bkoganbing America was first introduced to the George and Louise Jeffersons as the black neighbors of the Bunkers in All In The Family. Some of the best scenes in All In the Family involved the dialog between Archie Bunker and George Jefferson. Archie would be a proud Trump supporter today and George would put up with nothing from no honky like Archie. The wise one was Louise Jefferson and even Edith Bunker had moments of real clarity. The women were really the heart of that show.But Norman Lear decided the Jeffersons needed a show of their own and when they moved on up to the East side as a result of George Jefferson's successful dry cleaning business they got a deluxe apartment with a whole new set of neighbors and situations.Isabel Sanford as Louise loved George, but she put up with a lot. Sherman Helmsley as George always had an opinion. One of those opinions was against race mixing so their interracial couple next door Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker were targets of his barbs. And it really got heated when their kids fell in love.Some of the best lines were given to Florence the Maid played with deadpan perfection by Marla Gibbs. She had a put down for all occasions usually at Helmsley's expense. Paul Benedict revived the character of the silly twit Englishman who was a staple in films in the 30s as their neighbor Bentley. Lastly they had a doorman named Ralph played by Ned Wertimer who had his hand out at every opportunity.George was funny, but I had soft spot for Louise who had some great insights into the human condition. This maybe the most successful spin off in TV history coming from another legendary show All In The Family.

daytonwaters In light of recent events in the USA, I can no longer support making this show available to viewers, especially young people. As Amazon no longer offers the Confederate flag, and The Dukes of Hazard has been pulled from TVLAND, Amazon should follow through with its commitment to defeating racism by removing The Jeffersons from its line-up.I was a young child in the 70s and The Jeffersons was a staple in my household. George Jefferson taught me that "honky" was what black people called white people and that it was an insult. He also taught me the our president, Barack Hussein Obama, is a "zebra" for being of mixed race (black/white) origins. Weezy taught me the phrase, "Ni&&a, please!" Times have changed and this language is simply not an acceptable example for our young people. Many have equated The Jeffersons' form of bigotry to that of Archie Bunker in All in the Family, but I strongly disagree. The Archie Bunker character was deliberately portrayed as an ignorant caricature of racism and a buffoon not to be taken seriously. George's racism was presented as angry and legitimate because he was a victim of the kind of racism Archie represented -- the very white supremacy that apparently permeates American culture even today.Racism is evil in all its forms. Young people may entirely overlook that George's character is setting a bad example -- I know I did when I watched this show from 7 to 17 years of age -- and the ONLY responsible thing for Amazon to do is DISCONTINUE THE SALE OF THIS RACIST SERIES IMMEDIATELY.

westcoastloc I was born in 85 so I remember this show from nick at night in the 90s. Just started watching again on tv1. Such a funny show with a good balance of black and white characters. My favorite moments are when george drops the n word and even louise uses it. Its funny and doesn't offend me. Age has added charm and this and threes company are my favorite old sitcoms. Im actually glad i never watched many episodes because for me even though its over 30 years old its a fresh brand new experience for me. Mother Jefferson is hilarious as well. I love when she attacks georges friend whos hitting on louise. Its a shame it was canceled so abruptly and there was no proper series finale. Great show!

