Jeffersons, The

The Jeffersons TV Show

The Jeffersons was a popular comedy that ran from 1975 to 1985 on CBS.  It was a spin-off of the show All in the Family, where the Jefferson’s had been the neighbors of the Bunkers.  The show ran for a total of 11 seasons and 253 episodes.  Main characters on the show included Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford), George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley), Lionel Jefferson (Mike Evans), Hellen Willis (Roxie Roker), Tom Willis (Franklin Cover), Harry Bentley (Paul Benedict), and Florence Johnston (Marla Gibbs).  Die-hard fans of this show will remember that a short-lived series, titled Checking In, was a spin-off of The Jeffersons, featuring their housekeeper, Florence.

In this TV series, George and Louise Jefferson, after having met with financial success with their dry cleaning business, move to up town Manhattan.  Although most of the shows were lighthearted, it did broach some heavier subjects like racism, suicide, etc.  Their sharp-tongued housekeeper, Florence (Marla Gibbs), was constantly poking fun at George.  Next door to the Jeffersons live the Willis family, a bi-racial family with grown children (George called these children “zebras”).  Also next door lived a British interpret named Harry (Benedict), who would often get the door slammed in his face by George.