When it flopped, Florence returned to work for George and Louise. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Gibbs then returned to The Jeffersons.. [14] In season 5 episode 17 of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, titled "Will Is from Mars" (1995), the Jeffersons made a guest appearance as a couple in therapy class. Evans A top 20 show for most of its 11 seasons, The Jeffersons was canceled abruptly without an official series finale. Checking In Fun fact: Both Macy and Rodd played different characters onAll In The Familyjust weeks before Lear cast them onMaude. Looking back on decades past, it'sremarkable how seven shows followedAll in the Familyand belong to its universe. Until then, Lear created the character of Henry Jefferson, George's brother. The Cumberbatches are a Black family moving into the Bunkers' old house in Queens. 704 Hauserflips the Archie/Meathead dynamic by making Ernie Cumberbatch (John Amos) the liberal and his son Thurgood Marshall Cumberbatch (T.E. George is an obstreperous, often rude guy who thinks his wealth should get him anywhere he wants to go. s noted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as one of the writers on the show, Jay Moriarty, told The Hollywood Times, In a contemporary review by The New York Daily News. But just because Lear could push those characters and storylines onto the screen didn't mean everyone was happy about it. [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. A national phenomenon was born. Many spinoffs tend to set themselves up for comparison by using the same location as the original show. 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. As with Maude and Good Times , the main character of the new series was a maid on her previous series. But whatHappy Daysdidnt have were spin-offs of spin-offs. In fact, the parent show would have been completely different without the Jefferson family in the neighborhood. You would be, too, if your neighbor was Archie Bunker. WebIn 1975, George Jefferson was eager to move out of Queens. The 12 Most Unexpected Spinoffs in TV History The Jeffersons Ralph was also known for making up stories of him struggling to fulfill the Jeffersons request to get more tips. "Jeffersons" redirects here. Members of the Black Panther Party set up a meeting with Lear to discuss Good Times. [17] Lear consulted with his associate Al Burton on the concept. What is the chronological order of these Norman Lear shows? All in the Familyprimarily takes place at the Bunker residence on 704 Hauser Street. The show was a spin-off of The Jeffersons. You might think this classic situation comedy is a relic of the 1970s, and in some ways you'd be right. The Jeffersons had one spin-off, titled Checking In. The Jeffersons George owns a profitable dry-cleaning chain, so he and the family move to a nice apartment on the Upper East Side of New York City in a backdoor pilot onAll in the Family. Thanks to Lear and his characters, 70s TV audiences saw and heard things they never had before in primetime. It took until 1975 until television finally gave Black audiences a family that looked like them and that wasn't struggling. The Jeffersons avoided that by making the titular characters move to a different neighborhood. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. Show Produced by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin, the working-class sitcom was set in Queens, New York and was based on a British sitcom calledTill Death Do Us Part. Sign up for the newsletter to get the latest updates about getTV. WebIn 1975, George Jefferson was eager to move out of Queens. WebSynopsis. It was funny and entertaining. The sitcoms breakout star was Jimmie J.J. Walker, with his trademark phrase Dy-no-mite!. 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. The twist was that the older generation were the liberals (with John Amos again starring, but in a different role, and Lynnie Godfrey) while their son was an arch-conservative (T.E. In the seventh-season finale episode of The Jeffersons, "Florence's New Job", the Jeffersons' maid, Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs), accepted a job to become the executive housekeeper at the fictional St. Frederick Hotel in New York City. Groundbreaking and performed by some of the most talented actors and actresses of its time, The Jeffersons has remained a cultural touchstone for some very good reasons. The characters of Lionel and Jenny were written out by stating that they had marital problems, the result of which became a two-part episode storyline as the series' eighth-season premiere. Stapleton expressed a desire to distance herself from the role of Edith. In response she showed a picture of her husband, Sy Kravitz, who was white. Michael J. One of the reasons The Jeffersons remains a pop culture powerhouse when many contemporary TV shows have faded from our collective memory is the theme song. 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. She appeared in seven episodes in 197677, so watch any of those! During the January 11, 1975 episode of All in the Family, titled "The Jeffersons Move Up", Edith Bunker gave a tearful good-bye to her neighbor Louise Jefferson as her husband George, their son Lionel, and she moved from a working-class section of Queens, New York, into the luxurious Colby East, a fictitious high-rise apartment complex on East 63rd Street in Manhattan. Lead actors Rolle and John Amos felt a huge responsibility for that. As noted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, this began to change in the 1970s, especially with the work of Norman Lear. In some ways, 1975 doesn't seem so long agobut it was truly a different time in more ways than one. 