List of The Jeffersons episodes
This is a list of episodes of the American situation comedy The Jeffersons. A total of 253 episodes aired on CBS over 11 seasons, from January 18, 1975, through July 2, 1985.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Rank | Rating | Tied with | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||||
| 1 | 13 | January 18, 1975 | April 12, 1975 | 4 | 27.6 | N/A | ||
| 2 | 24 | September 13, 1975 | March 6, 1976 | 21 | 21.5 | N/A | ||
| 3 | 24 | September 25, 1976 | April 11, 1977 | 24 | 21.0 | N/A | ||
| 4 | 26 | September 24, 1977 | March 4, 1978 | 52[1] | 17.6[2] | N/A | ||
| 5 | 24 | September 20, 1978 | April 18, 1979 | 49[3] | 17.4[4] | N/A | ||
| 6 | 24 | September 23, 1979 | April 13, 1980 | 8 | 24.3 | N/A | ||
| 7 | 20 | November 2, 1980 | March 29, 1981 | 6 | 23.5 | N/A | ||
| 8 | 25 | October 4, 1981 | May 16, 1982 | 3 | 23.4 | N/A | ||
| 9 | 27 | September 26, 1982 | May 1, 1983 | 12 | 20.0 | Newhart | ||
| 10 | 22 | October 2, 1983 | May 6, 1984 | 19 | 16.6 | N/A | ||
| 11 | 24 | October 14, 1984 | July 2, 1985 | 50 | 13.2 | N/A | ||
Episodes
Season 1 (1975)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "A Friend in Need" | Jack Shea | T : Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, Bernie West; S/T : Barry Harman & Harve Brosten | January 18, 1975 | |
|
When they experience growing pains in their posh new digs, George (Sherman Hemsley) demands that Louise ("Weezy") (Isabel Sanford) hire her friend as their maid. However, when the couple ends up hiring sassy maid Florence (Marla Gibbs) instead, George and Weezy learn you can "move on up" without looking down upon others. Note: This episode was remade as part of 2019's Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons. Recording Date: December 13, 1974 | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "George's Family Tree" | Jack Shea | Perry Grant & Dick Bensfield | January 25, 1975 | |
| When George boasts that he's "King of the Mountain," Louise teaches him a lesson by uncovering a few skeletons in the closet of his ancestors' family tree. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Louise Feels Useless" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | February 1, 1975 | |
| When Louise has trouble adjusting to the good life in their new high-rise, she secretly takes a job at George's rival dry cleaners. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Lionel, the Playboy" | Jack Shea | Roger Shulman & John Baskin | February 8, 1975 | |
| When good son Lionel takes to partying all night, George and Louise want to put a halt to his wild ways before he drops out of school, but it's up to Mother Jefferson to lay down the law and get Lionel back on track. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Mr. Piano Man" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | February 15, 1975 | |
| To boost his classy image, George is bent on buying an expensive piano. Meanwhile, the Jeffersons refuse to host a "tenants' protest" party organized by the Willises—until George sees it as a chance to impress his rich neighbors. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "George's Skeleton" | Jack Shea | T : Lloyd Turner, Gordon Mitchell; S/T : Erik Tarloff | February 22, 1975 | |
| When an old friend (Moses Gunn) threatens to expose an embarrassing secret from George's past unless he's paid in full, Louise and Lionel turn the tables on his buddy's blackmail business. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Lionel Cries Uncle" | Jack Shea | S : Jim Carlson; T : Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | March 1, 1975 | |
| When Louise's Uncle Ward pays a visit, he gets the cold shoulder from the men in the house, who see him as an "Uncle Tom". | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Mother Jefferson's Boyfriend" | Jack Shea | Gordon Farr & Arnold Kane | March 8, 1975 | |
| Mother Jefferson has big news for her birthday: her new boyfriend has proposed, and they plan on moving to Florida. George objects to this holy union and tries to break the lovebirds apart. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Meet the Press" | Jack Shea | Dixie Brown Grossman | March 15, 1975 | |
| Hoping to land some free publicity, George schemes to land a big cover story on his dry cleaning empire. When the Willises steal his spotlight, George learns the risks of blowing your own horn with hot air. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Rich Man's Disease" | Jack Shea | Bruce Howard | March 22, 1975 | |
| Living high on the hog, George can't figure out why he's feeling down in the dumps. When he begins suffering from a mysterious ulcer, George plots to keep the word from getting out to Louise and his friends. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Former Neighbors" | Jack Shea | Art Baer & Ben Joelson | March 29, 1975 | |
| George hopes to impress a big client by hosting an extravagant dinner. However, when his old lower-class neighbors crash the party, George schemes to hide his poor past to close the deal. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Like Father, Like Son" | Jack Shea | Frank Tarloff | April 5, 1975 | |
| Lionel's bad behavior has his parents worried that he's a chip off the old block. Meanwhile, when George and Louise get involved in a local election, the "race card" is played to comic effect, proving that phony politicians come in all colors. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Jenny's Low" | Jack Shea | John Ashby | April 12, 1975 | |
| Jenny Willis becomes jealous when her brother Allan (Andrew Rubin) returns from Europe because he is able to "pass" as white while she can't. | ||||||
Season 2 (1975–76)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "A Dinner for Harry" | Jack Shea | Don Nicholl, Michael Ross & Bernie West | September 13, 1975 | |
| When the Jeffersons host a dinner party for Mr. Bentley's birthday, the Willises cause problems—one funny, one shocking. The funny problem deals with George and Tom wearing the same tux. The shocker concerns an incident involving Helen. | ||||||
| 15 | 2 | "George's First Vacation" | Jack Shea | Frank Tarloff | September 20, 1975 | |
| George balks when Tom calls him a workaholic. To prove him wrong, George books a cruise for him and Louise. As usual, Louise has to bear the consequences. However, when George tells Mother Jefferson that they are going on vacation, she thinks "we (or they)" includes her. | ||||||
| 16 | 3 | "Louise's Daughter" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | September 27, 1975 | |
| Damon Evans joins the cast as the new Lionel Jefferson. In this episode, a woman claims to be Louise's daughter. | ||||||
| 17 | 4 | "Harry and Daphne" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | October 4, 1975 | |
| George deals with a building inspector (René Auberjonois) while Harry Bentley hides out from his marauding, marriage-minded girlfriend, Daphne. | ||||||
| 18 | 5 | "Mother Jefferson's Fall" | Jack Shea | Erik Tarloff | October 11, 1975 | |
| Feeling ignored, Mother Jefferson gets attention after she fakes a fall. Meanwhile, Louise goes to battle in a gin tournament. | ||||||
| 19 | 6 | "Jefferson vs. Jefferson" | Jack Shea | Arthur Marx & Bob Fisher | October 18, 1975 | |
| Mother Jefferson intrudes on Louise's and George's anniversary. George asks Louise to lie for him after a bicycle accident. | ||||||
| 20 | 7 | "Uncle Bertram" | Jack Shea | Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, Bernie West, Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | October 25, 1975 | |
| An elderly white man tries to flirt with Mother Jefferson in an elevator. He turns out to be related to the Willises. When she begins dating this Uncle Bertram, George is not happy. | ||||||
| 21 | 8 | "Movin' on Down" | Jack Shea | Ken Levine & David Isaacs | November 1, 1975 | |
| George fears that some financial setbacks will put him out of business. Adding to his stress are Lionel's begging for more money and Florence pressuring him for a raise. | ||||||
| 22 | 9 | "George Won't Talk" | Jack Shea | John Ashby | November 8, 1975 | |
| George is bursting with excitement when he's asked to speak at a college, but he hesitates when he learns the school is in Harlem. Robert Guillaume of Benson and Ernest Thomas of What's Happening!! appear in this episode. | ||||||
| 23 | 10 | "Jenny's Grandparents" | Jack Shea | James Ritz | November 15, 1975 | |
| Thanks to the machinations of the Jefferson and Willis families (including coupled Mother Jefferson and Uncle Bertram), Jenny's bickering grandfathers end up alone together in the Jeffersons' apartment. | ||||||
| 24 | 11 | "George's Best Friend" | Jack Shea | T : Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell; S/T : Calvin Kelly | November 22, 1975 | |
| Louis Gossett, Jr. appears as an old navy friend of George who visits and make passes at Louise. The incident brings to light that George has not been paying enough attention to his wife. | ||||||
| 25 | 12 | "George and the Manager" | Jack Shea | T : Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan; S/T : Don Boyle | November 29, 1975 | |
| George's refusal to hire any woman [white or African American] as a store manager leads to a battle between him and the rare united front of Louise and Mother Jefferson. | ||||||
| 26 | 13 | "George's Alibi" | Jack Shea | Sandy Krinski | December 6, 1975 | |
| Lionel's fear of telling his father about a fender bender leads to George's fear of the Mob. | ||||||
| 27 | 14 | "Lunch with Mama" | Jack Shea | Don Nicholl, Michael Ross, Bernie West, Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | December 13, 1975 | |
| Mama's boy must cut the apron strings. After Louise asks George to attend a funeral with her, he refuses to cancel his monthly lunch with his mother. The situation worsens when Mother Jefferson joins them at the funeral. | ||||||
| 28 | 15 | "George vs. Wall Street" | Jack Shea | George Burditt | December 20, 1975 | |
| A Willis/Jefferson fight ensues when Lionel refuses to take a cushy job. George gets a juicy stock tip. | ||||||
| 29 | 16 | "The Break-Up: Part 1" | Jack Shea | Dixie Brown Grossman | January 3, 1976 | |
| A two-parter begins with Lionel's difficulty writing a paper on homosexuality. The issue at hand changes after George buys him a term paper. Tempers flare, and Lionel splits with Jenny. | ||||||
| 30 | 17 | "The Break-Up: Part 2" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | January 10, 1976 | |
| The Jeffersons and the Willises each debate getting Lionel and Jenny back together. Meanwhile, Lionel makes a decision about his term paper, and George sets him up on a date. | ||||||
| 31 | 18 | "Florence's Problem" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | January 24, 1976 | |
| Florence's unusual behavior—being nice and going on a cleaning spree—leads Louise to believe she is suicidal. | ||||||
| 32 | 19 | "Mother Jefferson's Birthday" | Jack Shea | Fred Fox & Seaman Jacobs | January 31, 1976 | |
| Hell hath no fury like a mother whose son has forgotten her birthday—especially her 70th. Louise decides to reunite Mother Jefferson with her estranged sister. | ||||||
| 33 | 20 | "Louise's Cookbook" | Jack Shea | S : Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel; T : Jay Moriarty, Mike Milligan, Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | February 7, 1976 | |
| Possum stew causes George to boil over after a publisher asks Louise to write a cookbook of her ghetto recipes. | ||||||
| 34 | 21 | "George Meets Whittendale" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | February 14, 1976 | |
| George goes to extremes to meet Mr. Whittendale at a party, by hiding in the bathroom with Tom and Helen. | ||||||
