The Best Episodes of The Jeffersons
Last Updated: Dec 8, 2018
A sitcom about a black couple "movin' on up" from a modest Queens neighborhood to deluxe apartment in Manhattan's ritzy East Side. The show was spun-off from "All in the Family" in 1975 and for the next 11 seasons, The Jeffersons lived among a kaleidoscope of characters, including their sassy maid Florence, a bizarre British neighbor named Bentley, and the Willises -- TV's first married couple in which one character was black and one was white. Like All in the Family, The Jeffersons had a bigoted, opinionated loud-mouth at its center: George Jefferson, who was constantly putting his foot in his mouth. The show tackled many serious issues, although comedy was the key element of its success.
#1 - Death Smiles on a Dry Cleaner (2)
Season 9 - Episode 9
The novelists try to solve the apparent "real" murder with George trying his best to solve it as well. When it is determind that the victim, Edgar, was poisoned the crew deduces that the Duchess did it, however in the end George discovers the real culprit.
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#2 - They Don't Make Preachers Like Him Anymore
Season 11 - Episode 7
Florence is all excited since her and her church choir are going to Ohio for a competition. However, Florence loses her faith in God when the Reverend steals the money they needed to enter the competition.
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#3 - Poetic Justice
Season 9 - Episode 11
Louise discovers some old poems the George once wrote and has them bound in a book. However, in order to get it bound she must order a number of copies, copies which get circulated around to those living in the building. George is furious however his attitude changes when a publisher takes an interest in his poems.
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#4 - How Not to Marry a Millionaire
Season 10 - Episode 5
Florence and her friend, Betty go down to the museum in hopes of landing millionaires. Florence is surprised when a millionaire follows her home and begins showering her with expensive gifts. However, his true intentions prove to be extremely painful to Florence.
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#5 - George's Old Girl Friend
Season 10 - Episode 20
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. Almost as soon as she arrives, she pulls a gun on him with intent to kill him.
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#6 - Designing Woman
Season 9 - Episode 23
George is trying to drum up some cleaning business from a famous fashion designer, Camille Hendricks. George tricks Jenny into swinging by the apartment to meet her in order to show her some of her designs, however Jenny is unprepared for this unexpected surprise.
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#7 - The Good Life
Season 9 - Episode 20
The good life is striking everyone, George has hit success with the stocks allowing Louise to get 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 wanting to meet celebrities and unknowingly runs into Gladys Knight.
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#8 - Mr. Clean
Season 9 - Episode 19
One evening while playing poker, George and his buddies make a mess of the living room throwing food all over. This prompts Florence to stay up all night cleaning up after George's mess which is why she is exhausted the next morning. This leads George to make a bet with Florence stating that he can do in three hours what she does in a day.
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#9 - My Girl, Louise
Season 9 - Episode 16
With the Help Center on its last legs, Louise and Helen desperately try to find someone who could make a sizeable donation to keep the Help Center going. This prompts Louise to go to her ex-employer, Lillian Warren, whom Louise worked for as a maid and who treated her like a piece of furniture.
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#10 - My Wife, I Think I'll Keep Her
Season 8 - Episode 18
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 go ahead publishing a book by written by a sexist.
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#11 - A Case of Self-Defense
Season 8 - Episode 17
When Lionel and Jenny's apartment gets 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 later proves to be a dangerous possession.
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#12 - Men of the Cloth
Season 8 - Episode 16
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 Andrae Crouch to preform at the baptism, going so far as to say he is a reverend.
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#13 - Blazing Jeffersons
Season 8 - Episode 15
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. Just then George remembers who put in the wiring, Lionel.
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#14 - The Other Woman
Season 5 - Episode 18
A business trip of Tom's sparks an argument between him and Helen which gets even worse when she discovers that a beautiful blond is accompanying him.
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#15 - Thammy the Thongwriter
Season 8 - Episode 12
George and Louise receive a post card from Harry, who's been transfered 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.
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#16 - Homecoming (2)
Season 5 - Episode 3
Alan moves in with the Jeffersons and George continues efforts to get the warehouse for himself. Meanwhile, battles with the landlord prompt Louise and Helen to try to find a better place for the Help Center.
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#17 - How Now Dow Jones
Season 9 - Episode 12
George's investment advice for Tom proves fruitful and puts Helen in a fur coat. This prompts 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 that satisfying, for George anyway.
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#18 - The Loan
Season 6 - Episode 21
Lionel and Jenny are excited with the news that they're trying to purchase a home. However, when the bank turns down their loan application, George, Louise, Helen and Tom each go down to the bank to help them get one, after each promising not to interfere.
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#19 - Mr. Wonderful
Season 9 - Episode 15
George forgets to pick up opera tickets and this leads to Louise and Helen comparing him to the "thoughful" Tom. A miffed George spills the beans about Tom buying an insurance policy and has made a cousin the beneficiary, a cousin who is a racist and is against Tom and Helen's marriage.
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#20 - George's Guilt
Season 3 - Episode 16
George feels guilty for not staying in touch with the members of a childhood gang, after the death of one of the members. This leads George to hold a reunion at the apartment which also leads to a confrontation with the leader, JoJo.
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#21 - George's Dream
Season 5 - Episode 5
Workaholic George falls asleep in his office, one evening, and has a dream that takes him to the year 1996. In the dream, Louise is celebrating the 22nd anniversary of George's business, who isn't there celebrating, since he passed on a few years earlier.
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#22 - Half a Brother
Season 5 - Episode 8
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.
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#23 - A Case of Black and White
Season 3 - Episode 17
George's latest business deal is with a black man married to a white woman, so when he invites them over for dinner, he also has Tom and Helen come over, to make it look like he doesn't have racial prejudices. However, when Tom and Helen discover his plot, they storm out before the guests have arrived. This leads to George having Florence and Ralph impersonate Tom and Helen.
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#24 - The Christmas Wedding
Season 3 - Episode 12
Christmas eve brings disharmony to the Jefferson household when George argues with Tom over the preparations for Lionel and Jenny's wedding which is to take place that evening.
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#25 - Harry's House Guest
Season 5 - Episode 11
Harry practically moves into the Jefferson's 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.
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