[36], The Jeffersons changed time slots at least 15 different times during its 11-year run, unusual for a popular long running series. We actually enjoy working together." Your subscription to our list has been confirmed. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. If you loveAll In The Familyand its iconic characters, the concept alone is problematic. The Jeffersons ended in controversy after CBS abruptly canceled the series without allowing for a proper series finale. It only George was introduced in the episode "Henry's Farewell", and Hemsley and Stewart share their only scene together in its final minutes. 10 Unforgettable Black Sitcom Families - cbr.com The shows spin-off series continued to break boundaries with discussions of abortion, alcoholism and racism. A spin-off of All in the Family. The Jeffersons ended up lasting 11 seasons, beating All In The Family's 9 seasons. Marla Gibbs was the breakout star onThe Jeffersonsas Florence, George and Louises maid, so it made perfect sense to spin her off. Five is a lot, but its not a record. The idea of the Jeffersons "moving on up" came after three members of the Black Panthers who were fans of Lear's productions visited Lear's CBS office, raising issues with the creator over the portrayal of Black people on television, including his "Maude" spin-off series "Good Times." See production, box office & company info, Metromedia Square - 5746 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. The Jeffersons A nouveau riche, African-American family who move into a luxury apartment building develop close, if occasionally fractious, relationships with other tenants. 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). The Jeffersons ended up lasting 11 seasons, beating All In The Family's 9 seasons. They were guests in the fictional hotel and their voices were dubbed by Italian actors Enzo Garinei (George) and Isa di Marzio (Louise), who also dubbed their characters for the full series. Florida and James have three children: J.J., Michael, and Thelma. Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. 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. Which makes it curious that its network, CBS, treated it as if the show was in trouble. Actor Franklin Cover, who played Tom Willis, also heard about the cancellation while watching Entertainment Tonight. After 25 episodes, Lear had finally found someone who could go toe-to-toe withCarroll OConnors Archie. As of 2022[update], the members still alive from the main cast include Marla Gibbs, Berlinda Tolbert, and Damon Evans. Evans and Tolbert appeared in the two-part episode together; Evans made his final appearance in two episodes during the series' eleventh and final season. A nouveau riche, African-American family who move into a luxury apartment building develop close, if occasionally fractious, relationships with other tenants. George is an obstreperous, often rude guy who thinks his wealth should get him anywhere he wants to go. Lead actors Rolle and John Amos felt a huge responsibility for that. Lyle throws a party at the hotel, but his high school rival (now a pro football coach) and his team decide to crash it. 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. [40] They subsequently re-released the first two seasons on DVD on May 20, 2014. You would be, too, if your neighbor was Archie Bunker. The song was co-written by Ja'Net DuBois, who portrayed Willona on Norman Lear's other show, Good Times, and Jeff Barry. 4. 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. CBS quickly pivoted, scheduling rebroadcasts of the first 13 episodes that summer. The misadventures of Florence Johnson, a hotel maid who was previously seen serving the Jeffersons. Sally Struthers was next to get her own show as Gloria Bunker Stivic, Archie and Edith's daughter. 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. In a contemporary review by The New York Daily News, in fact, a scene in which Tom and Helen Willis engage in a long, tender kiss is explicitly noted for being unusual because they are an interracial couple. The Jeffersons had one spin-off, titled Checking In. Show [15], In 1985, Hemsley and Sanford made a special joint guest appearance in the Canale 5 comedy show Grand Hotel, starring the Italian actors Paolo Villaggio, the comic duo Franco & Ciccio, and Carmen Russo. Members of the Black Panther Party set up a meeting with Lear to discuss Good Times. Lear agreed to let OConnor continue the series without him, but under one condition: he couldnt call itAll In The Family. "Jeffersons" redirects here. Bunker has no reason to hate Blacks or to view them as inferior. Other failed spin-off attempts were Gloria in the 1982-1983 season and 704 Hauser in 1994. 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. is Movin' On Up to a 'Season 7' Separate Release! Before we go any further, a few words about math. 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. 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. 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. After his car was rear-ended by a bus, he filed a civil action and won $5000, enough to open his first store in Queens. For further instructions click the link below to your TV model. Mike Evans would leave The Jeffersons to work behind the camera for another show in the All in the Family family tree Good 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. ", was added as a bonus feature on The Jeffersons: The Complete Series 33-disc DVD set issued by Shout! ALL IN THE FAMILY 7 Spin-Offs From TVs Most Spun-Off Sitcom, Charlies Angels: 10 Things You May Not Know (or Do You? 