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The Jeffersons Was Better than Friends

...and you’re a racist honky if you don’t agree!

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by Anonymousreply 115May 4, 2023 9:07 PM

So is every single television show in history, Opie.

by Anonymousreply 1May 30, 2021 12:21 AM

Small Wonder was better than Friends.

by Anonymousreply 2May 30, 2021 12:31 AM

Neither one was all that great...

by Anonymousreply 3May 30, 2021 12:31 AM

I love the Jeffersons: "Wuch yu talkin' 'bout Willis!"

by Anonymousreply 4May 30, 2021 12:34 AM

The producers of the show enabled [Italic]Friends[/italic] because by the time the show was on death’s doorstep, what did they launch? [italic]Who’s the fucking Boss[/italic]. That shows just how far their standards have dropped in less than a decade. And that also shows whose side Norman Lear was really on all along.

by Anonymousreply 5May 30, 2021 12:34 AM

[quote] Small Wonder was better than Friends.

Even Jamie could manage one Black friend. And one redheaded friend, too. Two if you want to count the fat kid.

by Anonymousreply 6May 30, 2021 12:36 AM

Different strokes had the watchyou talkin bout tag line...

by Anonymousreply 7May 30, 2021 12:39 AM

Same production company. That show was all over the place in quality and it was still better than [Italic] Friends [/italic].

by Anonymousreply 8May 30, 2021 12:41 AM

The Jeffersons had a great ensemble cast. They didn't falter until they got to Alan Willis and that Help Center crap.

by Anonymousreply 9May 30, 2021 12:57 AM

I enjoyed that show, and Mother Jefferson was priceless.

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by Anonymousreply 10May 30, 2021 1:01 AM

The early episodes are freakin' hilarious. Mother Jefferson was later copied and named Sophia,

by Anonymousreply 11May 30, 2021 1:07 AM

The OP is correct.

But a hell of a lot of shows were better than "The Jeffersons."

by Anonymousreply 12May 30, 2021 1:10 AM

Those were fun little one offs, revisiting those shows.

And when Marla Gibbs was at that door I SCREAMED! Fabulous.

by Anonymousreply 13May 30, 2021 1:31 AM

Who's dead, who's living from The Jeffersons?

by Anonymousreply 14May 30, 2021 1:34 AM

Wonder years was better than the Jeffersons, butthead

by Anonymousreply 15May 30, 2021 1:38 AM

Mother Jefferson (Zara Cully) was the best.The scene starting at 1:50 is one of my all time favorites.

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by Anonymousreply 16May 30, 2021 1:46 AM

OP, you are a racist and transphobe.

Most Black sitcoms are stupid, offensive, unfunny, and yes, racist. This is one of the worst of the worst. The only good thing about it is that its producers went on to make [italic]Who’s the Boss[/italic], which was basically the [italic]Friends[/italic] of the 1980s. Both shows are classics and prove that Black people are not only unnecessary to the creation of classic TV, they are quite often a detriment to it. That’s why both of them got better ratings than the stupid, unfunny, offensive, and racist black situation “comedies“ the actively improved upon. All the best sitcoms have Italians in them. No exception.

My father refused to let me watch this or any other Norman Lear show. He was right. Everything Embassy produced that doesn’t have Tony Danza in it should be banned from television.

And if you disagree with me then it’s because you are prejudiced against Italians.

by Anonymousreply 17May 30, 2021 2:14 AM

Tony Danza proved once and for all that white men can do the work of the muglianos better than the muglianos can. That’s why his show was in the top 10 but all the moolie shows other than Cosby were not! Who cares if he ripped off some fat jewish moolie lezbo when she was a rethug and probably a TERF? At least Judith light supports the trans community, and I would rather watch light-skinned trans allies then dark-skinned TERF bitches any day of the week.

Nell Carter was a TERF!

by Anonymousreply 18May 30, 2021 2:25 AM

[italic]The Jeffersons[/italic] and [italic]Gimme A Break![/italic] were both transphobic truscum propaganda. They both perpetuate the lie that you have to have surgery in order to be trans. That’s transphobic. Anyone can be trans simply by declaring it.

[italic]Friends[/italic] is the best TV show ever. By casting Kathleen Turner as Chandler’s ejaculating parent, it is an admission that gay men are women and lesbians are men. That is far more progressive than any of this reactionary Norman Lear TERF propaganda ever was or ever will be. The man was and is a reactionary posing as a radical.

