", "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! After a 1972 backdoor pilot onAll in the Family, Maude got a show of her own. 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. A sitcom world must be a good one for a spin-off to spawn another spin-off! 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. 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). Dont miss on getTV:While theres no direct Bunker connection,Checking Indoes featureLiz Torresas Florences assistant. I remember watching Checking In in the early 80s and even remember the theme song. But white audiences could feel good about being more racially sensitive and evolved than Bunker, whereas George Jefferson's upward mobility could be seen as threatening. Amoscontinued in the role of James until the character's death. You would be, too, if your neighbor was Archie Bunker. They were saying, essentially, We wont have anything to do with this show.. WebFor her full interview, see http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/isabel-sanford 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. Five is a lot, but its not a record. The Jeffersons avoided that by making the titular characters move to a different neighborhood. 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. Most of the cast usually didn't respond, but George almost always gave in. [19] The Jeffersons premiered the following week, on January 18, 1975.[8]. It's rare for a television comedy to lead cultural change like this, and it puts The Jeffersons into historical perspective. 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. Other NEC graduates include John Amos, Richard Roundtree, Denzel Washington, and Angela Bassett. Florence and Elena suspect that a ghost is roaming the building, and Florence decides to spend the night alone in a room to prove that it's not haunted. His alcohol problem isn't referenced anymore throughout the series, but it is assumable Charlie overcame it. I remember watching Checking In in the early 80s and even remember the theme song. 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. Lyle throws a party at the hotel, but his high school rival (now a pro football coach) and his team decide to crash it. 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. It only 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). Almost as well known, but less controversial was the Nov. 10, 1975, episode of Maude talking to her psychiatrist. The cast commonly visited the bar for a drink or to attend a party. I remember watching Checking In in the early 80s and even remember the theme song. In the spring of 1981, Paul Benedict left the show for a season and a half, returning in the final two seasons of the series. The shows spin-off series continued to break boundaries with discussions of abortion, alcoholism and racism. Ratings for the first season were poor, and the network didnt exactly shout about it from the antenna-covered rooftops. 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.). Lead actors Rolle and John Amos felt a huge responsibility for that. But we dont have those fights on704 Hauser. But just because Lear could push those characters and storylines onto the screen didn't mean everyone was happy about it. Lionel is introduced in the pilot, and is a core cast member for season one. 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. As noted by Ebony, while it's easy to view George Jefferson as a "Black Archie Bunker," that's not accurate. "Jeffersons" redirects here. Sherman Hemsley even appeared in the premiere. It was surprisingly thoughtful on issues of race and class within the confines of a broad comedy in prime time national television. [17] Lear consulted with his associate Al Burton on the concept. 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. Over the course of its 11-year run, the series was almost always one of the most-watched on television. Sherman Hemsley, for example, came out of the revered Negro Ensemble Company (NEC), as did Roxie Roker (Helen Willis). 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. Ralph was also known for making up stories of him struggling to fulfill the Jeffersons request to get more tips. Unlike Arthur and Rolle, who were spun-off quickly, the Jeffersons were onAll In The Familyfor five seasons before they got their own show. Actor Franklin Cover, who played Tom Willis, also heard about the cancellation while watching Entertainment Tonight. Archie was used as a device for commentary on important social issues in the 1970s. 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. As with Maude and Good Times , the main character of the new series was a maid on her previous series. 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. See Amos in the episodeA Visit From Lena Horne(January 12, 1973) and DuBois inSanford And Son And Sister Makes Three(December 1, 1972). When it flopped, Florence returned to work for George and Louise. WebSpun-off from The Jeffersons (1975) This spin-off of The Jeffersons came out about 8 years before Marla Gibbs' second series, "227." 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. Zara Cully played George's mother, Olivia "Mother" Jefferson, who constantly disparaged her daughter-in-law. The two-part season opener for Maude in 1973 dealt with the alcoholism of her husband Walter (Bill Macy). Larry Linville(Frank Burns on MASH) plays her manager. The show was a spin-off of The Jeffersons. 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. Thanks to Lear and his characters, 70s TV audiences saw and heard things they never had before in primetime. 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. Weve both mellowed. 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. By what name was Checking In (1981) officially released in Canada in English? Stage actressEsther Rolleshows up in the third episode ofMaudeas Florida, an AfricanAmerican housecleaner who has little patience for Maudes political correctness. She got unlimited passes from the airline. The Jeffersons ended up lasting 11 seasons, beating All In The Family's 9 seasons. Roxie Roker was asked during a casting interview if she'd be comfortable with her character having a white husband. 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." It only [18] However, the roles were all recast, with Berlinda Tolbert taking over the role of Jenny, veteran actor Franklin Cover playing her father, Tom Willis, whose first name was changed from Louis, as it was in their first All in the Family appearance, and Roxie Roker as her mother, Helen. [8] Damon Evans's last episode was "Lionel Gets the Business". Florence was only supposed to be a bit part, but audiences loved her, and the character of Florence was promoted to full-time status. 704 Hauserflips the Archie/Meathead dynamic by making Ernie Cumberbatch (John Amos) the liberal and his son Thurgood Marshall Cumberbatch (T.E. 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. Norman Lear's 1975 spinoff of All in the Family remains a unique show. 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. Bunker has no reason to hate Blacks or to view them as inferior. At least, he did until Hemsley became availableStewart's last appearance as Henry was Hemsley's first appearance as George. They live in a public housing project and struggle to get by at times. A top 20 show for most of its 11 seasons, The Jeffersons was canceled abruptly without an official series finale. Maude arrives at the Bunker home to help out when the family gets hit with the flu. WebIn 1975, George Jefferson was eager to move out of Queens. 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 reported by New Ravel, network executives weren't happy about taking things that far, and pressured the producers to remove the scene. George is an obstreperous, often rude guy who thinks his wealth should get him anywhere he wants to go. WebFor her full interview, see http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/isabel-sanford Hemsley was so good, show creator Norman Lear waited years to be able to hire him. [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.