I watched the two eps tonight where J.J. is trying to be a manager. First with Judith Cohen, then with Tyrone. Okay, so all of a sudden Michael looks older and James is gone. Was this the start of a new season? And where is James? Did he die yet? I was just watching the other night and he was fine at the rent party. I'm a little confused.

Also, in the two eps, the focus seems to be on J.J. Was he a bigger star at that point than Esther Rolle?

I thought Esther Rolle had been relegated to a kind of supporting player in these eps. Also, the focus was outside of the apartment more than usual. I'm just trying to understand the context of these eps.

Thanks

I want to say yes, these were after james died just because of the age of Michael at that time and the overall household appearance of the family... It does seem that she played the supporting role here,, I dont know if this was after she got remarried and came back.. I want to say yes but I am not sure on that one

Thanks for the info. I was just wondering cause James was alive the other night. How they jumped so far ahead?

I watched the two eps tonight where J.J. is trying to be a manager. First with Judith Cohen, then with Tyrone. Okay, so all of a sudden Michael looks older and James is gone. Was this the start of a new season? And where is James? Did he die yet? I was just watching the other night and he was fine at the rent party. I'm a little confused.

Also, in the two eps, the focus seems to be on J.J. Was he a bigger star at that point than Esther Rolle?

I thought Esther Rolle had been relegated to a kind of supporting player in these eps. Also, the focus was outside of the apartment more than usual. I'm just trying to understand the context of these eps.

Thanks



James' last appearance was the rent party episode, that was the last episode of the third season. The episodes where James died was the first two episodes of the fourth season. The two episodes when JJ was a manager was in the middle of the fourth season.

Thanks so much. I missed a night or two. That must have been the eps where they get the phone calls, etc. But they seem very much back together, don't they?

Maybe that's why there was the extra focus on J.J. as talent manager. Maybe the idea was to bring on other people, maybe upcoming stars who were in need of management.

It just all of a sudden looked like a very different show.

As someone said, this is where it jumped the shark.