Fuck Norman Lear. And that golf hat of his makes him look like the world’s oldest lesbian anyway.

by Anonymousreply 19May 30, 2021 2:30 AM

Marla Gibbs and the Jefferson/Willis kids are the only ones left. The main four, Mr. Bentley are all gone.

by Anonymousreply 20May 30, 2021 2:40 AM

R18, it’s “mulignan”.

by Anonymousreply 21May 30, 2021 3:16 AM

Sadly, no r20. Mike Evans died in 2006.

by Anonymousreply 22May 30, 2021 3:32 AM

I couldn't stand The Jeffersons cause he was such a bastard to his wife. I liked him much better on a later show - maybe Rev? - where he was on the board of some church. He had a daughter with a crush on the Rev and though he was still obnoxious he was really great with his daughter.

by Anonymousreply 23May 30, 2021 3:45 AM

It was a delightful show.

by Anonymousreply 24May 30, 2021 4:04 AM

R23 That was AMEN

by Anonymousreply 25May 30, 2021 4:05 AM

The writing was such shit - it only worked because Sherman Hemsley could make just about anything funny (and Marla Gibbs and Mama Jefferson when they would pop up). But basically he had to carry the show and that’s why it was funny and watchable - some of the time. Ridiculous that he never won an Emmy and I think was nominated only once.

by Anonymousreply 26May 30, 2021 4:24 AM

The Jeffersons was ONLY funny when Mother Jefferson ( Zara Cully) was on the show. She died in 1978 and the show was NEVER as funny without her.

by Anonymousreply 27May 30, 2021 4:27 AM

R17- You have NO taste

Who's The Boss and Friends are CLASSICS!?

by Anonymousreply 28May 30, 2021 4:30 AM

Florence was always hilarious.

by Anonymousreply 29May 30, 2021 4:35 AM

The ONLY funny line she had was the episode where the Jeffersons were going on a trip to Hawaii and Florence didn't think she'd be able to go, so she told Helen Willis - Child ,the closest I'll ever get to Hawaii is the pineapple section at the A&P!

by Anonymousreply 30May 30, 2021 4:39 AM

"My Mother the Car" was better than "Friends".

by Anonymousreply 31May 30, 2021 5:49 AM

Facts of Life was better than Friends.

by Anonymousreply 32May 30, 2021 5:55 AM

Stupid comparison.

by Anonymousreply 33May 30, 2021 6:01 AM

Yeah these shows shouldn't be compared at all. Totally different time periods.

by Anonymousreply 34May 30, 2021 6:09 AM

R28: Yes, those shows are classics. They ran for many years in the top 10. Popularity equals quality, and it proves that after all these years, we white men are the boss and always will be.

In fact, Tony Danza is the reason I became a man.

by Anonymousreply 35May 30, 2021 6:20 AM

And if there was never a [italic]Who's the Boss[/italic], there never would have been a [italic]Growing Pains[/italic], which means I'd have no show and my sister wouldn't have gotten [italic]Full House[/italic] either.

by Anonymousreply 36May 30, 2021 6:40 AM

[quote] - it only worked because Sherman Hemsley could make just about anything funny.... But basically he had to carry the show and that’s why it was funny and watchable - some of the time. Ridiculous that he never won an Emmy and I think was nominated only once.

He didn't win because he was a black homo. Such things mattered then.

by Anonymousreply 37May 30, 2021 7:03 AM

Sherman Hemsley was a notorious coke fiend, and he had an LSD lab in his basement.

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by Anonymousreply 38May 30, 2021 11:28 AM

I love the people taking the OP seriously. (It's a parody of the guy who insists liking Friends is racist because Friends is supposedly a rip-off of Living Single.)

by Anonymousreply 39May 30, 2021 11:35 AM

My favorite Jeffersons line, fortyish years later, is still a simple one.

*doorbell/knock*

GEORGE: Florence! That's the door!

FLORENCE (uninterested) It sho is.

by Anonymousreply 40May 30, 2021 1:35 PM

NONE of those fucking "Friends" who cut a rug like this

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by Anonymousreply 41May 30, 2021 1:37 PM

Every Lear sitcom was better than Friends. The shows managed to discuss political issues and teach lessons. The actors looked like real people who were allowed to age, be chubby, be short, etc... I know, in the 90s, it was cool to make fun of preachy shows and corny "very special episodes". But the Lear shows managed to be political and educational while still being funny as hell.