| 35 | 22 | "Lionel's Problem" | Jack Shea | S : Mia Abbott; T : James Ritz | February 21, 1976 | |
| Lionel has a very-special-episode kind of problem when his graduation lurks and he starts to feel the pressure. Louise and Jenny try to hide Lionel from George when the graduate arrives at the apartment smashed. | ||||||
| 36 | 23 | "Tennis, Anyone?" | Jack Shea | Sandy Veith | February 28, 1976 | |
| George's excitement about being asked to join an exclusive tennis club is severely mitigated when the word token is volleyed. | ||||||
| 37 | 24 | "The Wedding" | Jack Shea | John Donley, Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | March 6, 1976 | |
| George wants to renew his vows with Louise because Harry Belafonte did it—but Harry Belafonte's wife did not ask to be an equal partner in the dry cleaning business. | ||||||
Season 3 (1976–77)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1 | "George and the President" | Jack Shea | Howard Albrecht & Sol Weinstein | September 25, 1976 | |
| Jealous over the advertising success of a competitor, George comes up with his own campaign, dressing up in colonial clothes and claiming to be Thomas Jefferson's great-great-great grandson. | ||||||
| 39 | 2 | "Louise Gets Her Way" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | October 2, 1976 | |
| George can hardly stand Florence once a week, so when Louise offers to hire her on as their live-in maid, he really hits the roof. | ||||||
| 40 | 3 | "Louise Suspects" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | October 9, 1976 | |
| When George tries to cover up the fact that he's opening another store, he becomes overjoyed when Louise suspects him of having an affair with another woman. | ||||||
| 41 | 4 | "The Lie Detector" | Jack Shea | Tedd Anasti & David Talisman | October 16, 1976 | |
| Lionel's principles could cost him his job and the respect of his father when he quits after being forced to take a lie detector test on his first day at work. | ||||||
| 42 | 5 | "George's Diploma" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | October 23, 1976 | |
| George's embarrassment at never having finished high school increases when Lionel tells his highly educated colleagues at work that George is a graduate of Harvard. | ||||||
| 43 | 6 | "The Retirement Party" | Jack Shea | Dixie Brown Grossman | October 30, 1976 | |
| George must decide between gratitude and greed when he is offered a fortune to sell his business, but knows that doing so would mean selling out one of his oldest friends. | ||||||
| 44 | 7 | "Lionel's Pad" | Jack Shea | Booker Bradshaw & Kurt Taylor | November 10, 1976 | |
| When Lionel decides to move into his own apartment, Louise and George are not too happy. However, when they find out who Lionel's roommate will be, they really lose their cool. | ||||||
| 45 | 8 | "Tom the Hero" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | November 17, 1976 | |
| Tom's quick thinking saves George's life, but George's gratitude soon sours when he realizes that now he is in Tom's debt. | ||||||
| 46 | 9 | "Jenny's Discovery" | Jack Shea | Bob Baublitz | November 24, 1976 | |
| Jenny's pre-marital jitters and doubts about her love for Lionel are quickly dispelled when she thinks he's been in a bus crash. | ||||||
| 47 | 10 | "The Agreement" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | December 8, 1976 | |
| George's suggestion of a prenuptial agreement causes friction between Jenny and Lionel—and George is loving every minute of it. | ||||||
| 48 | 11 | "Florence in Love" | Jack Shea | S : Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff; T : Richard Freiman & Stephen Young | December 15, 1976 | |
| Furious when the Jeffersons forbid her to let her boyfriend stay overnight, Florence quits her job, to the distress of Louise and the delight of George. | ||||||
| 49 | 12 | "The Christmas Wedding" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | December 22, 1976 | |
| Peace and goodwill are the first holiday casualties when the Jeffersons and the Willises get into a Christmas Eve spat over Lionel and Jenny's wedding. | ||||||
| 50 | 13 | "Louise Forgets" | Jack Shea | Bill Davenport | January 5, 1977 | |
| Louise takes a course to improve her memory, Florence takes a course in judo, and they both nearly wipe George out. | ||||||
| 51 | 14 | "Bentley's Problem" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | January 12, 1977 | |
| Neighbor Harry Bentley takes George's advice in order to solve a problem, and winds up locked up in jail. | ||||||
| 52 | 15 | "Jefferson Airplane" | Jack Shea | S : Brian Levant; T : Dixie Brown Grossman | January 17, 1977 | |
|
Louise talks the hard-working George into finding a hobby for relaxation, but the hobby he chooses is flying, which only makes them both nervous wrecks. (Note: The show has moved to Monday nights.) | ||||||
| 53 | 16 | "George's Guilt" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | January 24, 1977 | |
| Louise can't believe what she's seeing and Florence can't believe what is happening to her when George holds a reunion of his old street gang and starts acting like a kid again. | ||||||
| 54 | 17 | "A Case of Black and White" | Jack Shea | Fred S. Fox, Seaman Jacobs, Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | January 31, 1977 | |
| George is forced to wait hand and foot on his maid and his doorman in order to save a big business deal. | ||||||
| 55 | 18 | "Louise vs. Jenny" | Jack Shea | John Ashby | February 7, 1977 | |
| Louise learns the lesson the hard way that the trouble with being a mother-in-law is that she starts acting like one when she and Jenny start fighting over Lionel. | ||||||
| 56 | 19 | "The Marriage Counselors" | Jack Shea | John V. Hanrahan | February 21, 1977 | |
|
The Willis's formula for improving their marriage almost splits the Jeffersons.
| ||||||
| 57 | 20 | "Louise's Friend" | Jack Shea | T : Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan; S/T : Richard Freiman & Stephen Young | February 28, 1977 | |
| A little "oo-là-là" turns into "oh, no you don't" when George finds out Louise's new friend from French class is a man (Hal Williams). | ||||||
| 58 | 21 | "The Old Flame" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | March 7, 1977 | |
| Mother Jefferson stirs up trouble when she invites one of George's former girlfriends to the house for dinner, and George soon finds out there are still dangerous sparks in his old flame. | ||||||
| 59 | 22 | "Jenny's Opportunity" | Jack Shea | S : Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff; T : Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | March 21, 1977 | |
| Is it right for a newlywed wife to leave her husband and go to England for three months? Jenny says "yes," but Lionel says "no". | ||||||
| 60 | 23 | "George the Philanthropist" | Jack Shea | Dennis Koenig & Larry Balmagia | March 28, 1977 | |
| George's heart is in the right place, but for all the wrong reasons. His sudden generosity seems no more than a thinly disguised attempt to beat out a competitor for the Black Businessman's Award. | ||||||
| 61 | 24 | "Louise's Physical" | Jack Shea | Lloyd Turner, Gordon Mitchell, Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | April 11, 1977 | |
| When Louise's sudden feelings of worthlessness threaten to ruin her surprise party, George orders her to have a happy birthday, whether she likes it or not. | ||||||
Season 4 (1977–78)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 63 | 1 2 | "The Grand Opening" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty, Mike Milligan, Roger Shulman & John Baskin | September 24, 1977 | |
|
While George is in Charlie's bar getting ready to celebrate the opening of his new office, two men overhear him bragging about his wealth and decide to ransack his apartment. The celebration quickly cools, however, with the news that Louise has been kidnapped for ransom. But while George is hurrying to gather the ransom money for her safe return, both he and the kidnappers learn they have the wrong person when Louise returns to the apartment. (Notes: Marla Gibbs has officially become a regular cast member, and the series is now airing on Saturdays.) | ||||||
| 64 | 3 | "Once a Friend" | Jack Shea | Michael S. Baser & Kim Weiskopf | October 1, 1977 | |
| George is excited when he learns that an old Navy pal is in town and wants him to stop by at his hotel for a visit. However, the old pal, whom George knew as "Eddie," has a big surprise for George: her name is now "Edie," and she is a trans woman. | ||||||
| 65 | 4 | "George's Help" | Jack Shea | Patt Shea & Jack Shea | October 8, 1977 | |
| Helping out at the Help Center, puts Louise in the middle of a new program which gives street kids jobs with businesses. This leads to a street kid getting a job at one of George's stores and soon George discovers an expensive suede jacket is missing. | ||||||
| 66 | 5 | "George's Legacy" | Jack Shea | Don Segall | October 15, 1977 | |
| George insists on being immortalized and devises ways of how to go about doing it. He finally decides to have a bust made of himself. However, his family and friends consider the bust a hilarious joke. | ||||||
| 67 | 6 | "Good News, Bad News" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | October 22, 1977 | |
| Louise eyes a job opening at the Help Center, which would make her editor of the Help Center newsletter. However, when her supervisor discovers how much experience Helen has, she is hired, leaving a jealous Louise on the sideline. | ||||||
| 68 | 7 | "The Visitors" | Jack Shea | Roger Shulman & John Baskin | October 29, 1977 | |
| George and Louise have two unexpected house guests when Florence's parents come for a visit. Their constant bickering keeps George, Louise and Florence up all night, and proves to be a burden on the Jefferson household. | ||||||
| 69 | 8 | "The Camp-Out" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | November 5, 1977 | |
| To avoid a weekend visit from his mother, George leaves Louise to deal with her when he decides to take an unexpected camping trip with Marcus. | ||||||
| 70 | 9 | "The Last Leaf" | Jack Shea | Laura Levine | November 12, 1977 | |
|
When Louise loses her lucky wedding corsage, she becomes convinced that her marriage is over. This leads George to bend over backwards to prove that their marriage is far from over. (Note: Zara Cully makes her last appearance as Olivia Jefferson.) | ||||||
| 71 | 10 | "Louise's New Interest" | Jack Shea | Olga Vallance | November 19, 1977 | |
| Louise's latest interest is working at a museum, where she is invited to go on an archeological dig. However, the only people going on the trip are her and her attractive supervisor, a fact that she keeps from George. | ||||||
| 72 | 11 | "The Costume Party" | Jack Shea | Martin Donovan | November 26, 1977 | |
| Louise and George are invited to a costume ball hosted by an organization that promotes inter-racial peace and inter-racial marriages. When George learns this, he is set against attending, but gets an idea that would drum up work for his dry cleaning business. | ||||||
| 73 | 12 | "Florence Gets Lucky" | Jack Shea | Bob DeVinney | December 3, 1977 | |
| George is once again pursuing a big business deal. However, when negotiations don't appear to be going his way, he gets Florence to constantly insult him, because the only thing the man with whom he's doing business enjoys is Florence's sharp tongue. | ||||||
| 74 | 13 | "George Needs Help" | Jack Shea | Roger Shulman & John Baskin | December 10, 1977 | |
| Louise is fed up with George's constant working, which leaves little time to spend with her, leading her to try to get George to hire a general manager, something he's set against. | ||||||