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. Lear is more willing to listen nowadays. 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. She got unlimited passes from the airline. Hemsley was so good, show creator Norman Lear waited years to be able to hire him. The show was a spinoff from "All in the Family." Most television is ephemeral. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It was surprisingly thoughtful on issues of race and class within the confines of a broad comedy in prime time national television. The characters and mood set by All in the Family left a big mark on television history, including these seven spin-offs: The title character, played by Bea Arthur, was a tall, ultra-liberal feminist who drove Archie crazy; she was introduced in as Ediths cousin in two All in the Family episodes in the 1971-72 season. Television historians know that while the character of George Jefferson was introduced on All in the Family in 1971, he didn't actually show up on screen until 1973. [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. Untold Truth Of The Jeffersons Checking In The shows spin-off series continued to break boundaries with discussions of abortion, alcoholism and racism. Florida and James have three children: J.J., Michael, and Thelma. The Jeffersons (1975 TV Show Even though it flopped,704 Hauserhas a special place in the heart of many Norman Lear fans. WebFor her full interview, see http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/isabel-sanford Charlie was also revealed to be an alcoholic in the season 11 episode "A Secret in the Back Room", in which Charlie is in denial, but the Jeffersons eventually get him to admit to his problem and advise him to get some help. OConnor didnt like it either, apparently. And as The New York Daily news reports, it was the first time in American television history that an interracial marriage was depicted in a regular series with the characters of Helen and Tom Willis. Ja'Net DuBois and Jeff Barry co-wrote The Jeffersons theme song, "Movin' on Up", which was sung by DuBois with a gospel choir. Checking In lasted only four episodes, after which Florence returned to The Jeffersons with the story that the hotel had burned down in a fire. [1] The Jeffersons is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history,[2] the second-longest-running series with a primarily African American cast by episode count behind Tyler Perry's House of Payne[1][3] and the first to prominently feature a married interracial couple. But as Ebony writes, this was a deliberate calibration by the show's creators to make the show and the character of George Jefferson more palatable to audiences not quite ready to accept Blacks as their equals. George is an obstreperous, often rude guy who thinks his wealth should get him anywhere he wants to go. She reprised her role several times onArchie Bunker's Placeand then took center stage onGloria, the last series to focus on a member of the Bunker family. [40] They subsequently re-released the first two seasons on DVD on May 20, 2014. 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. Shows like Sanford and Son and Good Times had all-Black main casts and made an attempt to depict Black American life more realistically. Over the course of its 11-year run, the series was almost always one of the most-watched on television. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Often, people calling in to book flights would tell her that her voice sounded familiar, and she'd just laugh it off. 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. 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. [8] However, the ratings sank below the top 30, and The Jeffersons aired its last episode, "Red Robins", on July 2, 1985.[28]. 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. 7 Spin-offs, In Chronological Order The 12 Most Unexpected Spinoffs in TV History CBS was nervous,Rob Reiner(Mike aka Meathead) told PBS in 2016. The Jeffersons getTV is a trademark of CPT Holdings, Inc. 2023 CPE US Networks III Inc. All rights reserved. But he's actually one of the most complex characters in TV history. Arthur was the only actor seen for the entire half-hour. And then there's The Jeffersons. ", "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). Which is why it's easy to forget that George Jefferson actually had a fascinating fictional background story that was more thoughtful than your typical sitcom fare. I remember watching Checking In in the early 80s and even remember the theme song. Its like a Norman Lears Greatest Hits! It's rare for a television comedy to lead cultural change like this, and it puts The Jeffersons into historical perspective. Similar to its parent sitcom, All in the Family, the Jeffersons explored controversial issues such as alcoholism, racism, suicide, being transgender, and much more, certainly making it one of the most importantsitcoms of all time. Also worth noting: in the fifth season, Janet Jackson joined the cast. Lesa Kite, Cindy Begel, Howard Bendetson & Bob Bendetson. [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. When shows featured Black characters, they were often portrayed as stereotypes, as clownish fools or ominous criminals. 6. Arthur was the only actor seen for the entire half-hour. The Jeffersons More than 20 years after AITF, Lear created 704 Hauser, the address of the Bunkers former house, again inhabited by two battling generations. To make matters worse, when the show finally debuted on CBS, it was largely ignored by the public. With Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover. 