Friends was fluff with pretty actresses and non-threatening actors.

by Anonymousreply 42May 30, 2021 1:42 PM

R41 Get DOWN Helen Willis!

by Anonymousreply 43May 30, 2021 1:45 PM

[quote] Every Lear sitcom was better than Friends

Only if you need someone else's moral values force fed to you like a French farmer fattening up a goose.

by Anonymousreply 44May 30, 2021 2:26 PM

R44 some of us had moralityand humanity already. Sorry it was such a burden for you to acknowledge other human beings.

by Anonymousreply 45May 30, 2021 2:28 PM

R41 Thats one of those clips no matter how depressed you are you can go watch that and you WILL laugh. And shit, George Jefferson would never be a straight character today.

by Anonymousreply 46May 30, 2021 3:28 PM

[quote] I love the people taking the OP seriously. (It's a parody of the guy who insists liking Friends is racist because Friends is supposedly a rip-off of Living Single.)

Except for the fact that the poster being parodied is right.

by Anonymousreply 47May 30, 2021 4:40 PM

This is why all criticism of Norman Lear is racist, was racist 50 years ago, and will never not be racist. Norman Lear is an Ashkenazi Jew and as such is a person of color. To call people of color racist is to be racist yourself. Being a racist requires whiteness, gentilism, and heterosexuality because racism equals prejudice plus power and only white heterosexual Gentiles have the kind of power that oppression requires. Lear could only muster one out of three.

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by Anonymousreply 48May 30, 2021 4:43 PM

Anyone remember the show where George's nephew (Gary Coleman) comes to visit. This was before Coleman was on Different Strokes. It was freakin hilarious. Watching Sherman Hemsley and Coleman trying to outmug each other was hysterical.

Just thought, wasn't it odd that George Jefferson's brother never appeared on the show, despite several appearances with Weezy on All In The Family?

by Anonymousreply 49May 31, 2021 1:36 AM

I really liked Franklin Cover, who played Roxie Roker's husband. He was the real standout on The Jeffersons, imo.

by Anonymousreply 50May 31, 2021 2:05 AM

r49, here's the best line from the Gary Coleman episode:

Tom Willis enters the Jeffersons' apartment and spots Gary Coleman. He exclaims, "Who's the little man?"

Before George can reply, Gary shouts back, "That's my uncle, George!"

by Anonymousreply 51May 31, 2021 2:24 AM

But not better than The Facts Of Life

Motorcycle dykes and cerebral palsy gave it that extra edge.

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by Anonymousreply 52May 31, 2021 2:27 AM

The teenage shows were where the action was at Embassy from the turn of the decade up until Norman Lear sold it to Coca-Cola.

by Anonymousreply 53May 31, 2021 6:17 AM

[italic]Maude[/italic] and [italic]Sanford and Son[/italic] are Norman Lear's best work, though I would say the biggest racist in the Norman Lear Galaxy of the Tommy Westphall Universe is Maude herself.

by Anonymousreply 54May 31, 2021 6:24 AM

[quote] I really liked Franklin Cover, who played Roxie Roker's husband. He was the real standout on The Jeffersons, imo.

He was white you racist piece of shit. Plenty of fine black performers and you like the white guy best!!??

by Anonymousreply 55May 31, 2021 6:44 AM

Speaking of the whities on the show, didn’t Paul Benedict have Marfans Syndrome? He was great as the film professor in The Freshman.

by Anonymousreply 56May 31, 2021 6:53 AM

The Jeffersons had such great scene stealers: Mother Jefferson, the doorman Ralph and the Queen herself, Florence. It's ironic that the least interesting character was the first one seen from AITF, Lionel . Bothe Lionels were bad (in different ways).

by Anonymousreply 57June 1, 2021 12:27 AM

Yeah Lionel and Jenny were both weak links. Everyone else in the show was great. Mother Jefferson vs. Weezy was always hilarious, like George vs. Florence.

by Anonymousreply 58June 1, 2021 1:20 AM

I used to watch "The Jeffersons" all the time.

