On Tuesday night, a big swath of the country will be tuned into the results of the New Hampshire primary to see how the field of 2020 Democratic presidential nominees continues to progress. One family that will be tuned in is the Conners, they of the eponymously named ABC show “The Conners.”
ABC has announced that it will air a live production of “The Conners” on Tuesday, Feb. 11, that will integrate details of the New Hampshire primary, including ABC News’ own coverage of the event, into the show.
This is not the first time a sitcom has been broadcast live, but the integration of an actual event into the show to emphasize that fact is unique. ABC gave a glimpse at how it might be done on Sunday, Feb. 9, when a promo for “The Conners” live episode aired during the Oscar telecast and featured cast members commenting on a recent winner from the award ceremony.
In an interview with NPR, Variety Senior Editor for Television Danielle Turchiano spoke how the show plans to unfold—the episode will have a general plot, with New Hampshire results serving as more of a background—and how this is a part of ABC’s overall network strategy to “eventize,” as ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke calls it, broadcast to encourage viewers to watch something live rather than on-demand.
Listen to or read a transcription of the full interview with Turchiano on NPR.
“The Conners” live episode will air on Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. ET.
