As a result, the series remained among the Top 20 for the next two seasons. Zara Cully played George's mother, Olivia "Mother" Jefferson, who constantly disparaged her daughter-in-law. The Jeffersons had many two-part episodes, either over two consecutive weeks, or aired as an hour-long episode. You would be, too, if your neighbor was Archie Bunker. 704 Hauserflips the Archie/Meathead dynamic by making Ernie Cumberbatch (John Amos) the liberal and his son Thurgood Marshall Cumberbatch (T.E. 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. Gloria and Mike are no longer together, so Gloria and her son, Joey, leave California and go home to New York. When it flopped, Florence returned to work for George and Louise. Sherman Hemsley even appeared in the premiere. RELATED:WandaVision& 9 Other Shows That Have Paid Homage To Sitcoms. RELATED:10 Iconic Black TV Shows That Defined The Culture. Your subscription to our list has been confirmed. Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. The Jeffersons spawned the television show Checking In. This show followed the Jeffersons maid Florence Johnston as she worked at a hotel in Manhattan. 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. Marla Gibbs was the breakout star onThe Jeffersonsas Florence, George and Louises maid, so it made perfect sense to spin her off. Checking In This show wasnt very successful, however. George Jefferson was, in some ways, a black version of the white anti-hero Archie Bunker. Communications Company from 19751982 and by Embassy Television from 19821985. Larry M. Harris won the Emmy for Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Series in 1983. WebIn 1975, George Jefferson was eager to move out of Queens. The Jeffersons spawned the television show Checking In. This show followed the Jeffersons maid Florence Johnston as she worked at a hotel in Manhattan. 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. Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs) worked for the Jefferson family on their show, butChecking Infocused on her life as the executive housekeeper of the St. Frederick Hotel in New York City. The episode, the eighth of the series, centers on Louise, her son Lionel, and her husband George moving next door to Archie and Edith Bunker in the working-class section of Queens. This article is about the 1981 sitcom. The two-part season opener for Maude in 1973 dealt with the alcoholism of her husband Walter (Bill Macy). The Jeffersons had one spin-off, titled Checking In. As with Maude and Good Times , the main character of the new series was a maid on her previous series. After eight seasons, Lear thoughtAll In The Familyhad run its course, but OConnor didnt agree. Spin-off All In The Familydirectly spun off five situation comedies between 1972 and 1994. 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. The show was a spinoff from "All in the Family." 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Hemsley was very experienced and took his performance very seriously. The Jeffersons The successful series ran for six seasons and, like its predecessor, dealt with some serious issues during its day. As The NWI Times notes, George worked as a janitor for a large apartment building while his wife, Louise "Weezy" Jefferson, worked as a housekeeper. Cully was written out in season 4 due to her death in 1978, from lung cancer. 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). The shows spin-off series continued to break boundaries with discussions of abortion, alcoholism and racism. [40] They subsequently re-released the first two seasons on DVD on May 20, 2014. Maudealso introducedJohn Amosas Floridas husband Henry later changed to James and established their marital dynamic in preparation for the spinoff. This page was last edited on 9 December 2022, at 13:35. Lear said Good Times (created by Mike Evans and Eric Monte) was the first full Black family on television, meaning two parents and more than one kid. 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). 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. But just because Lear could push those characters and storylines onto the screen didn't mean everyone was happy about it. Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. At least, he did until Hemsley became availableStewart's last appearance as Henry was Hemsley's first appearance as George. Web3. George was introduced in the episode "Henry's Farewell", and Hemsley and Stewart share their only scene together in its final minutes. Edith and Gloria appeared occasionally at first, then Jean Stapleton wanted to make a clean break and Sally Struthers got her own show. 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. All Rights Reserved. I felt I shouldve been more involved in the development of scripts. Archie Bunker's Place extended Archie's role to over twelve years on television. As reported by New Ravel, network executives weren't happy about taking things that far, and pressured the producers to remove the scene. The Jeffersons It was funny and entertaining. This show wasnt very successful, however. Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. As noted by Ebony, many of the actors working on The Jeffersons were serious artists with a lot of training. Factory. [27] He was known for constantly stalling at the Jeffersons' door with his hand out waiting for a tip. I remember watching Checking In in the early 80s and even remember the theme song. 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. Happy Daysalso had five spin-offs between 1976 and 1979. [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. The Jeffersons getTV is a trademark of CPT Holdings, Inc. 2023 CPE US Networks III Inc. All rights reserved. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. WebSpun-off from The Jeffersons (1975) This spin-off of The Jeffersons came out about 8 years before Marla Gibbs' second series, "227." [37] The most common time slot was on Sunday night. Arthur was the only actor seen for the entire half-hour. Many great shows and movies turn 50 years old in 2021, andAll in the Familyis one of the most iconic. The show was a spin-off ofThe Jeffersons. Ja'Net DuBois and Jeff Barry co-wrote The Jeffersons theme song, "Movin' on Up", which was sung by DuBois with a gospel choir. The Jeffersons Archie is a working-class man who will never go beyond his working day and his easy chair in his modest house, whereas George and his family are destined to move on upand leave the Bunkers behind in a world they'll never escape. 