in the opening credits when the show first premeired in January of 1975? I mean He was apart of the Family in Bunkerville and i just found it odd that he wasn;t leaving Queens with his Mom and Dad. Plus There was CBS Photo releases with George, Louise and Lionel before the show premired saying-"watch Jeffersons at 8pm tonight" So couldn;t they have been riding in some sort of Minivan Van instead of just George and Louise in the cab?-lol I don't think it was fair to Mike Evans because his Lionel Jefferson character existed 2 years before George Jefferson and he couldn;t even appear in the opening credits. There was no reason we should have just saw his NAME in the opening credits along with the other characters. So Mike Evans may have been feeling some type of way before the show stArted-lol

He could have been there to greet them when they pulled up in front of the building and to help them out of the car. They dropped the ball big time by not making him more a part of things. He wasn't even in a couple of episodes in year 1 and in the seasons either he or Damon were in the part they are never in every show. I would guesstimate that they did maybe 13 shows out of 24 in a season.

Originally posted by jamesanthony
He could have been there to greet them when they pulled up in front of the building and to help them out of the car. They dropped the ball big time by not making him more a part of things. He wasn't even in a couple of episodes in year 1 and in the seasons either he or Damon were in the part they are never in every show. I would guesstimate that they did maybe 13 shows out of 24 in a season.

And he was so dumb to have his role reduced because of the Mother Jefferson character. I mean who the hell wanted to see her? His role was reduced for a character who was not on All in the Family. CRAZY! One episode in season one that was pointless was Mother Jefferson's Boyfriend. Who the hell cared about Mother Jefferson's Love life?

I don't recall exactly, but wasn't Mike Evans' part reduced even on All in the FAmily once Sherman Hemsley showed up? Mike should have seen the writing on the wall before the Jeffersons even got off the ground. At least he hung around long enough to see the direction things were going in before he split, and I guess he needed money in 1979 so he turned tail and came back.

I didn't like Mother Jefferson at all when I was a child, but watching the show now she definitely brought something unique to the series. They could have had all of them in the series. Actually it is significant that they got the cast right with this show from the start. All the original characters (plus Florence who was in the 1st ep) fit in well. Of the regulars through the years the only poor one was Jay Hammer who looked lily white and had very limited appeal. THe guy who played Jenny's brother in year 1 was more convincing but I couldn't see him being a regular.

Originally posted by jamesanthony
I don't recall exactly, but wasn't Mike Evans' part reduced even on All in the FAmily once Sherman Hemsley showed up? Mike should have seen the writing on the wall before the Jeffersons even got off the ground. At least he hung around long enough to see the direction things were going in before he split, and I guess he needed money in 1979 so he turned tail and came back.

I didn't like Mother Jefferson at all when I was a child, but watching the show now she definitely brought something unique to the series. They could have had all of them in the series. Actually it is significant that they got the cast right with this show from the start. All the original characters (plus Florence who was in the 1st ep) fit in well. Of the regulars through the years the only poor one was Jay Hammer who looked lily white and had very limited appeal. THe guy who played Jenny's brother in year 1 was more convincing but I couldn't see him being a regular.


I liked the first Alan Willis better. I wil never forget his classic confrontation with George-"I say your teeth are yellow and your breath is bad, get out my face before you wish you had"-LOL Yes the role of Lionel Jefferson was slightly reduced once George appeared on All in the Family.

It's probably just a coincidence but the 4 seasons that this series ranked in the top 10 were the 4 seasons that Mike Evans was in it. I know I lost interest after Mike Evans left the second time and I suddenly realized how old the actors were.

I liked Mother Jefferson. I just wished she was a little younger so she could have seen the nd of the series. I liked the tensiuon between her and Louise!! Louise expressions towards her were classic. :lol: I really really wish Lionel (Mike Evans) stayed on the show!!

But, did Mike Evans leave The Jeffersons to help out with the production of Good Times?

Originally posted by Undercover Angel
But, did Mike Evans leave The Jeffersons to help out with the production of Good Times?



No that's why i thought he left the Jeffersons when I first registered on SitcmsOnline. It was because his role was too small. I read that he went to Norman Lear and said-"How can I get off the show? And Lear told him Just say you want off the show and it's a done deal. Then Mike said-Ok i want off the show and Lear said ok you are OFF-LOL

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
No that's why i thought he left the Jeffersons when I first registered on SitcmsOnline. It was because his role was too small. I read that he went to Norman Lear and said-"How can I get off the show? And Lear told him Just say you want off the show and it's a done deal. Then Mike said-Ok i want off the show and Lear said ok you are OFF-LOL :( Too bad, because Mike Evans was a talented actor, and brought a lot to the first season of the Jeffersons, even though his part was small, and soon he was eclisped by other characters like Mother Jefferson, whom, I did not dislike, but she was definitely not my favorite.