One of the most popular shows of the late 70s and early 80s, The Jeffersons revolved around the day to day life of dry cleaner George Jefferson and his wife Louise (Weezy).  The show left a lasting impression on not just black culture, but the mainstream as well.  Let’s examine the ways, shall we?

Relevance: With a ten year run (1975-85), The Jeffersons is the longest running sitcom starring African-Americans in television history.  There’s a fun fact for you.

Legacy: “Fish don’t fry in the kitchen, Beans don’t burn on the grill!  Took a whole lot of tryin’, just to get up that hill, but we’re movin on up!  To the East Side!  To a deluxe apartment in the sky!  Well, we’re moving on up!  To the East Side!  We finally got our piece of the pi-iii-iiiiie!”

Craft: A classic Norman Lear production.  I give a lot of credit to the entire cast here.  Even the best comedians will tell you that doing comedy is hit or miss.  Knowing how to let a joke play, knowing when and how to deliver a setup and a punchline.  Watching the interactions of the characters on this show, in nearly any episode, you’ll see some great comedic timing at play.

Crossover:  The Jeffersons is a spinoff of the definitive 70s sitcom, All in the Family.  The Jeffersons started as neighbors of the Bunkers before ‘moving on up’.  Never far off the mainstream radar, the show was consistently nominated for Emmys, with Isabel Sanford actually winning the Emmy one year for her performance as Weezy. 

Apollo:  You can pick your spots here; George slamming the door in someone’s face, Florence’s short jokes at George.  This may be considered a cheat, but my personally favorite Wow moment involving George and Louise happened when the showed up on the final episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air…

Another one down, back at the end of the month with another favorite from the 70s…