rcj5365 If there were a "Sitcom Hall Of Fame",for brilliance, the television series "The Jeffersons" would surely have a cherished spot as one of the best situation comedies of the 1970's. For the eleven and a half years that it ran on television,the series became one of CBS' longest-running shows of all time,right up there with "Frasier","Cheers",and even "M*A*S*H" and "Happy Days" for its longevity. From its premiere episode that aired on January 14,1975 to the final episode of the series on July 23,1986 it is amazing that the show survived during its astounding run on the air. The series cranked out more than 254 episodes during its run. It is also to note that "The Jeffersons" also was nominated for several Golden Globes and Emmys including a historic moment in the history of not only the show,but television itself. The series won the Emmy in 1981 for Isabel Sanford who in fact made history as being the first African-American woman to win for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and also for Sherman Hemsley as Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series as well,and for Marla Gibbs too who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.It is no wonder that "The Jeffersons" is one of television's top fifty all time programs in the history of television and it is right up there with the best of the bunch of classic television shows. Need I say more? This was a spin off to "All In The Family" by the way since the series was created by Norman Lear,the man who was behind some of the greatest shows of that period including "All In The Family","Maude","Good Times", "One Day At A Time","Sanford and Son",and so much more. Out of all the shows that had a predominately African-American cast of that period,the series "The Jeffersons" was the better show out of the entire bunch. Only Norman Lear's other show "Good Times" comes in a close second. The reason? For one you saw a successful black family doing something positive and for the first time in television history a successful African-American with a successful business and living the high life on TV,but at the same time you got to see not only a white side of bigotry but a black side of that too. Sherman Hemsley's character of George Jefferson was just that.....the opposite side of Archie Bunker,a bigot on the opposite side of racial intolerance. It was kind of a reflex towards the opposite The Bunkers,who basically were still living on 704 Hauser Street in Queens while their once neighbors The Jeffersons were living it up in a deluxe apartment complex on New York's upper rich side toward Park Avenue in Manhattan.However,the set-up of a African-American family living in the high part of town and having a successful business establishment was something totally different and new when it aired back in 1975 since it was very odd to see this and America was paying very close attention to this as well since African-Americans at that time were making strides toward racial equality during that period. You saw a married couple George and Louise Jefferson(Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford)living the good life with their son Lionel(played by Mike Evans and then by Damon Evans)while making the best of any situation that comes at them with ease,but with hilarious results. The next door neighbors Tom and Helen Willis (Franklin Cover and Roxie Roker)were a interracial couple with their young daughter Jenny(Belinda Tolbert)and also their son Allan(played by Jay Hammer during the 1978-79 season)whom The Jeffersons also had another neighbor across from them as well,like the British neighbor Mr. Bentley(Paul Benedict)and others that were in the same tenant building as well like George's overbearing mother(played by Zara Cully during the 1975-78 season)who comes by for a visit and causes chaos for Louise and others like Mr. Whittington and so forth like the doorman Ralph or Charlie the bartender whose bar is downstairs but in the same building. The best part of this series and basically who could give George a run for his money in a scolding match would be the Jeffersons' housekeeper Florence Johnson(Marla Gibbs). This is what kept the series going strong because of the brilliant comedy chemistry that Sherman Hemsley and Marla Gibbs had and the sparks flew within a funny rapport that kept audiences laughing hard. Oh yeah,I forgot that Isabel Sanford kept the laughs provided too as Louise and George get into one predicament after another. But the series showed its darker side too right along with the laughs and insults as well as the series explored issues that were relevant to the day's topics from interracial relationships,racism, women's rights,and civil rights were the order of the day and other issues were added in that at the time were too intense for television but they were handled with tact and dignity.Several brilliant episodes of this series come to mind that were memorable including the one where The Jeffersons go to Hawaii;George being a secret Santa to a Harlem family who lived in his building;The night the Jeffersons remember the riots that engulf a nation back in 1968 during the looting of his store over the death of MLK;Louise and Helen opening a health center for a lonely girl who commits suicide;and the marriage of Lionel and Jenny,which George disapproves. The proudest moment of the series came during the arrival of Lionel and Jenny as parents and George & Louise become grandparents to a little baby girl.The saddest moment of the series when George learns the death of his beloved mother.Speaking of this series,it is to note that five of the show's cast members have passed away but will be fondly remembered. Actor Sherman Hemsley who played businessman/family provider George Jefferson passed away in 2012. Zara Cully,who played Mother Jefferson;Roxie Roker who played Helen Willis;Isabel Sanford who played Louise Jefferson,and most recently Franklin Cover,Paul Benedict and Mike Evans.