Mike Evans would leave The Jeffersons to work behind the camera for another show in the All in the Family family tree Good Times. You would be, too, if your neighbor was Archie Bunker. Today, a transgender person has been nominated to be part of the president's cabinet, and the Vice President of the United States is in an interracial marriage. 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. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. Danny Wells played Charlie, the owner and a bartender of a nearby bar to the Jeffersons apartment building. Fame10 notes that executives worried depicting an interracial kiss would lead to violenceand, worse, to affiliate stations dropping the show. It was funny and entertaining. As with Maude and Good Times , the main character of the new series was a maid on her previous series. The series endured for nine seasons, but the show we think of when we think ofAll In The Familyreally ended in season 8 when Gloria (Sally Struthers) and her husband Meathead (Reiner) moved to California. The cast commonly visited the bar for a drink or to attend a party. RELATED:10 Iconic Black TV Shows That Defined The Culture. Marla Gibbs of The Jeffersons got her own sitcom as Florence, who left her job as a housekeeper to work in a hotel. George, Louise, and Lionel continued to appear on All in the Family until 1975, when the spin-off The Jeffersons, also created by Lear, premiered. OConnor didnt like it either, apparently. It took until 1975 until television finally gave Black audiences a family that looked like them and that wasn't struggling. So when shows like Norman Lear's Good Times hit the airwaves in the early 1970s, it was seen as huge progress. All In The Familyfans will recognize Torres as Teresa Betancourt, the hospital worker who rents Mike And Glorias room when they move out. Norman Lear created the character of George Jefferson specifically for Hemsley. Checking Infound Florence as executive housekeeper at a New York City Hotel. On their own show, the Jeffersons interact with new friends and neighbors while inhabiting a new lifestyle. Evans Gibbs says that she worked out an adjusted schedule with United that allowed her enough time to film her scenes and then race into work, where she worked the phones in their reservations office. On one level, The Jeffersons is just a silly sitcom, and George Jefferson is a very silly character, prone to foolish schemes (like buying a piano he doesn't know how to play only to discover there's no way to fit it through his front door) and loud, boorish outbursts. Other failed spin-off attempts were Gloria in the 1982-1983 season and 704 Hauser in 1994. Although this backstory wasn't explicitly referenced, it showed up in the writing. [5][6] The show was the creation of Norman Lear. After a 1972 backdoor pilot onAll in the Family, Maude got a show of her own. Sherman Hemsley even appeared in the premiere. Many great shows and movies turn 50 years old in 2021, andAll in the Familyis one of the most iconic. When it flopped, Florence returned to work for George and Louise. Until then, Lear created the character of Henry Jefferson, George's brother. WebFor her full interview, see http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/isabel-sanford Most of the cast usually didn't respond, but George almost always gave in. And The Jeffersons was in many ways a broad, superficial comedy that relied on racially-charged jokes and physical comedy to get laughs. The show was a spinoff from "All in the Family." Tolbert became a regular guest star throughout the rest of the series. 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. That's exactly what happened withGood Times. Florence is caught between Lyle and Elena when they have an argument, but she won't take anyone's side. 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. [1] In an episode of Tyler Perry's House of Payne in 2011, Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs reprised their roles of George Jefferson and Florence Johnston. 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. Even before All in the Familyended, Stapleton expressed a desire to distance herself from the role of Edith. Checking In premiered on CBS on April 9, 1981, and lasted for only four episodes in the Thursday, 8:00p.m. EST timeslot. And then there's The Jeffersons. I remember watching Checking In in the early 80s and even remember the theme song. [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). Mike Evans and Tolbert returned in the 19791980 season, with Tolbert's character, Jenny, pregnant with a daughter named Jessica. Ned Wertimer played their tip-hungry doorman, Ralph Hart, throughout the series. Situation comediesaka "sitcoms"aren't always noted for their complex writing and deeply-imagined characters. 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. The two-part season opener for Maude in 1973 dealt with the alcoholism of her husband Walter (Bill Macy). It's rare for a television comedy to lead cultural change like this, and it puts The Jeffersons into historical perspective. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. In his autobiography, Even This I Get to Experience, Lear wrote that a relatively small group of agitators, especially when convinced God is on their side, can move corporate America to quake with fear and make decisions in total disregard of the Constitution.. 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. A sitcom world must be a good one for a spin-off to spawn another spin-off! Maude Findlay (Bea Arthur) first appears as Edith Bunker's cousin in a 1971All in the Familyepisode called "Cousin Maude's Visit." Lear agreed to let OConnor continue the series without him, but under one condition: he couldnt call itAll In The Family. Florence Johnson returned toThe JeffersonsafterChecking Inended. She got unlimited passes from the airline. And Louises brother-in-law Henry (Mel Stewart) appears for the first time in the last episode of season one. Edith's death in the context of the spin-offmade Archie a widow, and though he missed Edith terribly, he continued on with his pub and focused on taking care of Edith's young relative, Stephanie Mills (Danielle Brisebois). 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. [10] Sherman Hemsley guest-starred as George in two episodes of the series, which lasted for one season. CBS quickly pivoted, scheduling rebroadcasts of the first 13 episodes that summer. WebThe Jeffersons had one spin-off, titled Checking In. As BET reports, it was the first TV show to directly address suicide in an episode where Florence the housekeeper falls into a depression and contemplates ending her life. 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?). To make matters worse, when the show finally debuted on CBS, it was largely ignored by the public. [13] Per an article in the May 8, 1985, Los Angeles Times, the series was cancelled by announcement at the CBS network "upfront" presentation the day before, nearly two months before the airing of the final episode. The Jeffersons avoided that by making the titular characters move to a different neighborhood. Hemsley was very experienced and took his performance very seriously. 