'Diff'rent Strokes,' 'Facts of Life' specials heading to ABC

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- ABC will be presenting a new installment of Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear's Live in Front of a Studio Audience that will offer reenactments of classic shows Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life.

Kevin Hart will portray Arnold with Damon Wayans as his older brother Willis in the special, which will air Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. EST.

John Lithgow will portray Mr. Drummond with Ann Dowd as Mrs. Garrett. The cast for The Facts of Life will be announced at a later date.

Diff'rent Strokes ran for eight seasons from 1978 to 1986. The Facts of Life, a spinoff of Diff'rent Strokes, ran for nine seasons from 1979 to 1988.

Live in Front of a Studio Audience has previously offered reenactments of All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Good Times.

Kimmel, Lear, Brent Miller, Kerry Washington, Will Ferrell, Justin Theroux and Jim Burrows are returning to executive produce.

"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," Lear said in a statement.

The new installment of Live in Front of a Studio Audience will be followed by the premiere of new workplace comedy Abbott Elementary.