| 75 | 14 | "The Jefferson Curve" | Jack Shea | Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff | December 17, 1977 | |
| Marcus takes a lesson from George and throws a pretty girl the "Jefferson curve," which is to bend the truth to get what you want, telling the girl that he's Lionel. This eventually leads George and Louise to believe that Lionel is having an affair. | ||||||
| 76 | 15 | "984 W. 124th Street, Apt. 5C" | Jack Shea | Roger Shulman & John Baskin | December 24, 1977 | |
| It's the Christmas season and the first wedding anniversary of Lionel and Jenny. However, George is sneaking around sending gifts to a mysterious address in Harlem, leading Louise to follow him, and she is shocked at what she discovers. | ||||||
| 77 | 16 | "George and Whitty" | Jack Shea | Howard Albrecht & Sol Weinstein | January 7, 1978 | |
| George and Louise discover that their landlord, Mr. Whittendale, may not be renewing their lease, prompting George and Louise to invite Whittendale over to discuss the matter. However, just before he comes over, Harry drops his ant farm in the middle of the Jeffersons' living room. | ||||||
| 78 | 17 | "Lionel Gets the Business" | Bob Lally | Nancy Vince & Ted Dale | January 14, 1978 | |
|
George is ecstatic when Lionel joins the family business. However, "ecstatic" is not the word to describe George when Lionel begins making major changes, and even puts into effect a half-price sale, a change that could put George out of business. (Note: Damon Evans makes his final appearance as Lionel Jefferson.) | ||||||
| 79 | 18 | "The Blackout" | Jack Shea | Richard B. Eckhaus | January 21, 1978 | |
| A blackout prompts George to rush down to one of his stores when he hears about looting in the area. Once there, George and Marcus try to save some of the clothes from the looters, but they are arrested by mistake, landing them in jail. | ||||||
| 80 | 19 | "Florence's Union" | Jack Shea | S : Patt Shea & Jack Shea; T : Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg | January 28, 1978 | |
|
Florence is named the head of the maids union in the building and wants to hold a meeting in the Jeffersons' apartment. George is all for it until he discovers, H.L. Whittendale is set against it, prompting Louise and Florence to get George out of the apartment for the evening so the meeting can be held. (Note: Jack Fletcher makes his first appearance as Mr. Whittendale. Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover, Berlinda Tolbert, and Paul Benedict do not appear in this episode.) | ||||||
| 81 | 20 | "George and Jimmy" | Jack Shea | Richard Freiman | February 4, 1978 | |
| After learning that Jimmy Carter stays at the homes of "ordinary people" while on trips, George intends to invite him to stay at the Jeffersons' abode. However, Secret Service agents show up at the Jeffersons' door after George makes a phone call to the White House that sounds like a threat to the president. | ||||||
| 82 | 21 | "Thomas H. Willis and Co." | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | February 11, 1978 | |
| Helen is excited for Tom when he plans on starting his own publishing firm. However, her happiness turns to anger when she gets into a fight with George, then later finds out Tom is going to get George to co-sign a loan. | ||||||
| 83 | 22 | "Uncle George and Aunt Louise" | Jack Shea | Roger Shulman & John Baskin | February 18, 1978 | |
| George and Louise have a house guest: George's nephew Raymond (Gary Coleman) is staying with them for six weeks and proves to be a handful. When George's attempts to entertain Raymond fail, George takes him horseback riding but when that fails, Raymond runs away. | ||||||
| 84 86 | 23 25 | "George and Louise in a Bind" | Jack Shea | Jim Rogers | February 25, 1978 | |
|
Louise and George have another one of their infamous fights, which results in Louise storming off to the Willis'. Soon after she leaves, a burglar holds George hostage and ties him up. Louise is also tied up when she returns, which leads to George and Louise reminiscing about their lives and the time they've spent together. Numerous clips are shown from both The Jeffersons and All in the Family. (Note: Three days after this 90-minute episode aired, actress Zara Cully, who portrayed Mother Jefferson, died at age 86.) | ||||||
| 87 | 26 | "Jenny's Thesis" | Jack Shea | Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff | March 4, 1978 | |
| Jenny needs a topic for a thesis that she's writing. However, her idea could lead her into danger when she chooses the topic of street gangs. This leads her to go to Harlem and meet Marcus. Unknown to her, Tom and George are following her. | ||||||
Season 5 (1978–79)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 | 1 | "Louise's Painting" | Jack Shea | Nancy Vince & Ted Dale | September 20, 1978 | |
| Prompted by Helen, Louise begins taking an art class. However, when George discovers she's been sketching models who pose in the nude, he tries to get her to stop attending class. | ||||||
| 89 | 2 | "The Homecoming: Part 1" | Jack Shea | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | September 27, 1978 | |
|
George decides that he needs a cleaning factory and sets out to find a place for it. Meanwhile, Allan Willis returns to New York and learns that he has inherited a warehouse from his grandfather. Seeing that Allan's warehouse would be perfect for his factory, George goes all out to try to get it, even allowing Alan to move in with the Jeffersons due to squabbling between Alan and Tom. (Note: Jay Hammer makes his first appearance as Alan Willis. Also, this episode is the first to acknowledge the death of Zara Cully ["Mother Jefferson"].) | ||||||
| 90 | 3 | "The Homecoming: Part 2" | Jack Shea | T : Paul M. Belous, Robert Wolterstorff; S/T : Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | October 4, 1978 | |
| Alan moves in with the Jeffersons and George continues his efforts to get the warehouse for himself. Meanwhile, battles with the landlord prompt Louise and Helen to try to find a better location for the Help Center. | ||||||
| 91 | 4 | "How Slowly They Forget" | Jack Shea | S : Erwin Washington; T : Nancy Vince & Ted Dale | October 11, 1978 | |
| Louise has been trying to get a permit for the Help Center, but she hasn't been able to make any progress with the bank. Georges goes to the bank and discovers that the banker is an old U.S. Navy pal of his, one who still holds a grudge over some trickery George pulled on him back in their Navy days. | ||||||
| 92 | 5 | "George's Dream" | Jack Shea | Bob Baublitz | October 18, 1978 | |
| Workaholic George falls asleep in his office, one evening, and has a dream that takes him to the year 1996. In the dream, Amy Carter is president of the United States; Louise is celebrating the 25th anniversary of George's business, who isn't there celebrating since he passed on a few years earlier; Florence, Helen and Tom Willis are considerably older; Ralph owns the apartment building; Leroy is a financial genius who owns Jefferson Cleaners; and Bentley is still the same. | ||||||
| 93 | 6 | "George's New Stockbroker" | Jack Shea | T : Bryan Joseph, Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan; S/T : Jim Rogers | November 1, 1978 | |
| George's new stockbroker is quite a ventriloquist, after he introduces the Jeffersons to his dummy, J.P. However, George has second thoughts about him after he learns that he has spent time in a mental institution. | ||||||
| 94 | 7 | "Me and Billy Dee" | Jack Shea | S : Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan; T : Bryan Joseph | November 4, 1978 | |
| At the last minute, George's speaker at a benefit cancels, which leaves him scrambling to find a celebrity to speak. He sets out to rope Billy Dee Williams into speaking, even considering getting a celebrity look-alike. However, George passes himself off as Alex Haley, and Billy Dee agrees to speak. Meanwhile, an excited Florence is let down when she mistakes Billy Dee, her idol, for an impersonator. | ||||||
| 95 | 8 | "Half a Brother" | Jack Shea | Bob Baublitz | November 8, 1978 | |
| George is being considered for a position on a bank's board of directors and, when a banker comes over to interview him, Alan and the banker's daughter hit it off. This leads George to worry that, because Alan is half black, this will jeopardize his chances of getting the position. | ||||||
| 96 | 9 | "What Are Friends For?" | Jack Shea | S : Skip Usen; T : Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | November 22, 1978 | |
| George is thrilled to get a visit from his favorite cousin, Dusty. George's thrill turns to shock when Dusty asks George for a kidney, since his are failing, leading George to take a long hard look at the pros and cons of parting with one of his organs. | ||||||
| 97 | 10 | "George, Who?" | Jack Shea | Christine Houston | November 29, 1978 | |
| Louise is convinced that she and George are in a routine, something at which George scoffs. However, their routine gets shaken up after Louise is brutally mugged, resulting in her amnesia. | ||||||
| 98 | 11 | "Harry's House Guest" | Jack Shea | Fred S. Fox & Seaman Jacobs | December 13, 1978 | |
| Harry practically moves into the Jeffersons' apartment to avoid his annoying house guest, Felicia. George tries to help him out by giving him tips to throw her out, but this results in Felicia thinking that Harry is proposing. | ||||||
| 99 | 12 | "George Finds a Father" | Jack Shea | T : Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff; S/T : Kurt Taylor & John Donley | December 20, 1978 | |
| The Christmas season brings old friends Buddy and Zeke to the Jefferson apartment. With them comes along a long buried secret, one that George can't handle: Buddy and George's mother were once lovers. | ||||||
| 100 | 13 | "Louise's Sister" | Jack Shea | Bob Baublitz | January 3, 1979 | |
|
George is planning a surprise party for Louise, with the gift of a surprise visit from her sister, Maxine. When Louise has a strange reaction to her sister, George is puzzled. He does not know that her reasons stem from her and Maxine's childhood. (Note: This is the only time viewers see Louise's sister, Maxine.) | ||||||
| 101 | 14 | "Louise's Reunion" | Jack Shea | Howard Albrecht & Sol Weinstein | January 10, 1979 | |
| On the evening of her class reunion, Louise discovers in George's will that all of his money would go to her on the condition that she never remarries, prompting an argument resulting in Louise attending her reunion without George. | ||||||
| 102 | 15 | "A Bedtime Story" | Jack Shea | Stephen Neigher | January 24, 1979 | |
| George is trying to hide his impotence from Louise and explores several means to cure his problem, including oysters, medications and even a sex therapist. | ||||||
| 103 | 16 | "Florence Meets Mr. Right" | Jack Shea | Peter Casey & David Lee | January 31, 1979 | |
|
Florence's meets her latest boyfriend, Buzz Thatcher at church and he proposes marriage, which she happily accepts. However, his outrageous religious attitudes about life give Louise a bad feeling about the whole thing. (Note: Larry McCormick, then an anchor/reporter for KTLA News, portrayed Thatcher.) | ||||||
| 104 | 17 | "Louise's Award" | Jack Shea | M. Martez Thomas | February 7, 1979 | |
| Louise is excited that she's being considered to receive the Volunteer of the Year award due to her work down at the Help Center. However, what she doesn't know is that George is planning to make sure she wins the award by bribing one of the judges. | ||||||
| 105 | 18 | "The Other Woman" | Jack Shea | S : Jack Shea; T : Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | February 21, 1979 | |
| Tom's business trip sparks an argument between him and Helen, which worsens when she discovers that a beautiful blonde is accompanying him. | ||||||
