I LOVED watching Carol Burnett as a kid! The format was wonderful. MANY classic clips were shown, and the cast members took questions from the audience. Costume designer Bob Mackie, show writers, dancers, and the cast members' kids were in the audience and were acknowledged. Carol Burnett ended the special with her classic "I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together" song, and everyone again came out and took a bow. It was done with class and style.
The "50th Anniversary Special", while nice to see some of the cast and the hilarious clips, to me didn't capture the magic of the 25th Anniversary Special. The thing that ruined the 50th Anniversary Special for me was the modern-day "special guests" that appeared on the show, which included Jim Carrey, Kristin Chenoweth, Kaley Cuoco, Beth Behrs (Two Broke Girls), Stephen Colbert, Harry Connick Jr., Bill Hader, Jay Leno, Jane Lynch, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Tracy Ellis Ross, and Martin Short. These "special guests" came across as shallow, sycophantic, fawning, and awkward (a "Tarzan Yell" contest that went awry)--too much time was dedicated to these guests "sucking up" or singing (poorly) to Carol Burnett...their portion seemed to lack sincerity and class. In fact, I was wondering what they were doing there at all.
If you want to capture the true magic and remembrance of the show, the 25th Anniversary Special is the one to watch!
