Live in Front of a Studio Audience returns, but the casting seems........off

 The 3rd installment of Norman Lear & Jimmy Kimmel's Live in Front of a Studio Audience specials drops on ABC & Hulu next month, this time featuring a pair of series Lear produced for NBC.

That, of course, would be Diff'rent Strokes and its spin-off, The Facts of Life. However, some of the casting this time leaves something to be desired.

You tell me what's wrong with this picture.

Emmy winner John Lithgow, last seen impersonating Rudy Goofiani on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, is a perfect choice to play millionaire Phillip Drummond, originally played by the late Conrad Bain. However, right in the center, you have Kevin Hart, who's been BUSY, as Arnold?!? Damon Wayans (we presume Damon, Jr.) as Willis?

As Arnold famously would ask, whatchoo talkin' bout, Mr. Lear? Ann Dowd (The Handmaid's Tale) rounds out the four leads as Edna Garrett, who, of course, would move on to Facts. The younger Wayans was last heard from hosting the game show Frogger for Peacock, and his pop is waaaaaaaaaaaaay too old to be playing Willis.

Now, if they could snag Todd Bridges, the only remaining original cast member, for a cameo.....!

Just to give you an idea of how far-fetched casting Hart & Wayans is, we give you the intro to season 1 of Strokes:

As for Facts, with Dowd already in place, who'd fill out the student body? Most of the cast is still around. Molly Ringwald, who only lasted a year or two, last appeared on Riverdale, for example. Mindy Cohn resurrected her career doing cartoons, particularly the Scooby-Doo franchise, for more than a decade.

Here's the 1st season intro, with the theme performed by Gloria Loring and Charlotte Rae:

You can see they got the pruning shears out after the first season, cutting the extra adults. I think they want to surprise people with the new Facts, but could probably bring some of the ladies over from Riverdale (i.e. Lili Reinhart, Camille Mendes), unless they're looking for unknowns (likely).

I'm just thinking casting Hart & Wayans means a parody of Strokes instead of a homage, something they did not do with the first two Studio Audience entries.

Think of the day it airs. December 7. Pearl Harbor Day. You've been warned.