| 106 | 19 | "The Hold Out" | Jack Shea | S : Bernard Burnell Mack; T : Bryan Joseph | February 28, 1979 | |
| George becomes the holdout when he refuses to sell his first store to a company who is buying up all the buildings on the block. His strategy is to hold out to increase the offer, despite the fact that the company plans to build an expensive apartment building, which would put those living there now out on the street. | ||||||
| 107 | 20 | "The Ones You Love" | Jack Shea | Stephen Neigher | March 7, 1979 | |
| Tom and Alan's fight causes a fight to erupt between George and Louise on the same evening that a reporter from Black Life Magazine is to interview them on the subject of happily married life. | ||||||
| 108 | 21 | "Every Night Fever" | Jack Shea | Bryan Joseph | March 28, 1979 | |
| Louise turns down an offer to perform in a play being put on by the Help Center because she wants to spend her evenings with George. However, after an evening at a disco, George catches disco fever and begins spending all night every night at the local disco. | ||||||
| 109 | 22 | "Three Faces of Florence" | Jack Shea | S : Bernard Burnell Mack; T : Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff | April 4, 1979 | |
| Florence is reading a novel in which a woman pretends to be different people, giving Florence the idea to act like different people herself to attract men. While down at the Help Center, she tries it out on a man who, unknown to her, is a psychiatrist, who becomes convinced Florence has multiple personalities. | ||||||
| 110 | 23 | "Louise's Convention" | Jack Shea | Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff | April 11, 1979 | |
|
Helen gives Louise the news that both of them have been invited to California to attend a convention. However, the planned trip coincides with the date of her wedding anniversary. Meanwhile, George mistakenly plans a business meeting on his anniversary. Later at home, he happily allows Louise to go to California, and his joy arouses suspicions in her. (Notes: Sheryl Lee Ralph makes a guest appearance, and Jay Hammer makes his final appearance as Allan Willis.) | ||||||
| 111 | 24 | "The Freeze-In" | Jack Shea | T : Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel; S/T : Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | April 18, 1979 | |
| When the heat goes out in a few of the apartments in the building, Harry, Tom and Helen convene at the Jeffersons' heated apartment, causing cramped space and sore feelings. | ||||||
Season 6 (1979–80)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 112 | 1 | "The Announcement" | Bob Lally | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | September 23, 1979 | |
|
Lionel and Jenny have some wonderful news: Jenny is pregnant. However, they only share the news with Tom and Helen, because Lionel doesn't want George making jokes about what color the baby will be. However, when Florence overhears the news, she accidentally lets slip to Louise who, in turn, tells George, which leads to yet another argument. (Notes: The series is now airing on Sundays until January 1985. Mike Evans returns to the role of Lionel Jefferson, the character he originated.) | ||||||
| 113 | 2 | "A Short Story" | Bob Lally | Neil Lebowitz | September 30, 1979 | |
| George is ecstatic when he learns he's been named Small Businessman of the Year. However, Louise quickly learns that the basis of the award is purely physical: the award is to honor short businessmen. | ||||||
| 114 | 3 | "Louise's Old Boyfriend" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | October 7, 1979 | |
| Louise is excited when she receives a letter from her old boyfriend, Bill Simpson, asking her out to dinner. However, she decides not to go because she knows George will be upset if she does. Therefore, Florence secretly goes out to dinner with Bill and pretends to be Louise, but things get really confusing for Bill when Louise changes her mind and shows up with George in tow. | ||||||
| 115 | 4 | "Now You See It, Now You Don't: Part 1" | Bob Lally | T : Mary-David Sheiner; S/T : Sheila Judis Weisberg | October 21, 1979 | |
| It's Halloween, and the Jeffersons and the Willis' are gearing up for a costume contest. They're each going as old movie stars. Meanwhile, Harry brings his telescope over onto the Jeffersons' balcony to view a specific star, leading to Louise taking a peek, but what she sees is totally unexpected—she sees someone dressed as a rabbit murder someone. | ||||||
| 116 | 5 | "Now You See It, Now You Don't: Part 2" | Bob Lally | S : Susan Straughn Harris; T : Peter Casey & David Lee | October 28, 1979 | |
| While George and the others are gathered in the bar waiting for the costume contest to start, Louise has a face-to-face confrontation in her apartment with the killer rabbit, who's now planning to make her his second victim. | ||||||
| 117 | 6 | "Where's Papa?" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | November 4, 1979 | |
| While going through a lot of old items, George and Louise discover an old will which belonged to his father. The will states that his father wanted to be buried next to Mother Jefferson, so George sets out to fulfill his wish, but quickly discovers that this is no easy task. | ||||||
| 118 | 7 | "The Expectant Father" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | November 11, 1979 | |
| Lionel becomes overwhelmed with advice on being a father when he and Jenny arrive at the Jefferson apartment, which prompts him to storm out. | ||||||
| 119 | 8 | "Joltin' George" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | November 18, 1979 | |
| George takes Marcus to the gym to teach him how to box, after the boyfriend of a girl that Marcus made a move on beats him up. However, George's big mouth gets him in the ring with another boxer (Luis Avalos), but George is confident that he'll win since, he used to be called "Joltin' George". | ||||||
| 120 | 9 | "Baby Love" | Bob Lally | Joanne Pagliaro | December 2, 1979 | |
| With all the excitement over Jenny's pregnancy, Florence begins to hear her biological clock ticking, prompting her to find a prospective husband and father through a dating service. | ||||||
| 121 | 10 | "Louise vs. Florence" | Bob Lally | S : Paul M. Belous & Robert Wolterstorff; T : Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | December 9, 1979 | |
| Louise is to present a volunteer award and must take care of the engraving on the plaque. However, when Florence takes it to her boyfriend, he misspells the name, leading to a huge fight between Florence and Louise, which results in Louise firing her. When George hires her back to serve some guests he's entertaining, constant bickering erupts. | ||||||
| 122 | 11 | "Me and Mr. G." | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | December 30, 1979 | |
| Louise is excited when she gets to have an orphan stay at the Jeffersons' apartment for a week. However, when she and Florence go out to the store and leave George in charge, some of his prejudiced attitudes rub off on the impressionable young lady. What was supposed to be a week's stay turns into only a few hours. | ||||||
| 123 | 12 | "One Flew Into the Cuckoo's Nest" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | January 6, 1980 | |
| While making a dry cleaning delivery to a mental institution, George is accidentally mistaken as a mental patient when the real patient escapes disguised as George. | ||||||
| 124 | 13 | "Louise's Setback" | Bob Lally | Robert Wolterstorff | January 13, 1980 | |
| Louise is ecstatic when she learns that a television documentary will be done on the suicide helpline available at the Help Center and she will be interviewed. However, in the midst of all the excitement, Louise inadvertently neglects a teenage girl, who later swallows a bottle of pills. | ||||||
| 125 | 14 | "Brother Tom" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | January 27, 1980 | |
| When two old friends of Helen's come for a visit, Tom feels like a "white" outsider in his own home, prompting him to ask George to teach him how to "act black". | ||||||
| 126 | 15 | "The Arrival: Part 1" | Bob Lally | Neil Lebowitz | February 3, 1980 | |
| George and Louise are disappointed at the news that, if Lionel gets the job for which he's being interviewed, Jenny and he will have to move to Boston. Meanwhile, when Tom comes down with the flu, he can't take Jenny to her Lamaze class, which prompts George to take her. However, when the class is over and everyone has gone, George gets stuck there with Jenny, who has gone into labor. | ||||||
| 127 | 16 | "The Arrival: Part 2" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | February 10, 1980 | |
| George rushes Jenny to the hospital as she begins having contractions. Meanwhile, Lionel is offered the job in Boston, and returns from the interview to learn the news the Jenny has gone into labor. At the hospital, the family gathers and George begins to worry about the baby's skin color . | ||||||
| 128 | 17 | "The Shower" | Bob Lally | Anthony & Celia Bonaduce | February 17, 1980 | |
| George and Louise are happily planning a belated baby shower for Jenny and Lionel. However, as soon as the shower begins, a workaholic Lionel walks out, leaving behind a lonely wife. | ||||||
| 129 | 18 | "The Longest Day" | Bob Lally | Bob Baublitz | February 24, 1980 | |
| When Louise, Helen, Florence and Jenny go out for the day, George, Tom and Lionel are left to take care of baby Jessica. They soon find out that taking care of a baby is no easy chore, and the Jefferson apartment begins to slowly turn to shambles. | ||||||
| 130 | 19 | "George's Birthday" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | March 2, 1980 | |
| Louise is planning a surprise party for George's 50th birthday and has invited all of his friends to meet up at the Willis' for the party. Meanwhile, George gets the idea to throw a birthday party for himself and finds all his friends refusing to attend, leading him to wallow in Charlie's bar. | ||||||
| 131 | 20 | "A Night to Remember" | Bob Lally | S : Stephen A. Miller; T : Peter Casey & David Lee | March 9, 1980 | |
| On their anniversary, George and Louise get into an argument over his honesty, prompting George to storm out to a hotel, and Louise is left to think about George's fidelity. Things get worse when she arrives at his hotel and discovers a young woman in his room. | ||||||
| 132 | 21 | "The Loan" | Bob Lally | S : Anthony & Celia Bonaduce; T : Peter Casey & David Lee | March 23, 1980 | |
| Lionel and Jenny are excited at the prospect of purchasing a home. However, when the bank turns down their loan application, George, Louise, Helen and Tom each go to the bank to help them get a loan, after each one promises not to interfere. | ||||||
| 133 | 22 | "Louise Takes a Stand" | Bob Lally | Bryan Joseph, Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | March 30, 1980 | |
| George is excited when he learns he will be able to expand his store on the first floor of the building. However, his excitement starts to dwindle when he learns the expansion means taking over Charlie's bar, since Charlie's lease is not being renewed. | ||||||
| 134 | 23 | "The First Store" | Bob Lally | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | April 6, 1980 | |
| As Louise and George look through old photos, they recall George opening his first store in 1968. His opening coincides with the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and, as news of King's death circulates, chaos erupts in the Jeffersons' neighborhood. | ||||||
| 135 | 24 | "Once Upon a Time" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | April 13, 1980 | |
| While babysitting his granddaughter Jessica, George entertains her with his version of King Arthur—"King George". In his tale, King George defends his kingdom from the evil Inflation. | ||||||