"The Jeffersons" is unwatchable.

by Anonymousreply 59June 1, 2021 1:51 AM

You mean to tell me, we overcame and no one told me?

by Anonymousreply 60June 1, 2021 1:56 AM

¡Poor Carmen when Florence came back!

by Anonymousreply 61June 1, 2021 2:08 AM

According to R55, we are no longer allowed to like white performers. Talk about racism!

by Anonymousreply 62June 1, 2021 2:25 AM

Laverne And Shirley was better than Friends

by Anonymousreply 63June 1, 2021 3:11 AM

I, Claudius was better than Friends.

And funnier.

by Anonymousreply 64June 1, 2021 3:51 AM

I loved Helen Willis.

by Anonymousreply 65June 1, 2021 3:51 AM

Who were the white characters on the show prejudiced against?

Arthur Harmon was the one who tried to close down a gay bar years after suggesting that Maude put some stupid song from a Disney movie in her musicale.

by Anonymousreply 66June 1, 2021 4:20 AM

What's Happening! was FAR funnier than Friends.

by Anonymousreply 67June 1, 2021 4:33 AM

Rerun: Hey Shirley, what's the scoop?

Shirley: Scoop is, you're FAT!

by Anonymousreply 68June 1, 2021 4:34 AM

[italic]Silver Spoons[/italic] was better than [italic]Friends[/italic] despite enabling its existence by having Matthew Perry on it. The creators of that show started here and went on to make [italic]Married with Children[/italic], which is not only better than [italic]Friends[/italic] but explained the only reason anyone watches: with the sound off and with binoculars to spot the sight of braless tits.

by Anonymousreply 69June 1, 2021 7:48 AM

I had always hoped there would have been a crossover episode where Edith Bunker came to Manhattan to visit Louise.

by Anonymousreply 70June 1, 2021 7:51 AM

Louise came back to AITF one last time in 1979, right before it became [italic]Archie Bunker's Place[/italic], to rent the house to another Black family; this one was from the Caribbean.

by Anonymousreply 71June 1, 2021 7:53 AM

Nah, the Jeffersons is one of the few that does NOT hold up. Both 227 and Amen are better.

by Anonymousreply 72June 1, 2021 12:20 PM

Joannie Loves Chachi was better than Friends.

by Anonymousreply 73June 1, 2021 2:18 PM

Saved by the Bell was better than Friends.

by Anonymousreply 74June 1, 2021 3:28 PM

What's Happening Now !- was better than Friends.

by Anonymousreply 75June 1, 2021 3:29 PM

OUCH R75

by Anonymousreply 76June 2, 2021 12:43 PM

I've gotta be honest...most of the black sitcoms were horrible. Sanford and Son, Good Times, What's Happening, etc. All had sophomoric humor, depended on stupid catch phrases and awful acting. That being said, I must admit I loved The Jeffersons. Maybe it was the chemistry of the ensemble, or the pace of the show, but I loved it.

by Anonymousreply 77June 3, 2021 12:49 AM

Do me, do me!

by Anonymousreply 78June 3, 2021 12:56 AM

Alice was better than Friends!

by Anonymousreply 79June 3, 2021 2:42 AM

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was the best network sitcom of all time.

by Anonymousreply 80June 3, 2021 3:15 AM

I've gotta be honest...most of the white sitcoms were horrible. Friends, Will & Grace, Malcolm in the Middle, etc. All had sophomoric humor, depended on stupid catch phrases and awful acting.

by Anonymousreply 81June 3, 2021 2:02 PM

R80- No, it wasn't.

All In The Family was the FUNNIEST network sitcom of all time.

by Anonymousreply 82June 3, 2021 2:30 PM

[quote]Only if you need someone else's moral values force fed to you like a French farmer fattening up a goose.

fuck off, trumptard

by Anonymousreply 83June 3, 2021 2:45 PM

No love for [italic]Dinosaurs[/italic] which reunited Sherman Hemsley and Sally Struthers?

by Anonymousreply 84June 3, 2021 3:22 PM

The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special was better than Friends.

by Anonymousreply 85June 3, 2021 3:28 PM

The canonical list of shows that are better than [italic]Friends[/italic] would be the entire history of television minus that. It really is that bad.

by Anonymousreply 86June 3, 2021 3:35 PM

Friends - just why?

by Anonymousreply 87June 3, 2021 3:41 PM

Because NBC made a pact with the devil to get out of last place. This was the price they paid.

by Anonymousreply 88June 3, 2021 3:42 PM

Will And Grace was better than Friends and I can't stand Will And Grace.