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. 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. As with Maude and Good Times , the main character of the new series was a maid on her previous series. 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]. Mike Evans would leave The Jeffersons to work behind the camera for another show in the All in the Family family tree Good Times. A nouveau riche, African-American family who move into a luxury apartment building develop close, if occasionally fractious, relationships with other tenants. Marla Gibbs portrayed the role of Florence Johnston, the Jeffersons' back-talking, tough, wisecracking, and devoutly religious housekeeper. Lear is more willing to listen nowadays. The Jeffersons It was a spinoff of a spinoff, centering on Maudes maid Florida (Esther Rolle) and her family. 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. All In The Familyis one of the most transformative sitcoms in the history of the medium, if not the most. [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. Sally Struthers was next to get her own show as Gloria Bunker Stivic, Archie and Edith's daughter. And Louises brother-in-law Henry (Mel Stewart) appears for the first time in the last episode of season one. While the character was initially conceived as a Black antagonist for Bunkerclearly a racistJefferson was also conceived almost from the very beginning as being beyond Bunker. See Amos in the episodeA Visit From Lena Horne(January 12, 1973) and DuBois inSanford And Son And Sister Makes Three(December 1, 1972). Archie Bunkers Place(19791983 97 episodes). The song was co-written by Ja'Net DuBois, who portrayed Willona on Norman Lear's other show, Good Times, and Jeff Barry. 10 Iconic Black TV Shows That Defined The Culture, Another interesting connection of the sitcom universe, Lionel is the first Jefferson to be seen on. Over the course of its 11-year run, the series was almost always one of the most-watched on television. Amoscontinued in the role of James until the character's death. So when he flubbed lines during episode tapings, it's safe to assume it wasn't due to nerves or incompetenceas reported by Fame10, it was a form of passive resistance. The Jeffersons ended up lasting 11 seasons, beating All In The Family's 9 seasons. All In The Familyfans will recognize Torres as Teresa Betancourt, the hospital worker who rents Mike And Glorias room when they move out. Untold Truth Of The Jeffersons A spin-off of All in the Family. Today were heading back to Manhattan, to revisit our favorite family, The Jeffersons. Checking In The series was centered on the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence, who takes a job as cleaning management at a hotel. One other reason she kept her job despite becoming famous on a top-rate television show? [23] Bentley also had a bad back, and frequently needed George to walk on it. [24][25] He also became known for addressing the Jeffersons as "Mr. J" and "Mrs. Sherman Hemsley was nominated for Best Actor in 1984. The location is the only concrete link fromAll in the Familyto the series, but it's a strong one despite the fact that704 Hauserwas only on the air for five episodes. This show wasnt very successful, however. In that regard,Good Timesis more like a reboot of Rolle and Amoss characters than a spinoff. I would like to see this forgotten TV show resurrected on TV Land or Nick at Night, or maybe a special DVD release. a disclaimer before the first episode said. In a reversal ofAll in the Family, Ernie is liberal while his son is quite conservative. Florence Johnson returned toThe JeffersonsafterChecking Inended. Unlike Arthur and Rolle, who were spun-off quickly, the Jeffersons were onAll In The Familyfor five seasons before they got their own show. 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. 7 Spin-offs, In Chronological Order It was funny and entertaining. The Jeffersons was notable because it depicted a Black family as upper-middle class. George is an obstreperous, often rude guy who thinks his wealth should get him anywhere he wants to go. 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. More importantly, as one of the writers on the show, Jay Moriarty, told The Hollywood Times, Archie Bunker's bigotry is "pure prejudice" while George Jefferson's bigotry is a reaction to that prejudice. Dont miss on getTV:While theres no direct Bunker connection,Checking Indoes featureLiz Torresas Florences assistant. 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 John Amos (who played James Evans onGood Times) is the father, Ernie Cumberbatch. 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. Archie mentions a friend from the old neighborhood named Cumberbatch. "Jeffersons" redirects here. Show 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. [17] Lear consulted with his associate Al Burton on the concept. But, if you love Carroll OConnors Archie, its a gift that we got to see more of him (even if the show isnt as good). Ratings for the first season were poor, and the network didnt exactly shout about it from the antenna-covered rooftops. Theres certainly no human alive who believesArchie Bunkers Placeis better thanAll In The Family,and theres probably a few of us who would rather it didnt exist at all. After 25 episodes, Lear had finally found someone who could go toe-to-toe withCarroll OConnors Archie. 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. George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) doesnt make his debut until season four, because Hemsley was committed to the Broadway showPurlie. Evans Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) first appears as Edith Bunker's cousin in a 1971All in the Familyepisode called "Cousin Maude's Visit." The series began after a backdoor pilot on Archie Bunker's Placecalled "Gloria: The First Day." Michael J. The series is bookended in a very creative way. 