Season 7 (1980–81)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 136 | 1 | "Marathon Men" | Bob Lally | Howard Bendetson & Bob Bendetson | November 2, 1980 | |
| It's the match of the century as perennial rivals George and Tom make plans to run each other into the ground in a 26-mile marathon. Louise and Helen doubt if they'll survive the strenuous training, much less the race. | ||||||
| 137 | 2 | "The Jeffersons Go to Hawaii: Part 1" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | November 9, 1980 | |
| After George is told by his doctor that he is at high risk for a heart attack, he and Louise plan a trip to Hawaii. Florence accompanies them and, when they arrive, they encounter Tom and Helen, who are staying at the same hotel and have decided to extend their vacation. | ||||||
| 138 139 | 3 4 | "The Jeffersons Go to Hawaii: Part 2" "The Jeffersons Go to Hawaii: Part 3" | Bob Lally | Jay Moriarty, Mike Milligan & Michael G. Moye | November 16, 1980 | |
| The Willis' presence in Hawaii threatens to destroy George's plan for a dream vacation with Louise but, despite this, his high blood pressure begins to lower, convincing him that it might be healthy to stay in the islands permanently. Enthusiastic about his idea of remaining in Hawaii permanently, George tries to enlist Tom's help to persuade Louise. Then George and Tom get lost sailing. | ||||||
| 140 | 5 | "The Jeffersons Go to Hawaii: Part 4" | Bob Lally | Jay Moriarty, Mike Milligan & Michael G. Moye | November 23, 1980 | |
| After their boat capsizes, George and Tom end up on an island where the friendly natives want to stop a greedy real estate developer, who turns out to be the developer with whom George wants to invest. | ||||||
| 141 | 6 | "Put It On" | Bob Lally | S : Stephanie Haden; T : Howard Bendetson & Bob Bendetson | November 30, 1980 | |
| It could be Full Monty time when Tom and George follow the women to an all-male strip show. | ||||||
| 142 | 7 | "Florence's Cousin" | Bob Lally | Marshall Goldberg | December 7, 1980 | |
| Florence's cousin Ernie drops by for a "visit". He lies and tells Florence that he needs $1,000 for a record store. Ernie gets the money from George and runs off to Miami with it. Florence winds up working in a restaurant behind George's back to recover the money. When George finds out, he fires Florence. However, after seeing how mean the manager treats her, George decides to hire her back. | ||||||
| 143 | 8 | "All I Want for Christmas" | Bob Lally | David W. Duclon & Ron Leavitt | December 21, 1980 | |
| George gets carried away after playing Santa for the orphans at the Help Center and promises them they will get anything they want for Christmas. | ||||||
| 144 | 9 | "Calendar Girl" | Bob Lally | David Silverman & Stephen Sustarsic | January 4, 1981 | |
| George and Louise secretly defy Lionel and Jenny to enter infant Jessica in a contest, then manage to misplace the child in the process. | ||||||
| 145 | 10 | "As Florence Turns" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | January 11, 1981 | |
| Florence's vivid imagination transforms the Jeffersons and their friends into characters in a soap opera, in which the evil dry cleaning magnate G.R. (George)(parody of JR Ewing) torments his family and associates to their murderous limits. | ||||||
| 146 | 11 | "God Bless Americans" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | January 18, 1981 | |
| George's upcoming appearance on a local television talk show is jeopardized when the super-patriotic host learns that George is sponsoring a Cuban refugee. | ||||||
| 147 | 12 | "Alley Oops" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | January 25, 1981 | |
| George's star bowler gets sick before the semi-finals in a bowling tournament and it's up to Tom, who hasn't bowled in 30 years, to save the day. | ||||||
| 148 | 13 | "And the Doorknobs Shined Like Diamonds" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | February 1, 1981 | |
| When Louise finds out that the house she grew up in is being torn down, she decides to go back and visit it. She recalls memories from her childhood, including flashback scenes involving her sister Maxine and her mother. | ||||||
| 149 | 14 | "Sorry, Wrong Meeting" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | February 15, 1981 | |
| Louise and Florence attend a CPR class, in which they run into members of the Ku Klux Klan. After Tom is robbed, he decides to arrange a tenants meeting. Unaware that it's a KKK meeting, Tom, George and Harry Bentley all attend, and an ugly argument flares up. The leader of the group (James Karen) has a heart attack and George saves him by giving him CPR, but he is ungrateful about it. However, the leader's son (Ike Eisenmann) is appreciative of what George did and, as a result, quits the group. | ||||||
| 150 | 15 | "My Hero" | Bob Lally | S : David Silverman & Stephen Sustarsic; T : Jerry Perzigian, Donald L. Seigel, Peter Casey & David Lee | February 22, 1981 | |
| George basks in the limelight after heroically saving an elderly woman from a mugger and capturing the thug. When the man escapes custody and sets out to get even, George hires a bodyguard. | ||||||
| 151 | 16 | "I Buy the Songs" | Bob Lally | S : Jerry Perzigian, Donald L. Seigel, Peter Casey & David Lee; | March 1, 1981 | |
| Not only does George fail in comparison to Tom in romantic gifts to his wife, he also forgets Valentine's Day. George makes it up to Louise in a song. | ||||||
| 152 | 17 | "Small Fish, Big Pond" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | March 8, 1981 | |
| George exaggerates his financial standing to gain membership into one of New York's most exclusive businessmen's clubs and soon finds himself in over his head. | ||||||
| 153 | 18 | "Not So Dearly Beloved" | Bob Lally | S : Fred S. Fox & Seaman Jacobs; T : David Silverman & Stephen Sustarsic | March 15, 1981 | |
| George searches for the right words to express his feelings in a eulogy for an employee who died when George fired him. | ||||||
| 154 155 | 19 20 | "Florence's New Job" | Bob Lally | Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan | March 29, 1981 | |
|
Florence is offered a job as an executive housekeeper at the fictional St. Frederick Hotel. (Note: This episode served as the transition to Marla Gibbs' short-lived spinoff series, Checking In.) | ||||||
Season 8 (1981–82)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 156 | 1 | "The Separation: Part 1" | Bob Lally | S : Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan; T : Howard Bendetson & Bob Bendetson | October 4, 1981 | |
| Louise and George are heartbroken when they discover Lionel and Jenny are having marital problems that result in a separation, prompting George, Louise, Helen and Tom to convene to try to get them back together. | ||||||
| 157 | 2 | "The Separation: Part 2" | Bob Lally | S : Jay Moriarty & Mike Milligan; T : Nancy Vince & Ted Dale | October 11, 1981 | |
| Due to the separation, Lionel is living at home with George and Louise, prompting George to trick a marriage counselor into showing up at the Jeffersons' apartment, with the intention of bringing Lionel and Jenny back together. | ||||||
| 158 | 3 | "Louise's Father" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | October 18, 1981 | |
| A newspaper photo alerts George to the fact that the man in the photo could very well be Louise's long-lost father, since they both have the same name. Louise refuses to entertain this notion, since she believes that her father died when she was young. However, George learns the truth after visiting the man. | ||||||
| 159 | 4 | "My Maid, Your Maid" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey, David Lee, Jerry Perzigian, Donald L. Seigel | October 25, 1981 | |
| With Florence working at a new job, Louise and George decide to hire a new maid. However, George and Louise are at odds when they each have separate candidates in mind for the position. | ||||||
| 160 | 5 | "I've Still Got It" | Bob Lally | Fred S. Fox & Seaman Jacobs | November 1, 1981 | |
| George has become convinced that age is taking its toll on him, with a receding hairline and larger midsection. In an attempt to revitalize him, Louise sends him some flowers with a seductive note to his office. However, George becomes convinced the flowers are from his secretary. | ||||||
| 161 | 6 | "Florence Did It Different: Part 1" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | November 8, 1981 | |
| Constant bickering between George and Carmen prompts Louise to tell Carmen how Florence handled George (via flashbacks). However, just as Carmen gets a handle on how to handle George, Florence shows up with news that the hotel burned down and she would like her old job back. | ||||||
| 162 | 7 | "Florence Did It Different: Part 2" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | November 15, 1981 | |
| When Florence learns the Jeffersons have hired a new maid she decides to let Carmen have the job. However, Carmen doesn't want to take Florence's job away from her so she decides to let her have it. With both Florence and Carmen at odds over who should keep the job, Louise decides to hire them both. However, on the sly, Florence makes plans to get fired. | ||||||
| 163 | 8 | "The House That George Built" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | November 29, 1981 | |
| George wants everyone to remember him when he dies, so he sets out to remake himself into a legend. First he tries writing a book about his life, but changes his mind and does the unthinkable: he buys a building and turns it into the George Jefferson Museum, complete with exhibits about his life and times. | ||||||
| 164 | 9 | "A Whole Lot of Trouble" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | December 6, 1981 | |
| Louise is furious when she learns that George is the businessman who plans on building over a local children's playground. However, George has second thoughts after he makes a visit to the playground. | ||||||
| 165 | 10 | "I've Got a Secret" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey, David Lee, Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | December 20, 1981 | |
| When George discovers Louise is keeping a diary, he goes all out to try to read it, including staying up all night to try to wriggle it out of Louise's clutches. However, one day when she leaves it unguarded, George takes a peek and is shocked by its contents, which detail a number of affairs that Louise appears to be carrying on. | ||||||
| 166 | 11 | "A Charmed Life" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | December 27, 1981 | |
| George doesn't understand why he wasn't invited to a posh gala event at the Whittendale apartment, until Tom, Helen, Louise and Florence break the news the Whittendales "hates his guts." Wanting to earn some respect, George takes charm lessons in order to live up to the standards of the behavior of "rich folks." | ||||||
| 167 | 12 | "Thammy the Thongwriter" | Bob Lally | David W. Duclon & Ron Leavitt | January 3, 1982 | |
| George and Louise receive a postcard from Harry, who's been transferred out of the country. Soon after, they meet the man who's moving into Harry's old apartment, a jingle writer whom George tries to get to write a jingle for his business. However, jingles are far from his mind, since he's having marital problems. | ||||||
| 168 | 13 | "I Spy" | Bob Lally | Sara V. Finney | January 17, 1982 | |
|
Helen's comments that Tom hasn't been paying any attention to her fuel George's belief that she is having an affair, especially after he sees her and another man having lunch together, leading George to bring Tom to the restaurant to see for himself.
