All Rights Reserved. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. WebThe Jeffersons: Created by Norman Lear, Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, Bernard West. It's rare for a television comedy to lead cultural change like this, and it puts The Jeffersons into historical perspective. In the spring of 1981, Paul Benedict left the show for a season and a half, returning in the final two seasons of the series. Weezy is initially reluctant to hire a housekeeper in the first episode in part because she's had that experience herself. Another interesting connection of the sitcom universe is that Mike Evans (who played Lionel Jefferson on All in the FamilyandThe Jeffersons) createdGood Timeswith Eric Monte. To make matters worse, when the show finally debuted on CBS, it was largely ignored by the public. The Jeffersons is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. In some ways, 1975 doesn't seem so long agobut it was truly a different time in more ways than one. But we dont have those fights on704 Hauser. Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. ", "The Jeffersons 'The Complete 8th Season' Getting a DVD Release this Summer", "Isabel Sanford, Emmy-Winning Actress Who Created "Weezie" Jefferson on TV and Stage, Dead at 86", "See the star-studded 'All in the Family/The Jeffersons' live cast get into character", The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons, The 200th Episode Celebration of All in the Family, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Jeffersons&oldid=1141363779, Television series by Sony Pictures Television, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2022, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles needing additional references from January 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Ebonie Smith as Jessica Jefferson (season 11), Moriarty, Jay (2020). NEXT:Younger & 9 Other Shows Or Movies That Couldn't Have Existed Before Social Media, All In The Family And Its 7 Spin-offs, In Chronological Order, shows and movies turn 50 years old in 2021, 10 Sitcom Characters With Supernatural Abilities, Ranked By Power, Mike is usually portrayed as being liberal. Sitcom following a successful African-American couple, George and Louise Weezy Jefferson as they move on up from working-class Queens to a ritzy Manhattan apartment. WebChecking In is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of The Jeffersons that aired for four episodes on CBS from April 9 to April 30, 1981. He also used it in a blackmail manner, usually requiring George to pay more in order to keep his mouth shut about something such as a stock tip. Florence is caught between Lyle and Elena when they have an argument, but she won't take anyone's side. Gloria and Mike are no longer together, so Gloria and her son, Joey, leave California and go home to New York. Arthur was the only actor seen for the entire half-hour. Ned Wertimer played their tip-hungry doorman, Ralph Hart, throughout the series. So when shows like Norman Lear's Good Times hit the airwaves in the early 1970s, it was seen as huge progress. With Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover. There was one episode that was actually sort of scary, involving a flute-playing ghost that haunted one of the rooms in the old hotel. WebFor her full interview, see http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/isabel-sanford DuBois wanted to do more than just act, and when she approached Lear about branching out he suggested she write the theme song for his new show. All in the Familyis famous for its prejudiced patriarch, Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor). 1. [18] However, the roles were all recast, with Berlinda Tolbert taking over the role of Jenny, veteran actor Franklin Cover playing her father, Tom Willis, whose first name was changed from Louis, as it was in their first All in the Family appearance, and Roxie Roker as her mother, Helen. [21], It returned to the Top 10 in 197980, and at the end of the 198182 season, The Jeffersons finished third overall, only surpassed by fellow CBS series Dallas and 60 Minutes. [44] Season 8 was released on August 11, 2015. Arthur was the only actor seen for the entire half-hour. Dont miss on getTV:Lear got the name Cumberbatch from an early episode of ofAll In The FamilycalledWriting The President(January 19, 1971). 