈥檚 long-suffering wife, Edith. Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes will play George and Louise Jefferson in 鈥淭he Jeffersons,鈥� in roles played originally by Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford. The special will also feature Ellie Kemper, Jamie Foxx, Will Ferrell, Justina Machado, Kerry Washington, Sean Hayes and Anthony Anderson.

READ MORE:

Lear鈥檚 two 1970s-era sitcoms are cut from the same topical cloth, tackling racism, feminism and the Vietnam War. Asked if they still hold up, Lear was clear. 鈥淚 think they work very well,鈥� he said. 鈥淔unny is funny.鈥�

Kimmel took inspiration from the recent move by networks to mount Broadway musicals and make them into live events, like 鈥淩ent,鈥� 鈥漈he Sound of Music鈥� and 鈥淕rease.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 not that interested in musicals. I love television shows. And I was just thinking about what gets ratings on TV nowadays,鈥� said Kimmel.

鈥淚t seems like live events are still pretty popular and still doing well. I was thinking about the old shows and I thought, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 we do one of these great old shows?鈥� I know people love 鈥楪rease鈥� but how many times do you need to see that?鈥�

Though producers won鈥檛 reveal which episodes of the sitcoms are being restaged, Kimmel promised having them live in front of a studio audience 鈥� and the world on TV 鈥� will give the shows a jolt of electricity.

He wants Americans to watch them the way they used to 鈥� together, at the same time. He鈥檚 not worried about any screw-ups, either, since that adds to the suspense.

鈥淲e may release a box of rats onto the set just to see what happens,鈥� he joked. 鈥淚 think it adds something to the production. You see it in the live musicals. They wouldn鈥檛 be nearly as interesting if they were on tape.鈥�

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press

Like us on and follow us on .