| ||||||
| 169 | 14 | "Dog-Gone" | Bob Lally | Mark Rothman & Jeffrey Duteil | January 24, 1982 | |
| George has the task of taking care of Mr. Whittendale's wife's pet Doberman. However, when a freak accident occurs ending in the dog's death, George is scared that he will end up on the streets. | ||||||
| 170 | 15 | "Blazing Jeffersons" | Bob Lally | S : David W. Duchon & Ron Leavitt; T : Jerry Perzigian, Donald L. Seigel, Peter Casey & David Lee | January 31, 1982 | |
|
George is distraught when he learns that his Brooklyn store has burned down due to faulty wiring. However, Tom raises his spirits by reminding him that his insurance will cover it by taking to court the person responsible for the faulty wiring. Then George remembers who put in the wiring: Lionel. (Notes: This is Mike Evans' final appearance as a regular cast member. Evans would return to the show in season 11) | ||||||
| 171 | 16 | "Men of the Cloth" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | February 7, 1982 | |
| For Jessica's baptism, Louise wants Florence and her gospel singing group to perform, and Jenny agrees with her. However, George wants someone else and sets out to get Andraé Crouch to perform at the baptism, going so far as to say he is a reverend. | ||||||
| 172 | 17 | "A Case of Self-Defense" | Bob Lally | Jeffrey Richman & Joyce Gittlin | February 21, 1982 | |
| When Lionel's and Jenny's apartment is broken into, George begins to worry that his apartment could just as easily be broken into. His solution: buy a gun, something that Louise is totally against. However, George buys one on the sly, and it later proves to be a dangerous possession. | ||||||
| 173 | 18 | "My Wife, I Think I'll Keep Her" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | March 7, 1982 | |
| Upset that their husbands do not feel they should be involved in business matters, Louise and Helen move in together, leaving George and Tom to live together in the Jefferson apartment—all this prompted by George not consulting Louise about a commercial he was making and Tom's plans to proceed with publishing a book by written by a sexist. | ||||||
| 174 | 19 | "Guess Who's Not Coming to Dinner" | Bob Lally | Brian Pollack & Rick Shaw | March 14, 1982 | |
| Louise, George, Tom and Helen plan a surprise party for Florence to let her know how much they appreciate her friendship. However, when Florence walks in on the planning stages, Tom makes an excuse and tells her she's invited, but only to serve the meal, prompting Florence to drown her sorrows in a $500 bottle of wine George just bought. | ||||||
| 175 | 20 | "The Strays: Part 1" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | March 21, 1982 | |
| For their anniversary, George decides to replace the setting on Louise's wedding ring. Meanwhile, one of George's messengers is robbed by an all-female street gang, who gets away with the week's proceeds. Trying to combat the gang, George is stabbed and left for dead, but not before they steal Louise's ring. | ||||||
| 176 | 21 | "The Strays: Part 2" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | March 28, 1982 | |
| Determined to retrieve Louise's ring, a very sore George arrives at the gang's hideout while they are out, only to find that one of the members has stayed behind—and she's also pregnant. When she goes into labor, with no time to call an ambulance, George delivers the baby just as the rest of the gang returns. Thankful that he was there to save the new mother and her baby, the gang leader returns Louise's ring to George. | ||||||
| 177 | 22 | "Jefferson's Greatest Hits" | Bob Lally | Ralph Phillips | April 11, 1982 | |
| A record producer follows Florence home from church after hearing her gospel singing. At the Jeffersons' apartment, he offers Florence the chance to make a record in exchange for $1,200. Smelling a con, Louise and George try to stop Florence from making a big mistake that would cost her dearly. | ||||||
| 178 | 23 | "A Small Victory" | Bob Lally | David W. Duclon & Ron Leavitt | April 18, 1982 | |
| Louise and Helen consider leaving the Help Center due to lack of involvement from others and lack of funds. However, just as they're about to call it quits, a young hooker named Maggie walks in the door. | ||||||
| 179 | 24 | "Lesson in Love" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | May 2, 1982 | |
| Florence becomes depressed when her latest boyfriend doesn't call her for a second date. She later is asked out by a police officer and, in order to keep him interested her, George gives Florence some tips on what men like in a woman. | ||||||
| 180 | 25 | "Do Not Forsake Me, Oh, My Helen" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | May 16, 1982 | |
| Helen gets an invitation to have lunch with an old boyfriend and Tom is seething with jealousy, leading him to have a dream about the Old West, where he has a shootout with Pecos Darryl, a man after Helen's heart. | ||||||
Season 9 (1982–83)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 181 | 1 | "Laundry Is a Tough Town: Part 1" | Bob Lally | S : Elliot Stern; T : Kurt Taylor & Mark Miller | September 26, 1982 | |
| George is in a price war with Big Sky Cleaners with no holds barred. A representative from Big Sky comes to the Jeffersons' apartment, offering to buy George out, and he refuses. When Big Sky comes out with a one-millionth customer gimmick, George tries to find his own gimmick, and people with "talent" swamp the apartment, including a bearded lady and a lion tamer. But when Louise goes to Big Sky to end this battle, she becomes their one-millionth customer, leading George to decide to sell out. | ||||||
| 182 | 2 | "Laundry Is a Tough Town: Part 2" | Bob Lally | David W. Duclon, Ron Leavitt & Michael G. Moye | October 3, 1982 | |
| George has decided to sell out to Big Sky Cleaners, and he begins to hang around the apartment as if he already has retired, driving Florence and Louise up the wall, when he gets into the habit of giving advice to everyone he meets. However, George soon has second thoughts about giving up his business. | ||||||
| 183 | 3 | "Anatomy of a Stain" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | October 10, 1982 | |
| When Tom gets his pants back from Jefferson Cleaners with a stain on them, he wants a refund, but George refuses, saying it was Tom's fault for leaving a candy bar in the pocket. They take their case to a TV court show. | ||||||
| 184 | 4 | "Social Insecurity" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | October 17, 1982 | |
| Florence is unsure of the future when she realizes she doesn't have any financial security, prompting her to ask George for a pension plan, something he flatly refuses. | ||||||
| 185 | 5 | "Charlie's Angels" | Bob Lally | Neil Lebowitz | October 24, 1982 | |
| Charlie wants George to provide him with a loan for some improvements on his bar. George refuses, but does offer him some advice regarding how to get attract more business, including hiring waitresses and dressing them provocatively. This leads Charlie to go to Tom, who goes in on the deal, and the bar is quickly buzzing with business, something George now wants a part of. | ||||||
| 186 | 6 | "Heeeere's Johnny" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | October 31, 1982 | |
| Louise is not looking forward to the visit of one of George's best friends, Johnny Moore, because she can't stand his chauvinistic jokester mannerisms. Things get worse when she inadvertently gets him to stay at the Jeffersons' apartment during his stay in New York. | ||||||
| 187 | 7 | "A Date with Danger" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | November 7, 1982 | |
| At a party thrown by the Willises, the guest of honor, Joe Blake, a successful author, asks Florence out, and she can't wait to go out with him. However, soon after he takes her on their date, Tom and Helen inform George and Louise that he was in prison for murdering his girlfriend. | ||||||
| 188 | 8 | "Death Smiles on a Dry Cleaner: Part 1" | Bob Lally | David W. Duclon, Ron Leavitt, Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | November 21, 1982 | |
| For George's birthday, Louise books herself, George and Florence on a murder mystery cruise ship for mystery novelists, so George pretends to be a novelist. He is having fun trying to solve a murder mystery, until an apparently "real" murder occurs. | ||||||
| 189 | 9 | "Death Smiles on a Dry Cleaner: Part 2" | Bob Lally | David W. Duclon, Ron Leavitt, Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | November 28, 1982 | |
| The novelists try to solve the apparently "real" murder, with George trying his best to solve it, as well. When it is determined that the victim, Edgar, was poisoned, the crew deduces that the Duchess did it, but George discovers the real culprit. | ||||||
| 190 | 10 | "Appointment in 8-B" | Bob Lally | David W. Duclon & Ron Leavitt | December 12, 1982 | |
| George stops by 8-B, Ms. Sanderson's apartment, to drop off her cleaning. Soon after he leaves, Ralph stops by and hears Ms. Sanderson having sex with a man named George, and Ralph quickly jumps to the wrong conclusion. | ||||||
| 191 | 11 | "Poetic Justice" | Bob Lally | Lou Messina & Diane Messina Stanley | December 19, 1982 | |
| Louise discovers some old poems by George and decides to have them bound in a book. In order to get the book bound, she must order a minimum number of copies, which end up in the hands of several of their neighbors in the building. George is furious, but his attitude changes when a publisher shows an interest. | ||||||
| 192 | 12 | "How Now Dow Jones" | Bob Lally | Peter Casey & David Lee | December 26, 1982 | |
| George's investment advice for Tom proves fruitful and puts Helen in a fur coat, prompting Florence to want to make some money, so she asks George for advice. However, since she doesn't have enough money for investing, he suggests she go in on the venture with the other maids in the building. The results of the ordeal prove to be less than satisfying—for George anyway. | ||||||
| 193 | 13 | "The Defiant Ones" | Bob Lally | Jeffrey Richman & Joyce Gittlin | January 2, 1983 | |
| While going through a box of mementos, George refuses to allow Louise to see a certain picture and decides to put it in his store safe. Determined to see it, and with Helen in tow, Louise tries to break into the store safe, but both women end up in jail. | ||||||
| 194 | 14 | "My Maid... My Wife" | Bob Lally | S : Michael Poryes; T : Marilyn Anderson & Wayne Kline | January 9, 1983 | |
| Florence runs into an old classmate, Pauline, and finds out that she has married money. This prompts a jealous Florence to say that she, too, married wealth—George, leading to Louise posing as the maid and Florence posing as Louise when Pauline comes over for dinner. | ||||||
| 195 | 15 | "Mr. Wonderful" | Bob Lally | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | January 16, 1983 | |
| George forgets to pick up opera tickets, leading Louise and Helen to comparing him to the "thoughtful" Tom. A miffed George spills the beans about Tom buying an insurance policy and naming as the beneficiary a racist cousin who disapproves of Tom and Helen's marriage. | ||||||
| 196 | 16 | "My Girl, Louise" | Bob Lally | Sandy Sprung & Marcy Vosburgh | January 23, 1983 | |
| With the Help Center on its last legs, Louise and Helen desperately try to find someone who could make a sizable donation to keep the center going. Louise goes to her ex-employer, Lillian Warren, whom Louise worked for as a maid and who treated her like a piece of furniture. | ||||||
| 197 | 17 | "Bodyguards Are People Too" | Bob Lally | Brent Stevens & Wade Stevens | January 30, 1983 | |
| Jenny is depressed that no one will take a chance on her fashion designs, so she stops by the Jeffersons' apartment for a visit. Meanwhile, George's bodyguard, Hugo, is determined to find love now that, as he puts it, he is in the spring of his life. When he runs into Jenny, he falls for her and is determined to make her his, even though she's married. | ||||||