1. WebFor her full interview, see http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/isabel-sanford As noted by BET, The Jeffersons was a consistently high-rated showonly the second sitcom with a majority Black cast to land in the Top Five of the Nielsen Ratings, in fact. Making George a little ridiculous softened the blow, because it made it clear that no matter how successful he and his family might be, they would always be second-class. Gibbs then returned to The Jeffersons.. Web3. The sitcom was about the black family who had lived next door to the Bunkers, but Good Times was partly responsible. But whatHappy Daysdidnt have were spin-offs of spin-offs. The Jeffersons (19751984 253 episodes plus pilot on All In The Family) Unlike Arthur and Rolle, who were spun-off quickly, the Jeffersons were on All In The Family for five seasons before they got their own show. In a reversal ofAll in the Family, Ernie is liberal while his son is quite conservative. As reported by New Ravel, network executives weren't happy about taking things that far, and pressured the producers to remove the scene. 3). Over the course of its 11-year run, the series was almost always one of the most-watched on television. Although Archie and George (Sherman Hemsley) argue a lot, Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford) is a dear friend to Edith Bunker, and it's hard for the two to say goodbye when the Jeffersons move away. Marla Gibbs remains best-known to many people as the sarcastic housekeeper, Florence, on The Jeffersons. In his autobiography, Lear wrote that three members of the Black Panther Party came to his office at CBS, complaining about Good Times: Every time you see a Black man on the tube, he is dirt poor, wears shit clothes, cant afford nothing. And in one episode when George is told a white worker should be referred to as a "custodian" he remarks that if he was black, he'd be called a "janitor.". Dont miss on getTV:TwoAll In The Familyepisodes set up the circumstances ofGloria:The Stivics Go West(March 19, 1978) where Mike takes a job as a teacher andCalifornia, Here We Are(December 17, 1978) where Mike and Gloria separate (but reconcile). 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Mike Evans ("Lionel") left the show after the first season; his replacement was Damon Evans (no relation),[6] who took over the role until halfway through the fourth season. WebSpun-off from The Jeffersons (1975) This spin-off of The Jeffersons came out about 8 years before Marla Gibbs' second series, "227." As noted by The Wall Street Journal, that backstory went back to the Jefferson family's roots in Alabama as sharecroppers, a detail that spoke volumes about George Jefferson's obsession with wealth, status, and the visual signs of both. Many spinoffs tend to set themselves up for comparison by using the same location as the original show. [5][7] The Jeffersons eventually evolved into more of a traditional sitcom, but episodes occasionally focused on serious issues such as alcoholism, racism, suicide, gun control, being transgender, the KKK, and adult illiteracy. Communications Company from 19751982 and by Embassy Television from 19821985. J".[25]. And the series (which co-starred Oscar nomineeBurgess Meredithas a vet) didnt do much to win anybody over. 704 Hauserflips the Archie/Meathead dynamic by making Ernie Cumberbatch (John Amos) the liberal and his son Thurgood Marshall Cumberbatch (T.E. Happy Daysalso had five spin-offs between 1976 and 1979. WebThe Jeffersons: Created by Norman Lear, Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, Bernard West. Actor Franklin Cover, who played Tom Willis, also heard about the cancellation while watching Entertainment Tonight. The series was created byMike MilliganandJim Moriarity, both longtime writer/producers onThe Jeffersons. Web3. You would be, too, if your neighbor was Archie Bunker. As noted by Ebony, while it's easy to view George Jefferson as a "Black Archie Bunker," that's not accurate. A spin-off of All in the Family. I felt I shouldve been more involved in the development of scripts. The show was a spin-off of The Jeffersons. And then there's The Jeffersons. Archie and Mike are always butting heads since Archie is politically conservative and Mike is usually portrayed as being liberal. If you include those inAll In The Familys grand total and you must, because they wouldnt exist otherwise All In The Familybegat 7 shows, 860 episodes, and more than 400 hours of network television. Henry Jefferson was never seen again. And Louises brother-in-law Henry (Mel Stewart) appears for the first time in the last episode of season one. Maude(19721978 141 episodes plus pilot onAll In The Family). Even when shows remain in the popular culture after their cancellation, they're usually relegated to a murky backwater on the cable or streaming menu. CBS quickly pivoted, scheduling rebroadcasts of the first 13 episodes that summer. A nouveau riche, African-American family who move into a luxury apartment building develop close, if occasionally fractious, relationships with other tenants. Communications Company from 19751982 and by Embassy Television from 19821985. Lear is more willing to listen nowadays. WebThe Jeffersons had one spin-off, titled Checking In. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. As noted by Ebony, many of the actors working on The Jeffersons were serious artists with a lot of training. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. Most television is ephemeral. As withMaudeandGood Times, the main character of the new series was a maid onher previousseries. [23] A frequent sight-gag of the show was George slamming the door in Bentley's face mid-conversation, usually during one of Bentley's stories which George invariably perceived as boring. In the 1984-85 season, CBS aired a forgotten comedy called E/R, starring Elliot Gould. Norman Lear created the character of George Jefferson specifically for Hemsley. It was a sort-of spin-off of The Jeffersons, as it featured Lynne Moody as Nurse Julie Williams, the niece of George and Louis Jefferson. His writers onArchie Bunkers Placewrote a pilot for Struthers that CBS rejected and OConnor had no further involvement, despite the fact that he was still playing Archie Bunker. Just fifteen months after Hemsley debuted onAll In The Family, George and Wheezy moved on up from Queens to the East Side of Manhattan. As he had done with Bea Arthur onAll In The Family, Lear immediately recognized a breakout character and quickly began developing a spinoff for Florida with writersEric Monte(Cooley High) andMike Evans(Lionel onAll In The Family). Simply put, "Movin' On Up" isn't just a great TV show theme song, it's a great song, full stop. The series follows Florence's misadventures at the hotel with her co-workers: Lyle Block, her stuffy manager; Elena Beltran, her assistant; Earl Bellamy, the inept house detective; Hank Sabatino, the lewd handyman; Betty, the floor supervisor; Dennis, the bellboy; and Mr. Claymore, the hotel owner.[1]. Hes mellowed. After eight seasons, Lear thoughtAll In The Familyhad run its course, but OConnor didnt agree. Normally successful shows are allowed to develop in a specific time slot in order to become an anchor for the network, but for some reason The Jeffersons was moved around constantly, forcing viewers to seek it out and figure out how to re-arrange their viewing schedules to accommodate it. [12] Isabel Sanford (Louise Jefferson), who heard about the cancellation through her cousin who read it in the tabloids, has publicly stated that she found the cancellation with no proper finale to be disrespectful on the network's part. Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs) worked for the Jefferson family on their show, but Checking In focused on her life as the executive housekeeper of the St. Frederick Hotel in New York City. After a 1972 backdoor pilot onAll in the Family, Maude got a show of her own. The Jeffersons ended up lasting 11 seasons, beating All In The Family's 9 seasons. After 25 episodes, Lear had finally found someone who could go toe-to-toe withCarroll OConnors Archie. It was a spinoff of a spinoff, centering on Maudes maid Florida (Esther Rolle) and her family. Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs) worked for the Jefferson family on their show, but Checking In focused on her life as the executive housekeeper of the St. Frederick Hotel in New York City. 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The character of George Jefferson was conceived of as a mirror image in some ways of Archie Bunker. The shows spin-off series continued to break boundaries with discussions of abortion, alcoholism and racism. Maude becomes yet another person for Archie to disagree with politically. It starred Sherman Hemsley and Isobel Sanford, with Marla Gibbs as the Jeffersons maid Florence and Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover as the racially mixed couple upstairs, a real sitcom innovation. Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. As a result, the series remained among the Top 20 for the next two seasons. Checking In was the first All in the Family spin-off series that was not successful, unlike The Jeffersons, Maude and Maude spin-off Good Times. 1. As groundbreaking as The Jeffersons was in terms of depicting Black America on the small screen, it still earns criticism for some of its choices. At least, he did until Hemsley became availableStewart's last appearance as Henry was Hemsley's first appearance as George. The Jeffersons spawned the television show Checking In. This show followed the Jeffersons maid Florence Johnston as she worked at a hotel in Manhattan. Paul Benedict arrived as Harry Bentley, an amiable, kind, loyal yet somewhat obtuse British next-door neighbor,[8] who worked as an interpreter at the United Nations. Russell) the conservative. Affluent and successful, the Jeffersons still had to deal with race, prejudice, and economic pressures, and