The Jeffersons 

A nouveau riche, African-American family who move into a luxury apartment building develop close, if occasionally fractious, relationships with other tenants.

Creators:

Norman Lear, Don Nicholl, Michael Ross

Stars:

Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Marla Gibbs

Nominated for 8 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Isabel Sanford	...	Louise Jefferson 253 episodes, 1975-1985
Sherman Hemsley	...	George Jefferson 253 episodes, 1975-1985
Marla Gibbs	...	Florence Johnston 207 episodes, 1975-1985
Roxie Roker	...	Helen Willis 196 episodes, 1975-1985
Franklin Cover	...	Tom Willis 191 episodes, 1975-1985
Paul Benedict	...	Harry Bentley 155 episodes, 1975-1985

Storyline

"The Jeffersons" was perhaps the most-successful spinoff series to "All in the Family." George Jefferson was the black version of Archie Bunker in many respects, both were loud-mouthed, opinionated and set in their bigoted ways. By 1975, Jefferson's fledging dry-cleaning business, Jefferson Cleaners, had successfully grown into a small chain; his newfound wealth led to moving his family to a "deluxe apartment in the sky" in Manhattan. His family included his wife, Louise, a level-headed and open-minded woman who often had to scold George when his mouth got him into trouble; and Lionel, an engineering major at a local college. He especially disliked Tom and Helen Willis, a mixed couple (he was white, she was black) whose daughter, Jenny, was dating and later married Lionel; Florence, his sharp-tongued maid; and Harry Bentley, the esoteric Englishman who lived next door. George often flaunted his wealth and displayed rude, arrogant, bigoted behavior; however, he often found that money ...

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Plot Keywords:

family character name as series title | surname as series title | dry cleaning | apartment | maid | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Nick-at-Nite Screen Gems Network

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Jeffersons

Filming Locations:

CBS Television City - 7800 Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embassy Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Like her character Helen, Roxie Roker was married to a white (Jewish) man (Sy Kravitz) in real-life. During a casting interview, Roker was asked if she'd feel comfortable with her character having a white husband. She responded by showing the producers a photo of her husband. Sy Kravitz and Roxie Roker's son is musician and actor Lenny Kravitz.

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Goofs

Numerous times on and off throughout the course of the series, people make a left when they leave through the exit of the Jeffersons' apartment. The layout of the hallway has Harry Bentley's apartment at the end about a couple feet away at corner on the left side of the Jeffersons' apartment. So it means logically they are just walking right into the door of Bentley's apartment instead of going straight across to the elevator.

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Quotes

Florence Johnston: How come we overcame and nobody told me?

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Crazy Credits

Series creators Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, and Bernard West are listed as "Nicholl Ross West" during the show's closing credits on numerous episodes.

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Alternate Versions

Syndicated reruns in the US are cut by 2 to 3 minutes. One particularly bad cut is of a key sequence in the first episode: after Helen and Tom leave George's apartment after being insulted, they are talking in the hallway, and the scene ends with them kissing. This was a controversial scene back in 1975, but its editing was so that stations and cable networks airing the show could fit in more commercials.

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Connections

Referenced in Trois (2000)

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Soundtracks

Movin' On Up
Written by Jeff Barry and Ja'net DuBois
Performed by Ja'net DuBois & Oren Waters

User Reviews

Jeffersons-Movin' On Up Was A Possibility ***1/2

Very funny comedy of an affluent black family living the American dream in achieving success in their dry good business.

Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford provided terrific chemistry as the husband and wife team. Sanford always knew how to crack those one-liners at a vulnerable but lovable Hemsley. Militant son Lionel was always good for a laugh and as the mother-in-law, Zarra Cully, proved that having the typical mother-in-law to deal with wasn't only an Italian or Jewish problem.

Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker successfully showed that with understanding, inter-racial marriages could work.