| 198 | 18 | "True Confessions" | Bob Lally | S : Lewis Goldstein; T : Peter Casey & David Lee | February 6, 1983 | |
| George and Louise prepare for a visit from their foster son Jimmy, but they are in for the shock of their lives when they discover that he is a grown man who's supposedly been using the money they've sent them on his education. | ||||||
| 199 | 19 | "Mr. Clean" | Bob Lally | Carole Olson & Marita Epp | February 13, 1983 | |
| George and his poker buddies make a mess of the living room, so Florence stays up all night cleaning and is exhausted the next morning, leading George to make a bet with Florence that he can do in three hours what she does in a day. | ||||||
| 200 | 20 | "The Good Life" | Bob Lally | Michael G. Moye | February 20, 1983 | |
| The good life is striking everyone: George has hit success with the stocks, allowing Louise to purchase a ring she wanted; Tom has just gotten a new client; and Helen has just been pampered at a spa, where she met famous celebrities. Wanting in on the "good life," Florence shells out enough money to go to the spa and unknowingly runs into Gladys Knight. | ||||||
| 201 | 21 | "Father's Day" | Bob Lally | S : Hans Kracauer; T : Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | March 6, 1983 | |
| A young boy befriends Louise and Helen, and they become convinced that he has a crush on one of them. But the real reason he befriends them is to get to George, wanting to ask George if he would participate in a father-son bowling tournament, since his father is supposedly dead. However, the boy does, indeed, have a father who's alive, but not so well: he's a paraplegic. | ||||||
| 202 | 22 | "Change of a Dollar" | Bob Lally | Ron Leavitt & Michael G. Moye | March 13, 1983 | |
| On the night of a big banquet for Tom, George runs out at the last minute to run an errand at his store in Queens. There, viewers are taken back to 1968 and witness the grand opening of Jefferson Cleaners, and how George earned his first dollar. | ||||||
| 203 | 23 | "Designing Woman" | Bob Lally | Patrick Egan & Ilene Cooper | March 20, 1983 | |
| George is trying to drum up some cleaning business from a famous fashion designer, Camille Hendricks. He tricks Jenny into swinging by the apartment to meet her in order to show her some of her designs, but Jenny is unprepared for this surprise. | ||||||
| 204 | 24 | "Double Trouble" | Bob Lally | S : Patrick Egan & Ilene Cooper; T : Hans Kracauer | March 27, 1983 | |
| George is in yet another promotional battle with Cunningham. This time, Cunningham has hired a popular soap star to boost sales, so George tries to get celebrities, too. However, his idea may get him into trouble with the law when he hires celebrity lookalikes and tries to pass them off as the real things. | ||||||
| 205 | 25 | "Silver Lining" | Bob Lally | S : Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel; T : Peter Casey & David Lee | April 3, 1983 | |
| An auction is held to raise money for the Help Center, and Florence gets a big surprise when she discovers $2,500 stuffed into the lining of a hat that she buys. She turns the money in to the police, hoping no one will claim it, and no one does. However, just as Florence thinks she'll get to keep the money, an apparent owner arrives at the apartment. | ||||||
| 206 | 26 | "The Wheel of Forever" | Bob Lally | Marcy Vosburgh & Sandy Sprung | April 10, 1983 | |
| When Florence asks for enough money to purchase a new TV set, George flatly refuses. She tries again, this time politely asking, and, again, George refuses, leading to George having a dream about entering the gates of heaven after Florence makes a comment that he'd never get by those gates if she held the key. | ||||||
| 207 | 27 | "Personal Business" | Bob Lally | S : Lewis Goldstein; T : Marcy Vosburgh & Sandy Sprung | May 1, 1983 | |
| When her marriage gets in a rut, Louise tries to spice it up by trying to get George to spend some time with her. But her idea turns into a disaster when they get into a bicycling accident that leaves them each with a broken leg. | ||||||
Season 10 (1983–84)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 208 | 1 | "Mission: Incredible: Part 1" | Oz Scott | Michael G. Moye | October 2, 1983 | |
| George has a reunion with some old navy buddies. The fact that Tom has become gullible becomes a topic of discussion, leading his old pals to talk him into playing a little con game on Tom to teach him a lesson. However, the con becomes a little too real when George's old pals Lloyd and Allan make off with $15,000 of Tom's money. Tom fears that Helen will divorce him if she finds out, since this was money which was to be used for a down payment on a house that has come up on the market. | ||||||
| 209 | 2 | "Mission: Incredible: Part 2" | Oz Scott | Michael G. Moye | October 3, 1983 | |
| A furious Tom almost kills George when he learns he's been hustled out of $15,000, money that he had planned to use to make a down payment on a house. George calls in Jimmy to help him get Tom's money back. Jimmy talks George and Tom into flying to Los Angeles, where Lloyd and Allan have fled. Once there, they meet Jimmy's cousin, a crafty man who has a well-planned-out way of getting Tom's money back. Meanwhile, Florence, who knows what George and Tom are up to, tells Louise and Helen and they rush to Los Angeles. | ||||||
| 210 | 3 | "Mission: Incredible: Part 3" | Oz Scott | Michael G. Moye | October 9, 1983 | |
| Jimmy's cousin puts his plan into effect, which includes getting Lloyd and Allan to believe that Los Angeles is going to be hit by a military attack from a neighboring country. However, the plan could be ruined when Louise, Helen and Florence arrive in Los Angeles. | ||||||
| 211 | 4 | "I Do, I Don't" | Oz Scott | Jeffrey Richman & Joyce Gittlin | October 16, 1983 | |
| Tom and Helen host a seminar for newlyweds, a job that George learns that he could be doing if Louise had not passed on it without telling him. When Tom falls ill, George gets his chance of showing newlyweds how to keep the spice in a marriage, something Louise won't believe until she sees it. Guest star include Helen Martin. | ||||||
| 212 | 5 | "How Not to Marry a Millionaire" | Oz Scott | Kim Weiskopf | October 23, 1983 | |
| Florence and her friend Betty go to the museum in hopes of landing millionaires. Florence is surprised when a millionaire follows her home and begins showering her with expensive gifts, but his true intentions prove to be extremely painful to Florence. | ||||||
| 213 | 6 | "And the Winner Is..." | Oz Scott | Neil Lebowitz | October 30, 1983 | |
| Louise is eyeing the Volunteer of the Year award for her work at the Help Center. She hopes to win, because last year's winner, Mrs. Van Morris, is away on a cruise. However, Mrs. Van Morris returns just in time to sway the award toward her side by donating $25,000 to the Help Center. | ||||||
| 214 | 7 | "The Return of Bentley" | Oz Scott | Peter Casey & David Lee | November 6, 1983 | |
| The Jeffersons and the Willises are excited by the news that Harry Bentley is returning to New York City. Mr. Whittendale is the one person standing in the way of Harry getting his old apartment back, and George quickly joins Whittendale's bandwagon when the new occupant of Bentley's old apartment could make George a lot of money. | ||||||
| 215 | 8 | "The List" | Oz Scott | Marty Farrell | November 20, 1983 | |
| George gets a letter from an old friend who had made a bet with George years ago that he could accomplish everything on his life goal list before George, leading George to dig out his old list and see that there is one thing he hasn't done: get even with a bully that picked on him when he was a kid. | ||||||
| 216 | 9 | "Who's the Fairest" | Oz Scott | Al Aidekman | December 4, 1983 | |
| For his latest promotion, George decides to hold a beauty contest to find Miss Jefferson Cleaners. Meanwhile, George's 10-year lease on his stores is up, and Mr. Whittendale holds the new lease. However, Whittendale will give it up only if his punk rocker niece wins the beauty contest. | ||||||
| 217 | 10 | "Father Christmas" | Oz Scott | S : Kevin Kelton; T : Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | December 11, 1983 | |
| Refusing to go Christmas caroling with Louise, Helen, Florence and Mr. Bentley, George and Tom sit home decorating the tree, prompting reminiscences about past Christmases spent with their fathers. | ||||||
| 218 | 11 | "What Makes Sammy Run?" | Tony Singletary | Sara V. Finney | January 1, 1984 | |
| Louise discovers that Sammy Davis, Jr. is renting the apartment across the hall in order to get some peace and quiet from his fans, but an ecstatic Louise has a hard time keeping his secret. | ||||||
| 219 | 12 | "Getting Back to Basiks" | Tony Singletary | S : Rosalind Stevenson; T : Marcy Vosburgh & Sandy Sprung | January 8, 1984 | |
| George needs a new gimmick for his dry cleaning business, so he decides to hire Walter, an artist, to put together an animated commercial. Walter's job with George is threatened when Louise discovers that he cannot read. | ||||||
| 220 | 13 | "The Command Post" | Tony Singletary | Peter Casey & David Lee | January 15, 1984 | |
| Florence is sad because George and Louise are going on a vacation to Atlantic City without her, but she finds herself in the middle of excitement when she allows police officers to use the Jeffersons' apartment to stake out the neighbors across the street. When the situation turns dangerous, Florence ends up in the hospital. | ||||||
| 221 | 14 | "Real Man Don't Dry Clean" | Oz Scott | Ed Burnham & Elaine Newman | January 29, 1984 | |
| Louise, Helen and Florence are in awe of the rugged, manly instructor of their self-defense class, leading George and Tom to prove that they, too, are manly, and they decide to go on a hunting trip. After not getting anything on the trip, they hire a taxidermy company to bring in stuffed animals and brag that they caught them. | ||||||
| 222 | 15 | "Trading Places" | Oz Scott | Marcy Vosburgh & Sandy Sprung | February 12, 1984 | |
| Louise has had it with George, who breaks previous engagements with Tom and Mr. Bentley to go golfing, prompting Louise to daydream what it would be like to be in George's shoes and not care about the feelings of others. | ||||||
| 223 | 16 | "My Guy, George" | Oz Scott | S : Ron Leavitt; T : Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | March 4, 1984 | |
| Florence manages to get George to become the manager of a struggling singing sister group (portrayed by Sister Sledge).[7] On their opening night, the place where George booked them turns out to be a country western bar, and the reception from the audience is less than welcoming. | ||||||
| 224 | 17 | "A New Girl in Town" | Michael G. Moye | Marty Farrell | March 11, 1984 | |
| Florence is excited when she learns that her 18-year-old cousin, Rhonda, is coming to New York City for a visit, and Louise and Florence trick George into allowing her to stay with them. When Rhonda decides to move to the city permanently, the ensuing argument with Florence results in Rhonda moving out and getting a job as a mud wrestler. | ||||||
| 225 | 18 | "Otis" | Oz Scott | Michael G. Moye | March 18, 1984 | |
| George is excited about having a magazine exposé done on him and his cleaning business, but the magazine's plan to present a non-stereotypical view of blacks is a problem for Otis, a shoeshine man who has his stand outside of George's Harlem store. | ||||||
| 226 | 19 | "Hart to Heart" | Oz Scott | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | March 25, 1984 | |
| Ralph, the doorman, wants a raise, and Louise and George give him the confidence he needs to ask Mr. Whittendale. However, the results are completely unexpected to him, when Mr. Whittendale announces that he will no longer be needed, since they're going to install an automatic door. | ||||||