the show represented a more nuanced and more complex view of the Black American experience. Also worth noting: in the fifth season, Janet Jackson joined the cast. This page was last edited on 9 December 2022, at 13:35. Checking Infound Florence as executive housekeeper at a New York City Hotel. WebThis spinoff from "All in the Family" is about literal upward mobility - African- American couple George and Louise Jefferson move into a swanky high-rise building. The show was a spinoff from "All in the Family." Thats not just impressive, its historic. The Jeffersons ended in controversy after CBS abruptly canceled the series without allowing for a proper series finale. WebSynopsis. The series gave John Amos and Norman Lear another chance to work together after tensions on set led Amos to leaveGood Times. With Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover. Sign up for the newsletter to get the latest updates about getTV. WebThe Jeffersons had one spin-off, titled Checking In. Eventually this tactic worked, and the writers stopped using the offensive terms. We actually enjoy working together." Sanford was also the recipient of five of the eight Golden Globe Awards nominations the program received.[48]. [19] The Jeffersons premiered the following week, on January 18, 1975.[8]. Today were heading back to Manhattan, to revisit our favorite family, The Jeffersons. As of 2022[update], the members still alive from the main cast include Marla Gibbs, Berlinda Tolbert, and Damon Evans. Ernies wife is played byLynnie Godfreyand Goodies girlfriend who is white and Jewish is played byMaura Tierney. Evans Luckily, producer (and future network president) Fred Silverman fought to keep the scene in, and protest was muted. This show wasnt very successful, however. Maude arrives at the Bunker home to help out when the family gets hit with the flu. [42][43], On April 28, 2015, Shout! WebThe Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. But the moment you read the title you heard its iconic theme song in your head, and no matter your age or background you've probably seen an episode or a dozenand maybe not that long ago. Mike Evans would leave The Jeffersons to work behind the camera for another show in the All in the Family family tree Good Times. This CBS spin-off of "All in the Family" featured an African-American couple, George and Louise, who rose from their humble beginnings and moved into an expensive high rise. Maudealso introducedJohn Amosas Floridas husband Henry later changed to James and established their marital dynamic in preparation for the spinoff. Lear created this series, which had an inventive concept: an African-American family moves into the house formerly occupied by Archie Bunker. Michael J. Hemsley was very experienced and took his performance very seriously. [8] The characters of Lionel's multiracial fiance, Jenny, and her family, all of whom first appeared in the 1974 All in the Family episode "Lionel's Engagement", were also written into the new series. Stage actressEsther Rolleshows up in the third episode ofMaudeas Florida, an AfricanAmerican housecleaner who has little patience for Maudes political correctness. Florence Johnson returned toThe JeffersonsafterChecking Inended. Marla Gibbs was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series each year from 1981 to 1985. [1][4], The show focuses on George and Louise Jefferson, a prosperous African-American couple who have been able to move from Queens to Manhattan owing to the success of George's dry-cleaning chain, Jefferson Cleaners. It was almost totally unlike any other theme song you would hear on TV at the time, and that was the whole point. Gibbs then returned to her regular role on The Jeffersons and it was explained that the St. Frederick Hotel had burned down. All of that changed on May 9, 1971, whenAll In The Familywon Emmys for Best Comedy, Best New Series, and Best Actress forJean Stapleton(Edith Bunker). WebThis spinoff from "All in the Family" is about literal upward mobility - African- American couple George and Louise Jefferson move into a swanky high-rise building. Besides being set in the same house, the only directAll In The Familyconnection comes withCasey Siemaszkoplaying grown-up Joey Stivic. [16], Louise Jefferson, played by Isabel Sanford, first appeared in the All in the Family episode "Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood", which was broadcast on March 2, 1971. According to Encyclopedia.com, Hemsley had built a reputation as a powerhouse performer, and Lear had caught his performance in Purlie in New York in 1970 and knew he wanted him for the character of George. 1. [39], On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including The Jeffersons.
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