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. OConnor didnt like it either, apparently. As a result, the series remained among the Top 20 for the next two seasons. Maude(19721978 141 episodes plus pilot onAll In The Family). Oddly, whenGood Timesbegan in February of 1974, no mention was made of Maude or how the Evanses got from New York to the Chicago. And then there's The Jeffersons. Checking In [3] At the beginning of The Jeffersons, he was operating five stores throughout New York City, with another two opening during the following seasons. Just fifteen months after Hemsley debuted onAll In The Family, George and Wheezy moved on up from Queens to the East Side of Manhattan. Dont miss on getTV:While theres no direct Bunker connection,Checking Indoes featureLiz Torresas Florences assistant. 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. 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]. 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. Archie Bunkers Place(19791983 97 episodes). 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. This article is about the 1981 sitcom. WebSynopsis. Dont miss on getTV:Lear got the name Cumberbatch from an early episode of ofAll In The FamilycalledWriting The President(January 19, 1971). 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 ended up lasting 11 seasons, beating All In The Family's 9 seasons. George Jefferson was, in some ways, a black version of the white anti-hero Archie Bunker. Every time you see a Black man on the tube, he is dirt poor, wears shit clothes, cant afford nothing," Lear recalled in his autobiography. To make matters worse, when the show finally debuted on CBS, it was largely ignored by the public. For airdates and times, visit theAll In The Familyshow page. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. 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). This show wasnt very successful, however. The Jeffersons Ratings for the first season were poor, and the network didnt exactly shout about it from the antenna-covered rooftops. The Jeffersons (1975 TV Show As noted by Ebony, while it's easy to view George Jefferson as a "Black Archie Bunker," that's not accurate. The series was centered on the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence, who takes a job as cleaning management at a hotel. 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. The actors found out through the media reports or when friends contacted them to ask about it. The Jeffersons You would be, too, if your neighbor was Archie Bunker. [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. Checking In premiered on CBS on April 9, 1981, and lasted for only four episodes in the Thursday, 8:00p.m. EST timeslot. Weve both mellowed. 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. 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). Dont miss on getTV: Everything, but especially the first episodeMeet The Bunkers(airdate January 12, 1971) and the lastToo Good Edith(April 8, 1979). 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 Mike Evans would leave The Jeffersons to work behind the camera for another show in the All in the Family family tree Good Times. Spin-off The Jeffersons WebThe Jeffersons: Created by Norman Lear, Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, Bernard West. [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. The show was produced by the T.A.T. But we dont have those fights on704 Hauser. But as Variety reports, this didn't satisfy everybody. The character of George Jefferson was conceived of as a mirror image in some ways of Archie Bunker. [44] Season 8 was released on August 11, 2015. [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. The Cumberbatches are a Black family moving into the Bunkers' old house in Queens. The Jeffersons avoided that by making the titular characters move to a different neighborhood. Arthur was the only actor seen for the entire half-hour. Checking Infound Florence as executive housekeeper at a New York City Hotel. Spin-off 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. 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 a spin-off of The Jeffersons. The series gave John Amos and Norman Lear another chance to work together after tensions on set led Amos to leaveGood Times. Stage actressEsther Rolleshows up in the third episode ofMaudeas Florida, an AfricanAmerican housecleaner who has little patience for Maudes political correctness. All In The Familydirectly spun off five situation comedies between 1972 and 1994. [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. 7 Spin-offs, In Chronological Order A spin-off of All in the Family. Lear created this series, which had an inventive concept: an African-American family moves into the house formerly occupied by Archie Bunker. Thats bullshit.. He used that power to push the envelope, depicting the first transgender character in a situation comedy and the first recurring interracial marriage. 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[2][3] Henry played as George when Louise felt embarrassed that George did not want to be in Archie Bunker's house due to prejudice.