| 227 | 20 | "George's Old Girlfriend" | Oz Scott | Kurt Taylor | April 1, 1984 | |
| In this curious return to the mood of the early seasons, Louise finds a perfume-soaked letter in the mail to George from an old girlfriend. After a discussion, Louise decides to allow him to meet with her, which turns out to be a big mistake. Soon after she arrives, she pulls a gun on him with the intent to kill him. | ||||||
| 228 | 21 | "Honeymoon Hotel" | Oz Scott | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | April 15, 1984 | |
| Tom and Helen's 30th wedding anniversary is anything but happy when they get into a big argument over where they should spend the day. They finally decide to go to the hotel where they spent their honeymoon. When they arrive, things go from bad to worse. | ||||||
| 229 | 22 | "In the Chips" | Arlando Smith | Peter Casey & David Lee | May 6, 1984 | |
| Jimmy arrives at the Jeffersons' apartment with a bag full of gambling chips and a wild story about how he got them. George discovers that the chips aren't Jimmy's, and a debt collector is on their tail, ready to repossess the chips at all costs. | ||||||
Season 11 (1984–85)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 230 | 1 | "Blood and Money" | Oz Scott | S : James Kutras; T : Jeffrey Richman & Joyce Gittlin | October 14, 1984 | |
| The Help Center is having a blood drive and Louise tries to get George to give some. A leery George pays Ralph to give blood in his name, but when the blood saves the life of Mrs. Whittendale, her husband decides to pay George back for his good deed and, of course, Ralph wants in. | ||||||
| 231 | 2 | "Ebony and Ivory" | Oz Scott | Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner | October 21, 1984 | |
| The snobby socialite that beat Louise out of a Volunteer of the Year award is back and bragging about how her grandson is going to win a piano recital, leading Louise to enter her granddaughter, Jessica, in the recital with the intent of beating the snobby competition. | ||||||
| 232 | 3 | "Bobbles, Bangles, and Booboos" | Oz Scott | Winston Moss | October 28, 1984 | |
| Louise and Florence have the perfect plan to get the best of George: they get the hidden-video show Bobbles, Bangles and Booboos to come over on the pretense of an interview with George. However, Louise and George develop suspicions about the show when the apartment is robbed. | ||||||
| 233 | 4 | "A House Divided" | Oz Scott | Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel | November 4, 1984 | |
| Louise is running for tenant council president, sure she's going to win, until she discovers someone is running against her: George. | ||||||
| 234 | 5 | "Some Enchanted Evening" | Arlando Smith | S : Billy Dee Williams & Marla Gibbs; T : Marcy Vosburgh & Sandy Sprung | November 18, 1984 | |
| George, Louise, Tom and Helen go to a charity ball where Florence's favorite soap star is scheduled to appear. When Florence is left behind because the event is sold out, she daydreams a Cinderella story about ending up with a Prince Charming. | ||||||
| 235 | 6 | "The Gift" | Oz Scott | Bobby Herbeck | November 25, 1984 | |
| Louise is excited that, for once, George has remembered her birthday after she sees him sneaking around with party favors. However, George, who overhears Helen and Louise, realizes that he has forgotten her birthday and scrambles to buy her a gift before it's too late. | ||||||
| 236 | 7 | "They Don't Make Preachers Like Him Anymore" | Oz Scott | S : Ron Leavitt; S/T : Michael G. Moye | December 16, 1984 | |
| Florence is excited because she and her church choir are going to Ohio for a competition, but she loses her faith in God when the Reverend steals the money for the entry fee. | ||||||
| 237 | 8 | "Try a Little Tenderness" | Oz Scott | Oz Scott & Joe Rosario | December 23, 1984 | |
| Teenagers break into George's store. When he catches them, he wants to call the police, but Louise wants to go a different way. Louise takes the thugs in and treats them to milk and brownies. After learning that one of the kids stole George's wallet, Louise is convinced that they are really thieves. | ||||||
| 238 | 9 | "You'll Never Get Rich" | Oz Scott | Lewis Goldstein & Richard Kraut | January 8, 1985 | |
| Florence joins the Jeffersons on a trip to Atlantic City. Louise becomes so consumed with meeting a star, that she is oblivious to the actual celebrities she meets, while Florence allows a lucky gambling streak to get the better of her. Guest stars include Phyllis Diller, Charo, Engelbert Humperdinck, Helen Reddy, Joe Frazier, and Michael Spinks. | ||||||
| 239 | 10 | "The Unnatural" | Oz Scott | S : Andy Horowitz; T : Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | January 15, 1985 | |
| George attends a Yankees game and is publicly embarrassed when he drops a home run hit by Reggie Jackson, a former Yankee now playing for the California Angels. Louise gets into the Angels' locker room and convinces Jackson to talk to George. Jackson's teammates Brian Downing and Mike Witt also appear in the episode as themselves. | ||||||
| 240 | 11 | "Chairman of the Bored" | Oz Scott | Stu Goldman & Vito J. Giambalvo | January 22, 1985 | |
| When George, Louise and Helen are busy for an evening, an ignored Tom gets all the attention he could want from the sister of Mr. Bentley's girlfriend, leading Tom to daydream what it would be like to get all the attention all the time from five Playboy Playmates. | ||||||
| 241 | 12 | "Sayonara: Part 1" | Oz Scott | Peter Casey & David Lee | January 29, 1985 | |
| Lionel and Jenny return to New York after a trip to Japan, and they have a very important announcement. Louise, George, Tom and Helen assume that Jenny is pregnant, so no one is prepared for their real announcement: they've decided to get a divorce. | ||||||
| 242 | 13 | "Sayonara: Part 2" | Oz Scott | Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner | February 5, 1985 | |
|
After hearing the news of the divorce, George and Louise get into a fight with Tom and Helen that continues all the way through Family Night at Jessica's school. The constant bickering leads Jessica to run out of the school and onto the streets of New York. (Note: Mike Evans and Berlinda Tolbert's final appearances as Lionel and Jenny Willis Jefferson) | ||||||
| 243 | 14 | "Last Dance" | Oz Scott | Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner | February 12, 1985 | |
| George's assistant, Clark, doesn't have a date for the prom and Florence agrees to go with him. Once there, Florence runs into the man with whom she wanted to go to her prom, but he never asked her. Guest stars include Hal Williams and Stoney Jackson. | ||||||
| 244 | 15 | "The Gang's All Here" | Oz Scott | Al Aidekman | February 19, 1985 | |
| When Charlie goes out of town for the weekend, Louise agrees to be the bartender for a party he had previously booked. She quickly finds herself in over her head when the party is for a reunion of a biker gang. | ||||||
| 245 | 16 | "Hail to the Chief" | Oz Scott | Hans Kracauer | March 12, 1985 | |
| Tom is up for a promotion and is disappointed when it looks as if he's not going to get it. When he does get promoted, he finds the responsibility too overwhelming and considers resigning. | ||||||
| 246 | 17 | "A Secret in the Back Room" | Oz Scott | Jerry Perzigian & Donald L. Seigel | March 19, 1985 | |
| George and Louise's anniversary party comes to a screeching halt when they learn that Charlie, the bartender, has a drinking problem, which caused his separation from his wife. | ||||||
| 247 | 18 | "That Blasted Cunningham" | Oz Scott | S : Mark Zakarin; T : Peter Casey & David Lee | April 2, 1985 | |
| George is in yet another advertising war with Cunningham Cleaners, and each has vowed to out-promote the other. The festivities go too far, leading to Cunningham's death and leaving George to deal with his vengeful widow. Susan Ruttan, later of L.A. Law fame, guest stars as the vindictive Mrs. Cunningham. | ||||||
| 248 | 19 | "State of Mind" | Oz Scott | Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner | April 23, 1985 | |
| Louise is up in arms over the young new tenant who has just moved into the building. The woman's constant partying prompts Louise to call a tenants meeting that ends with Louise discovering a little bit about age when the tenants accuse her of turning into an "old fuddy-duddy". | ||||||
| 249 | 20 | "And Up We Go" | Oz Scott | S : Warren S. Murray; T : Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner | April 30, 1985 | |
| When Louise and Helen go to a spa for the weekend, they leave behind two bored husbands. To pass the time, George and Tom decide to break a record, and the record they choose is how many times they can go up and down on the elevator. | ||||||
| 250 | 21 | "The Truth Hurts" | Paul Benedict | S : Stephen Neigher; T : Sara V. Finney & Vida Spears | June 4, 1985 | |
| Louise is excited about the completion of her painting in art class, but everyone who sees her painting lies about how they really feel, leading Louise to believe she has created a masterpiece, and she decides to put on an art show. | ||||||
| 251 | 22 | "The Odd Couple" | Michael G. Moye | Peter Casey & David Lee | June 11, 1985 | |
|
Florence is tired of being alone and decides to place an ad in a personals column. The one response she gets is from someone she least expects: Mr. Bentley.
| ||||||
| 252 | 23 | "Off-Off-Off-Off Broadway" | Oz Scott | Matt Robinson | June 25, 1985 | |
| Louise and Helen need quick cash to save their Disabled Youth Services program at the Help Center. To raise money, they decide to put on a talent show, while George thinks it'll be a great way to promote his business. | ||||||
| 253 | 24 | "Red Robins" | Oz Scott | Peter Casey, David Lee, Cheri Eichen & Bill Steinkellner | July 2, 1985 | |
| George vies to win the Dry Cleaner of the Year award, but finds he's short on the community service portion, leading him to take over as "nest mother" of Jessica's Red Robin troop, and he gives the girls irresponsible tips on how to sell their terrible tasting candy. | ||||||
Sources
- "The Jeffersons Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
gollark: Great, caddy seems to have randomly decided to get stuck on `2019/10/13 20:33:56 [INFO] Certificate for [REDACTED] expires in 86h23m49.1316052s; attempting renewal`.
gollark: As long as CBOR and websockets are available in Amulet it would be possible to implement the skynet client in that, it's not very much code.
gollark: Well, good to know, but I can't particularly be bothered.
gollark: How do you manage IO in amulet exactly?
gollark: Advance warning: skynet service may be going down in the near future because I need to rework my horrible mess of a server setup, please consider switching to alternate skynet servers, more information will be provided if I actually do decide to have some downtime.
References
- https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/78-OCR/1978-05-01-BC-OCR-Page-0036.pdf
- https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/78-OCR/1978-05-01-BC-OCR-Page-0036.pdf
- https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/79-OCR/BC-1979-06-18-OCR-Page-0056.pdf#search=%22rounding%20up%20the%20ratings%22
- https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/79-OCR/BC-1979-06-18-OCR-Page-0056.pdf#search=%22rounding%20up%20the%20ratings%22
- https://i.imgur.com/kabYteD.jpg
- https://i.imgur.com/ogZFA1A.jpg
- "The Jeffersons Season 10 Episode 16: My Guy, George". TV Guide. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
- The Jeffersons – The Odd Couple – Tentative Rehearsal And Taping Schedule on Imgur (Image). Accessed September 8, 2018.
HONKY IN THE HOUSE - Writing & Producing The Jeffersons by Jay Moriarty
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