All in the Family TV show Wiki
Register
Advertisement
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons opening title screen
'The Jeffersons opening title screen

Developed by:

Bob Lally
Oz Scott
Jack Shea
Tony Singletary
Arlando Smith

Creators

Don Nicholl
Michael Ross
Bernie West

Related Shows:

All in the Family
Maude
Archie Bunker's Place
Gloria
704 Hauser
Checking In

Producer(s):

Don Nicholl
Michael Ross
Bernie West

Starring:

Sherman Hemsley
Isabel Sanford
Franklin Cover
Roxie Roker
Marla Gibbs
Mike Evans
Berlinda Tolbert
Damon Evans
Paul Benedict
Zara Cully(1975-1978)
Ned Wertimer

Production companies:

T.A.T. Communications Company (1975–1982)
NRW Productions (1975–1979)
Ragamuffin Productions (1980–1981)
Embassy Television (1982–1985)

Distributed by:

T.A.T. Communications Company (1980–1982)
Embassy Telecommunications (1982–1986)
Embassy Communications (1986–1988)
Columbia Pictures Television (1988–1996)
Columbia TriStar Television (1996–2002)
Sony Pictures Television (2002–present)

Network / Airdates:

CBS-TV / January 8, 1975 - June 25, 1985

Seasons/Episodes aired:

11 seasons, 253 episodes

Runtime

23-25 minutes

Small flag infobox wordmark

The Jeffersons is a television series spun off from All in the Family. 253 episodes were produced over eleven seasons from 1975 to 1985. The Jeffersons is one of the longest-running sitcoms in the history of American television.[1][2]

It continued the story of George Jefferson, his wife Louise, and their son Lionel, when they moved from Astoria, Queens to the Upper East Side of Manhattan after George achieves success with his chain of dry cleaning stores. The show was launched as the second spin-off of All In The Family, on which the Jeffersons had been the neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker.

The Jeffersons had one spin-off, titled Checking In. The short-lived series was centered around the Jeffersons' housekeeper, Florence. Checking In only lasted four episodes, after which Florence returned to The Jeffersons.

Series development[]

Louise Jefferson, played by Isabel Sanford, first appeared in the All in the Family episode "Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood," which was broadcast on March 2, 1971. The episode, the eighth of the series, centers around Louise, her son Lionel, and her husband George's moving into Archie and Edith Bunker's working class section of Queens. Lionel, played by Mike Evans, first appeared in "Meet the Bunkers," the premiere episode of All in the Family; George would not appear on the show until its fourth season.

Norman Lear created the character of George Jefferson specifically for Broadway veteran Sherman Hemsley. Lear originally intended for George to appear in the first season of series; however, Hemsley was starring in the Broadway musical Purlie at the time, and Lear decided to postpone introduction of the character until Hemsley was available. Lear created the character of Henry Jefferson, George's younger brother, and replaced George with Henry in the series's scripts until Purlie finished its run. Mel Stewart was cast as Henry. George was introduced in the episode "Henry's Farewell," and Hemsley and Stewart share their only scene together in its final minutes. The episode marked the final appearance of Henry.

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. The characters of Lionel's biracial fiancée, Jenny, and her family, all of whom first appeared in the 1974 All in the Family episode "Lionel's Engagement," were also written into the new series. However, the roles were all recast, with Berlinda Tolbert taking over the role of Jenny, veteran actor Franklin Cover playing her father Tom, and Roxie Roker as her mother Helen. Zara Cully, who portrayed George's mother in one episode of All in the Family, resumed her role on The Jeffersons.

References[]

  1. Television and the American Family,Bryant, Jennings (2001). . Routledge. ISBN 0-8058-3422-2.
  2. From the 'In Character' Blog: George Jefferson. NPR (2008-02-04). Retrieved on 2013-02-08.

External links[]

Advertisement