In the 1996 series finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the Jeffersons made a guest appearance as the buyers of the Banks family house. 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. In the season two episodeCousin Maudes Visit, Ediths liberal cousin Maude Findlay (Beatrice Arthur) comes to help out when the Bunkers are sick with the flu. In the 1984-85 season, CBS aired a forgotten comedy called E/R, starring Elliot Gould. Marla Gibbs portrayed the role of Florence Johnston, the Jeffersons' back-talking, tough, wisecracking, and devoutly religious housekeeper. The conversation resonated with Lear, and he began to conceive of The Jeffersons as an effort to show a Black family having real economic success and living the American Dream. It's unsurprising then that once The Jeffersons aired, it remained on television for almost a decade.The Jeffersons was a spin-off that took the blueprint provided by All in the Family and made minor changes by making the Gibbs then returned to The Jeffersons.. Sherman Hemsley even appeared in the premiere. Checking In premiered on CBS on April 9, 1981, and lasted for only four episodes in the Thursday, 8:00p.m. EST timeslot. Marla Gibbs was the breakout star onThe Jeffersonsas Florence, George and Louises maid, so it made perfect sense to spin her off. Florida and James have three children: J.J., Michael, and Thelma. The Jeffersons spawned the television show Checking In. This show followed the Jeffersons maid Florence Johnston as she worked at a hotel in Manhattan. Lear is more willing to listen nowadays. As the Atlanta Black Star notes, the Panthers told Lear that there were successful Black people in the world whose stories could be compelling and funny. Lesa Kite, Cindy Begel, Howard Bendetson & Bob Bendetson. This show debuted after the wrap of All in the Family. Archie Bunker (Carroll OConnor) and his new partner Murray (Martin Balsam) run a tavern in Queens. Sally Struthers was next to get her own show as Gloria Bunker Stivic, Archie and Edith's daughter. Over the course of its 11-year run, the series was almost always one of the most-watched on television. Norman Lear's 1975 spinoff of All in the Family remains a unique show. Florida Evans (Esther Rolle) was Maude Findlay's maid in Tuckahoe, New York,andGood Timesmovedon to develop Florida's life with her family in Chicago. She got unlimited passes from the airline. As Black America Web reports, when the show was canceled in 1985 the network didn't even bother to inform the cast. All In The Familydirectly spun off five situation comedies between 1972 and 1994. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. And The Jeffersons was in many ways a broad, superficial comedy that relied on racially-charged jokes and physical comedy to get laughs. As noted by Ebony, many of the actors working on The Jeffersons were serious artists with a lot of training. He had endured a tortured development process that included two pilots rejected by ABC and multiple recasts. The series also featured Danielle Brisebois as Stephanie, the young daughter of Ediths step-cousin who had moved in with the Bunkers in the final season of AITF. Brisebois had been a hit in Broadways Annie. (She later became an Oscar-nominated songwriter.). The show was a spin-off of The Jeffersons. Archie Bunker's Place extended Archie's role to over twelve years on television. [46], Isabel Sanford was nominated for seven consecutive Best Actress Emmys, from 1979 until 1985. The Bunkers and their neighbors, the Jeffersons,developed relationships with other characters, many of whom got spin-offs of their own. It was her breakout role; as noted by The History Makers, Gibbs had started taking acting classes when her job with United Airlines transferred her from Detroit to Los Angeles, but prior to being cast as Florence the actress had only appeared in a handful of theater roles and one film, 1973's Sweet Jesus, Preacher Man. Archie and Edith travel up to wealthy Tuckahoe, New York for the wedding of Maudes daughter Carol (played in this episode byMarcia Roddand in the series byAdrienne Barbeau). Norman Lear created the character of George Jefferson specifically for Hemsley. Portrayed by Mel Stewart, Henry got the lines and screen time that would have gone to George. Checking Infound Florence as executive housekeeper at a New York City Hotel. [3] At the beginning of The Jeffersons, he was operating five stores throughout New York City, with another two opening during the following seasons. Evans As noted by MeTV, Barry is something of a legendhe co-wrote (with his wife, Ellie Greenwich) a long list of classic songs, including "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Then He Kissed Me," "Be My Baby," "River DeepMountain High," and "Leader of the Pack.". 