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. 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. Over the course of its 11-year run, the series was almost always one of the most-watched on television. Show WebThe Jeffersons: Created by Norman Lear, Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, Bernard West. 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 THE FAMILY 7 Spin-Offs From Web3. ", "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! 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. 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. Florence is caught between Lyle and Elena when they have an argument, but she won't take anyone's side. The Cumberbatches are a Black family moving into the Bunkers' old house in Queens. Maude becomes yet another person for Archie to disagree with politically. 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. She got unlimited passes from the airline. Checking In, created by Mike Milligan and Jay Moriarty, only lasted for four episodes, one of the few Tandem/TAT sitcoms that wasnt a success. But as Variety reports, this didn't satisfy everybody. To make matters worse, when the show finally debuted on CBS, it was largely ignored by the public. Sherman Hemsley even appeared in the premiere. Although this backstory wasn't explicitly referenced, it showed up in the writing. The Jeffersons 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. The Jeffersons avoided that by making the titular characters move to a different neighborhood. Marla Gibbs remains best-known to many people as the sarcastic housekeeper, Florence, on The Jeffersons. And issues like these were also almost never addressed on televisionuntil The Jeffersons came along. 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.". 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. 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. However, Mike Evans appeared for only one more season, along with Tolbert. It's remarkable that seven shows followed All in the Family and belong to its universe. THE FAMILY 7 Spin-Offs From 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. Communications Company from 19751982 and by Embassy Television from 19821985. Evans The Jeffersons' Left Lasting Television Legacy Eventually this tactic worked, and the writers stopped using the offensive terms. Thats not just impressive, its historic. 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. The show was produced by the T.A.T. 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. Sherman Hemsley even appeared in the premiere. The Jeffersons The show was a spin-off of The Jeffersons. After the huge success of shows like All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, and Sanford and Sonin terms of ratings as well as critical receptionhe had the ability to do things other showrunners couldn't. As New Ravel notes, when his requests for change were ignored he began deliberately flubbing his lines or saying the offensive words too low for the microphones to pick up, forcing the producers to reshoot scenes again and again. [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. With Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover. Bunker has no reason to hate Blacks or to view them as inferior. [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. 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. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Arthur was such a hit as Maude that Lear developed a series for her, with the second season finale ofAll In The Familyacting as the backdoor pilot for the spinoff. 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. George is an obstreperous, often rude guy who thinks his wealth should get him anywhere he wants to go. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. The show was produced by the T.A.T. The character of George Jefferson was conceived of as a mirror image in some ways of Archie Bunker. Show As of 2022[update], the members still alive from the main cast include Marla Gibbs, Berlinda Tolbert, and Damon Evans. "HONKY IN THE HOUSE Writing & Producing The Jeffersons," Antler Publishing, LA, CA, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 18:06. Sanford was also the recipient of five of the eight Golden Globe Awards nominations the program received.[48]. They were saying, essentially, We wont have anything to do with this show.. More than 20 years after AITF, Lear created 704 Hauser, the address of the Bunkers former house, again inhabited by two battling generations. With Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover. This spin-off of The Jeffersons came out about 8 years before Marla Gibbs' second series, "227." As progressive as it was when it came to race relations, it hedged its bets in many ways. The Jeffersons Checking In [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. 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. Isabel Sanford on not wanting to do "The Jeffersons" spin off The 12 Most Unexpected Spinoffs in TV History The Jeffersons' Left Lasting Television Legacy Rather than cast someone else, Lear decided to keep George offscreen until Hemsley was available. 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. And then there's The Jeffersons. Oddly, whenGood Timesbegan in February of 1974, no mention was made of Maude or how the Evanses got from New York to the Chicago. 10 Unforgettable Black Sitcom Families - cbr.com What is the chronological order of these Norman Lear shows? We actually enjoy working together." Fox tried out for a role on this show but was turned down. 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 Over the course of its 11-year run, the series was almost always one of the most-watched on television. Communications Company from 19751982 and by Embassy Television from 19821985. [8][21] Lionel and Jenny experienced marital issues as evidenced in a two-part season 8 episode "The Separation", and divorced in the final season two-parter "Sayonara".[8].