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. [9] The Jeffersons also shared continuity with the sitcom E/R, which featured Lynne Moody who made a guest appearance in one episode of The Jeffersons. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. 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. This show wasnt very successful, however. Sherman Hemsley even appeared in the premiere. [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. Most of the cast usually didn't respond, but George almost always gave in. The Jeffersons' Left Lasting Television Legacy The Jeffersons' Left Lasting Television Legacy A top 20 show for most of its 11 seasons, The Jeffersons was canceled abruptly without an official series finale. After a 1972 backdoor pilot onAll in the Family, Maude got a show of her own. Communications Company from 19751982 and by Embassy Television from 19821985. Rather than cast someone else, Lear decided to keep George offscreen until Hemsley was available. But as BET notes, The Jeffersons was a real departure not only because it was just the second African-American sitcom to hit the top five in ratings, or because Isabel Sanford was just the second Black actress to win an Emmy Award for Best Actress. Tolbert became a regular guest star throughout the rest of the series. See Amos in the episodeA Visit From Lena Horne(January 12, 1973) and DuBois inSanford And Son And Sister Makes Three(December 1, 1972). Florence was only supposed to be a bit part, but audiences loved her, and the character of Florence was promoted to full-time status. A sitcom world must be a good one for a spin-off to spawn another spin-off! Checking In lasted only four episodes, after which Florence returned to The Jeffersons with the story that the hotel had burned down in a fire. WebIn 1975, George Jefferson was eager to move out of Queens. 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. WebSynopsis. Norman Lear's 1975 spinoff of All in the Family remains a unique show. Roxie Roker was asked during a casting interview if she'd be comfortable with her character having a white husband. Dont miss on getTV:Archie Gets The Business(October 2, 1977) for the episode where Archie buys the bar from Kelsey (Frank Maxwell) andLittle Miss Bunker(September 24, 1979) for the introduction of Stephanie. By what name was Checking In (1981) officially released in Canada in English? Archie and Mike are always butting heads since Archie is politically conservative and Mike is usually portrayed as being liberal. RELATED:10 Iconic Black TV Shows That Defined The Culture. The Jeffersons As Smithsonian Magazine notes, when Diahann Carroll debuted in 1968's Julia, portraying a Black woman working as a nurse and raising her son as a widow, it was controversial because it avoided any reference to the racial politics of the time and presented what many felt was a "white" character simply played by a Black actress. The series gave John Amos and Norman Lear another chance to work together after tensions on set led Amos to leaveGood Times. [38] The show's ratings for the following two seasons placed it in the Top 30, but during the 197778 and 197879 seasons (the show's fourth and fifth seasons), it fell out of the top 30, ranking 52nd in Season 4 and 49th in Season 5. Checking In premiered on CBS on April 9, 1981, and lasted for only four episodes in the Thursday, 8:00p.m. EST timeslot. Dont miss on getTV:While theres no direct Bunker connection,Checking Indoes featureLiz Torresas Florences assistant. Zara Cully played George's mother, Olivia "Mother" Jefferson, who constantly disparaged her daughter-in-law. Maudealso introducedJohn Amosas Floridas husband Henry later changed to James and established their marital dynamic in preparation for the spinoff. Many people can't help but note that the main difference between The Jeffersons and other successful sitcoms that both enjoyed stable a time slot and received a formal finale episode is the color of the cast's skin. ", "How 'All in the Family' Spawned the Most Spinoffs of Any Sitcom", "All in the Family Season 5, Episode 16 The Jeffersons Move Up", "Actor Paul Benedict, 70, Leaves the Stage", "Zara Cully: Known for Role as 'Mother Jefferson' on the Jeffersons", "Ned Wertimer, character actor known as 'The Jeffersons' doorman, dies at 89", "The Jeffersons Season 10 Episode 16: My Guy, George", https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/78-OCR/1978-05-01-BC-OCR-Page-0036.pdf, https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/79-OCR/BC-1979-06-18-OCR-Page-0056.pdf#search=%22rounding%20up%20the%20ratings%22, "The Norman Lear Experience: His Shows, His Honesty and One Thing He Wanted to Do", "Mill Creek Entertainment Signs Deals With Sony Pictures Home Entertainment To Expand Their Distribution Partnership", "Mill Creek's Re-Releases for Next Month Get Great DVD Package Art", "The Jeffersons CORRECT DATE, Packaging for 'The Complete Series: The Deee-luxe Edition', "Great Extras Revealed for 'The Complete Series: The Deee-luxe Edition', "The Jeffersons Shout! While many of the shows connected toAll in the Familydid extraordinarily well,Checking Inonly lasted for four episodes. 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. 