by Anonymousreply 89June 3, 2021 3:42 PM

This is why there is reality television. What did CBS put up against it? [italic]Survivor[/italic]. The show where Lisa Whelchel got her just desserts.

by Anonymousreply 90June 3, 2021 3:43 PM

This thread proves George Jefferson was right:

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by Anonymousreply 91June 4, 2021 2:13 PM

R80 yeah black sitcoms NEVER rely on stupid catch phrases

by Anonymousreply 92June 5, 2021 2:17 AM

[italic]The Jeffersons[/italic] was and is better than [italic]All in the Family[/italic] because George was and is right about honkies:

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by Anonymousreply 93June 8, 2021 10:42 PM

One "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis" was worth a barrel full of "could I be"s and "how you doin"s.

by Anonymousreply 94June 8, 2021 10:43 PM

Here they are

Face to face

The fags and the hebes and coons

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by Anonymousreply 95June 8, 2021 10:54 PM

No shit?

by Anonymousreply 96June 8, 2021 10:56 PM

Max Bialystock couldn't make a worse show than [italic]Friends[/italic] if he moved into the TV business.

by Anonymousreply 97June 8, 2021 10:56 PM

Moolie-coms are stupid, racist, and offensive.

White people's sitcoms are brilliant, complex, and nuanced.

by Anonymousreply 98June 10, 2021 3:48 PM

Small Wonder was better than Friends.

by Anonymousreply 99June 16, 2021 1:22 PM

Why did The Jeffersons have that wooden gate by the door?

by Anonymousreply 100June 16, 2021 2:05 PM

R99: Even Jamie had a Black friend.

by Anonymousreply 101June 16, 2021 2:10 PM

Golden Girls was better than Friends

by Anonymousreply 102June 16, 2021 2:15 PM

R101- Jamie was such a GAYLING on that show.

by Anonymousreply 103June 16, 2021 2:15 PM

I'm old enough to remember watching The Jeffersons with my white family. But, I always wondered if the show was more popular with whites or with blacks when it originally aired.

by Anonymousreply 104June 16, 2021 2:21 PM

I’m not a fan of other but I’d rather watch the Jeffersons. Friends is some of the worst shit I’ve ever seen in my life.

by Anonymousreply 105June 16, 2021 2:27 PM

[quote]I'm old enough to remember watching The Jeffersons with my white family. But, I always wondered if the show was more popular with whites or with blacks when it originally aired.

The Jeffersons was a spinoff from All In The Family. I'd guess more whites were watching.

by Anonymousreply 106June 16, 2021 2:30 PM

The show is very entertaining. It should get more attention here.

by Anonymousreply 107August 11, 2022 12:38 AM

Marla Gibbs was timeless in the role. The shade…the shade of it all!

by Anonymousreply 108May 4, 2023 6:47 AM

By far my favorite TV show ever, I grew up on it. Mother Jefferson reigns supreme. Horrific that Sherman Helmsley died broke -he was brilliant .

by Anonymousreply 109May 4, 2023 11:46 AM

My family loved that show, we never missed it . The Mother Jefferson character is a lot like my grandmother and George Jefferson is almost identical to my moms former napoleonic former boss. The theme song is really good too. I think they neighbor lady on the show was the mother of Lenny Kravitz.

by Anonymousreply 110May 4, 2023 2:09 PM

F&F race baiting OP.

This could have been a nice pop culture thread like the old Datalounge but, no, everything on DL has to be racist or transphobic now. Everything has to be framed in a divisive way so Boris can thrive and hold court.

DIAGF, OP.

by Anonymousreply 111May 4, 2023 2:14 PM

R11 Actually, when you think about it, 'Endora' was ripped off - complete with garish makeup - and called 'Mother Jefferson'. 'Endora' was really the first likeable meddling mother-in-law in their child's marriage.

by Anonymousreply 112May 4, 2023 2:34 PM

How many times did the Jeffersons remodel their apartment? It was colorful 1970s at the start and drab pastel 1985 by the end.

by Anonymousreply 113May 4, 2023 8:24 PM

[quote] He was white you racist piece of shit. Plenty of fine black performers and you like the white guy best!!??

Dance, puppet, dance!

by Anonymousreply 114May 4, 2023 8:28 PM

A tour of the apartment.

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by Anonymousreply 115May 4, 2023 9:07 PM
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