The American sitcom, The Jeffersons, ran for 11 seasons from 1975 to 1985. The show was such a hit that it has the distinction of being the second longest-running American television series with a predominantly African American cast. It’s been over 30 years since the show abruptly went off the air, so check out these 9 fun facts about the show:
9. All in the Family Spin-Off
Sherman and Louise Jefferson were neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker on All in the Family and they were so popular on that show that Norman Lear decided that the characters needed their own weekly spin-off series, The Jeffersons. In the All in the Family episode “The Jeffersons Move Up,” Sherman and Louise were written off the show. They moved from a working class section of Queens to a luxury apartment in Manhattan and then the following week The Jeffersons premiered.
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8. Interracial Couple
The Jeffersons was the first show to feature a married interracial couple, Tom and Helen Willis. When the couple was featured kissing in an episode, CBS executives wanted it edited out because they feared that it would lead to riots. When the studio vice president got word of the kiss, he was terrified that TV stations would drop the series, but producer Fred Silverman lobbied to keep it. The kiss did enrage some viewers and the actor who played Tom Willis did receive hate mail as a result, but the show kept going and continued pushing the envelope.
Everett Collection
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