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. It was a spinoff of a spinoff, centering on Maudes maid Florida (Esther Rolle) and her family. By clicking SIGN UP, I certify that I am a United States resident, I agree to receive email updates from Game Show Network, I acknowledge that my information will be handled and used by Game Show Network in accordance with the Game Show Network Privacy Policy, and I agree to such handling and use by Game Show Network. Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) first appears as Edith Bunker's cousin in a 1971All in the Familyepisode called "Cousin Maude's Visit." THE FAMILY 7 Spin-Offs From Hes mellowed. Henry Jefferson was never seen again. It became Tandems longest running show, with 11 seasons. The Jeffersons 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Only five of the six taped episodes were aired, in April and May 1994. In the 1984-85 season, CBS aired a forgotten comedy called E/R, starring Elliot Gould. [7], In its first season (197475), the show ranked at number four, surpassed by its parent series All in the Family (which landed at number one for the fifth year in a row). Just fifteen months after Hemsley debuted onAll In The Family, George and Wheezy moved on up from Queens to the East Side of Manhattan. Sherman Hemsley even appeared in the premiere. And the series (which co-starred Oscar nomineeBurgess Meredithas a vet) didnt do much to win anybody over. Marla Gibbs was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series each year from 1981 to 1985. The Jeffersons It was funny and entertaining. Checking In Gloria and Mike are no longer together, so Gloria and her son, Joey, leave California and go home to New York. All In The Familyfans will recognize Torres as Teresa Betancourt, the hospital worker who rents Mike And Glorias room when they move out. The Jeffersons Everybody knows it, and you can't help but sing along. The show was a spin-off of The Jeffersons. 1. 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. Marla Gibbs remains best-known to many people as the sarcastic housekeeper, Florence, on The Jeffersons. I would like to see this forgotten TV show resurrected on TV Land or Nick at Night, or maybe a special DVD release. WebSpun-off from The Jeffersons (1975) This spin-off of The Jeffersons came out about 8 years before Marla Gibbs' second series, "227." The series was centered on the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence, who takes a job as cleaning management at a hotel. The cast was not informed until after the July 2, 1985, episode, "Red Robins"; actor Sherman Hemsley, who portrayed George Jefferson, said he learned that the show was canceled by reading it in the newspaper. The sitcom was about the black family who had lived next door to the Bunkers, but Good Times was partly responsible. Other NEC graduates include John Amos, Richard Roundtree, Denzel Washington, and Angela Bassett. DuBois infused the song with her own storyCNN reports that DuBois had always dreamed of moving her mother into a "deluxe apartment" when she achieved success. George is an obstreperous, often rude guy who thinks his wealth should get him anywhere he wants to go. [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. Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. Show 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. As with Maude and Good Times , the main character of the new series was a maid on her previous series. The Jeffersons avoided that by making the titular characters move to a different neighborhood. 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. Factory. The show was a spin-off of The Jeffersons. [49] Marla Gibbs reprised her role as Florence Johnston. 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. [21], Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first six seasons of The Jeffersons on DVD in Region 1 between 2002 and 2007. Many spinoffs tend to set themselves up for comparison by using the same location as the original show. Florence often teased George, mostly about his short stature and receding hairline. Lear and associate Al Burton talked about a possible show in which a Black family is moving on up to the East Side. The series was created by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West, and developed by Lear. Louise made friends with Tom and Helen Willis, an interracial couple with two adult children of their own[8] (whom George derided as "zebras"):[1][20] son Allan (played by Andrew Rubin in the first-season finale, and by Jay Hammer throughout season 5), a white-passing college drop-out; and daughter Jenny, an aspiring fashion designer. The series was centered on the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence, who takes a job as cleaning management at a hotel. 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]. [42][43], On April 28, 2015, Shout! After eight seasons, Lear thoughtAll In The Familyhad run its course, but OConnor didnt agree. Florence is caught between Lyle and Elena when they have an argument, but she won't take anyone's side. Today were heading back to Manhattan, to revisit our favorite family, The Jeffersons. Lyle throws a party at the hotel, but his high school rival (now a pro football coach) and his team decide to crash it. The Jeffersons Lear agreed to let OConnor continue the series without him, but under one condition: he couldnt call itAll In The Family. Show Untold Truth Of The Jeffersons With the series' cultural relevance and fandom, it'sno surprise All in the Family,TheJeffersons, andGood Timeswere also revived for a live performance special in 2019. The Jeffersons 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.

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