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. [23] Bentley also had a bad back, and frequently needed George to walk on it. Sherman Hemsley was nominated for Best Actor in 1984. A top 20 show for most of its 11 seasons, The Jeffersons was canceled abruptly without an official series finale. Arthur was the only actor seen for the entire half-hour. Everybody knows it, and you can't help but sing along. WebSpun-off from The Jeffersons (1975) This spin-off of The Jeffersons came out about 8 years before Marla Gibbs' second series, "227." But just because Lear could push those characters and storylines onto the screen didn't mean everyone was happy about it. Maude(19721978 141 episodes plus pilot onAll In The Family). The sitcom was about the black family who had lived next door to the Bunkers, but Good Times was partly responsible. Stapleton expressed a desire to distance herself from the role of Edith. [6][20][21] Cully, who had first appeared in the 1974 All in the Family episode "Lionel's Engagement", reprised her role. TV shows can be huge, massive hits for yearsand then vanish into near-obscurity (seriously, when was the last time you had a conversation about Lost?). When shows featured Black characters, they were often portrayed as stereotypes, as clownish fools or ominous criminals. [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. [19] The Jeffersons premiered the following week, on January 18, 1975.[8]. [37] The most common time slot was on Sunday night. She appeared in seven episodes in 197677, so watch any of those! George's career as a dry-cleaner began in the first season of All in the Family in the third episode "Oh, My Aching Back" (though the character himself did not appear on-camera). George is an obstreperous, often rude guy who thinks his wealth should get him anywhere he wants to go. 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. I remember watching Checking In in the early 80s and even remember the theme song. The show was produced by the T.A.T. [5][6] The show was the creation of Norman Lear. Other lost, short-lived classics of the late 70s/early 80s I'd like to see--"It's a Living," about the friends who worked on top of the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA; "All's Fair," with Bernadette Peters; "On Our Own," with Bess Armstrong; "Best of the West," an amusing big budget comedy/western series. Arthur was the only actor seen for the entire half-hour. This ill-advised spinoff featured Struthers returning as the title character, now a single mom raising her son Joey (Christian Jacobs) after Mike left her and moved to a commune with one of his students. Arthur was the only actor seen for the entire half-hour. It's rare for a television comedy to lead cultural change like this, and it puts The Jeffersons into historical perspective. His alcohol problem isn't referenced anymore throughout the series, but it is assumable Charlie overcame it. Michael J. 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. It was funny and entertaining. 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. getTV is a trademark of CPT Holdings, Inc. 2023 CPE US Networks III Inc. All rights reserved. The Jeffersons(19751984 253 episodes plus pilot onAll In The Family). 0. 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). 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. A sitcom world must be a good one for a spin-off to spawn another spin-off! "HONKY IN THE HOUSE Writing & Producing The Jeffersons," Antler Publishing, LA, CA, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 18:06. A nouveau riche, African-American family who move into a luxury apartment building develop close, if occasionally fractious, relationships with other tenants. The influential sitcom was controversial when it first aired on 50 years ago on Jan. 12, 1971, and it went on to confront numerous issues that hadnt previously been portrayed on television. [21], Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first six seasons of The Jeffersons on DVD in Region 1 between 2002 and 2007. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season 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. The Jeffersons avoided that by making the titular characters move to a different neighborhood. [17] Lear consulted with his associate Al Burton on the concept. WebIn 1975, George Jefferson was eager to move out of Queens. Hemsley was very experienced and took his performance very seriously. 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. Ja'Net DuBois and Jeff Barry co-wrote The Jeffersons theme song, "Movin' on Up", which was sung by DuBois with a gospel choir. While many of the shows connected toAll in the Familydid extraordinarily well,Checking Inonly lasted for four episodes. Florence often teased George, mostly about his short stature and receding hairline. The sitcom featured Burgess Meredith and Jo de Winter, and lasted one season. Tolbert became a regular guest star throughout the rest of the series. The list of firsts achieved by The Jeffersons is impressive. You would be, too, if your neighbor was Archie Bunker. But we dont have those fights on704 Hauser. Thats not just impressive, its historic. 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. The show was produced by the T.A.T. See Amos in the episodeA Visit From Lena Horne(January 12, 1973) and DuBois inSanford And Son And Sister Makes Three(December 1, 1972). Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. They live in a public housing project and struggle to get by at times. [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. The show was a spinoff from "All in the Family." WebFor her full interview, see http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/isabel-sanford Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. 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. 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). Dont miss on getTV:Both John Amos andJaNet DuBois(neighbor Willona Woods) appeared onSanford And Sonbefore they were cast onGood Times. 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. Hemsley was so good, show creator Norman Lear waited years to be able to hire him. The misadventures of Florence Johnson, a hotel maid who was previously seen serving the Jeffersons. Simply put, "Movin' On Up" isn't just a great TV show theme song, it's a great song, full stop. The epithets nigger and honky were used occasionally, especially during the earlier seasons.[2][4]. 6. Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. The cast reunited in a stage play based on the sitcom. 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. According to The Washington Post, she'd been working for United Airlines for 11 years when she got the job on The Jeffersonsand she kept working there for two more years, not wanting to give up a good job for an acting role that might disappear at any moment. As withMaudeandGood Times, the main character of the new series was a maid onher previousseries. 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. WebThe Jeffersons had one spin-off, titled Checking In. 3). Back in 1975, issues like these were much more shockingas noted by The Hollywood Times, interracial marriage had only become legal throughout the country in 1967! The song also adamantly drew from Black culture, styled almost as a spiritualcomplete with 35-member choirthat wouldn't have been out of place in church. 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. Mike Evans and Tolbert returned in the 19791980 season, with Tolbert's character, Jenny, pregnant with a daughter named Jessica. 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. It took until 1975 until television finally gave Black audiences a family that looked like them and that wasn't struggling. Happy Daysalso had five spin-offs between 1976 and 1979. George is an obstreperous, often rude guy who thinks his wealth should get him anywhere he wants to go. Thanks to Lear and his characters, 70s TV audiences saw and heard things they never had before in primetime. 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. 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. By what name was Checking In (1981) officially released in Canada in English? 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. Sherman Hemsley, for example, came out of the revered Negro Ensemble Company (NEC), as did Roxie Roker (Helen Willis). 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. Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) first appears as Edith Bunker's cousin in a 1971All in the Familyepisode called "Cousin Maude's Visit." [44] Season 8 was released on August 11, 2015. WebIn 1975, George Jefferson was eager to move out of Queens. We cant talk about the offspring without a few words about the parent. Early seasons of the show used racial epithets for both Black and white characters fairly often, but as time went on Hemsley thought his character should be evolving and stop using expressions like "honky." 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. OConnor didnt like it either, apparently. But he's actually one of the most complex characters in TV history. ", was added as a bonus feature on The Jeffersons: The Complete Series 33-disc DVD set issued by Shout! 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. [22] One episode featured George requesting Florence to insult him, in order to get to a prospective business partner who was fond of her wisecracks. More than 20 years after AITF, Lear created 704 Hauser, the address of the Bunkers former house, again inhabited by two battling generations. 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. As noted by The New York Times, the ostensible reason given was that he was uncomfortable walking into a white man's house, setting up the character as a foil for Archie Bunker's racism. What is the chronological order of these Norman Lear shows? The Jeffersons avoided that by making the titular characters move to a different neighborhood. One other reason she kept her job despite becoming famous on a top-rate television show? WandaVision& 9 Other Shows That Have Paid Homage To Sitcoms, Younger & 9 Other Shows Or Movies That Couldn't Have Existed Before Social Media, Abby's Mother Reveal In Night Court Resolves The Harry/Christine Romance, Big Bang Theory Secretly Hinted At Paiges Dark Young Sheldon Future, One Big Bang Theory Main Character Was Only Meant To Be A Guest Role.