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. ", "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). This spin-off of The Jeffersons came out about 8 years before Marla Gibbs' second series, "227." Zara Cully played George's mother, Olivia "Mother" Jefferson, who constantly disparaged her daughter-in-law. The series was centered on the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence, who takes a job as cleaning management at a hotel. WhenAll In The Familydebuted in 1971, few people suspected it would be responsible for more spin-offs than any other sitcom in television history. [8] 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. As noted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, this began to change in the 1970s, especially with the work of Norman Lear. 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. Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. 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. The series gave John Amos and Norman Lear another chance to work together after tensions on set led Amos to leaveGood Times. 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.". Lyle throws a party at the hotel, but his high school rival (now a pro football coach) and his team decide to crash it. WebIn 1975, George Jefferson was eager to move out of Queens. Gibbs then returned to her regular role on The Jeffersons and it was explained that the St. Frederick Hotel had burned down. As noted by The Baltimore Sun, many Black Americans found aspects of the showfrom George Jefferson's "pimp walk" strut to his general foolishnessto be offensive. Marla Gibbs portrayed the role of Florence Johnston, the Jeffersons' back-talking, tough, wisecracking, and devoutly religious housekeeper. Sherman Hemsley was nominated for Best Actor in 1984. [3] At the beginning of The Jeffersons, he was operating five stores throughout New York City, with another two opening during the following seasons. [37] The most common time slot was on Sunday night. [45], The Jeffersons received 14 Emmy Award nominations during its time on the air. [46], Isabel Sanford was nominated for seven consecutive Best Actress Emmys, from 1979 until 1985. John Amos (who played James Evans onGood Times) is the father, Ernie Cumberbatch. Oddly, whenGood Timesbegan in February of 1974, no mention was made of Maude or how the Evanses got from New York to the Chicago. Before the 1970s, there hadn't been any TV shows with majority Black casts in decades, and the Black characters that did appear on television were usually not particularly grounded in reality. See production, box office & company info, Metromedia Square - 5746 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. At least, he did until Hemsley became availableStewart's last appearance as Henry was Hemsley's first appearance as George. After 25 episodes, Lear had finally found someone who could go toe-to-toe withCarroll OConnors Archie. The Cumberbatches are a Black family moving into the Bunkers' old house in Queens. As a result, the series remained among the Top 20 for the next two seasons. The series was centered on the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence, who takes a job as cleaning management at a hotel. RELATED:10 Sitcom Characters With Supernatural Abilities, Ranked By Power. For the American Horror Story episode, see, The 200th Episode Celebration of All in the Family, Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Checking_In&oldid=1126465217, 1980s American workplace comedy television series, Television series by Sony Pictures Television, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. The show was a spinoff from "All in the Family." Archie Bunkers Place(19791983 97 episodes). What is the chronological order of these Norman Lear shows? The song was co-written by Ja'Net DuBois, who portrayed Willona on Norman Lear's other show, Good Times, and Jeff Barry. The character of George Jefferson was conceived of as a mirror image in some ways of Archie Bunker. The Jeffersons ended up lasting 11 seasons, beating All In The Family's 9 seasons. Evans 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. For airdates and times, visit theAll In The Familyshow page. Everybody knows it, and you can't help but sing along. This show wasnt very successful, however. The list of firsts achieved by The Jeffersons is impressive. 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 As discussed by critic Robert E. Crafton, an insurance settlement allowed George to quit his job and launch his first dry-cleaning business, which in turn allowed the Jeffersons to move from Harlem to Queens (becoming Archie Bunker's neighbors in the process), and finally to make the move to Manhattan. 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 groundbreaking as The Jeffersons was in terms of depicting Black America on the small screen, it still earns criticism for some of its choices. [41], On August 8, 2014, it was announced that Shout! A national phenomenon was born. 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. It only He had endured a tortured development process that included two pilots rejected by ABC and multiple recasts. While Florida's husband onMaudewas a firefighter named Henry (John Amos), her husband onGood Timeswas James, a hard worker often taking on multiple jobs to support the family. Roxie Roker was asked during a casting interview if she'd be comfortable with her character having a white husband. 3. 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. 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. Fun fact: Both Macy and Rodd played different characters onAll In The Familyjust weeks before Lear cast them onMaude. Florence misunderstands and thinks an elderly salesman is coming on to her, but he's really trying to make a sales pitch. WebIn 1975, George Jefferson was eager to move out of Queens. As withMaudeandGood Times, the main character of the new series was a maid onher previousseries. 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. While many of the shows connected toAll in the Familydid extraordinarily well,Checking Inonly lasted for four episodes. MeTV points out that it was the first situation comedy on prime time television to depict a transgender characterGeorge's old Navy pal Eddie, revealed to now be Edie. The show was a spin-off of The Jeffersons. And issues like these were also almost never addressed on televisionuntil The Jeffersons came along. The show was produced by the T.A.T. 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. 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.". 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. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Thats not just impressive, its historic. Many spinoffs tend to set themselves up for comparison by using the same location as the original show. 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. Gloria and Mike are no longer together, so Gloria and her son, Joey, leave California and go home to New York. [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. [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.