Jefferson vs. Steve - Page 5 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Tinalilly1975 · 10-17-2008, 06:27 PM

I voted for Jefferson

Just because I think that the comedy was better between Marcy & Jefferson than Marcy & Steve. The way Jefferson would laugh when Al put Marcy down...lol

PLUS Jefferson was way hottier

I Remember · 10-18-2008, 11:59 AM

I vote Jefferson. He brought a little more energy than Steve, and was funnier.

BTO · 10-18-2008, 12:31 PM

Jefferson

TMC · 05-26-2014, 09:13 PM

http://officialfan.proboards.com/thr...r-liked?page=1

Quote:

Post by Mozenrath on May 24, 2014 at 7:35pm
I like Steve Rhodes on Married with Children. I think that Jefferson was probably the more interesting character in some regards, and he fit the tone the show later took quite well, but I like how grounded the show was at the time.

It's almost like two different shows sometimes, with how cartoony things got when Marcy was an outright antagonist to Al, rather than just a naive neighbor that got pulled into their mess, along with Kelly getting much dumber, Bud's depravity increasing, and Peggy's incompetence and apathy as a homemaker coming to a head. Even the universe seemed to shift, with Al's life falling apart in increasingly unlikely ways, showing that the very world he inhabits is conspiring against him. I don't really know if I prefer one iteration over the other, but I think that Rhodes-era Married with Children can be a bit underrated.

TMC · 08-16-2021, 03:00 AM

One thing that we need to take for account is that Steve actually had more of a character arc and was better developed than Jefferson. We witnessed Steve's gradual corruption by Al, pathetic decline, and impatience with Marcy grow in the lead-up to his departure.

Jefferson meanwhile, was just a male version of Peggy. He was also just a tool of comedy, a foil for Marcy, and a sidekick for Al.

One observation that I read is that Ted McGinley for better or worse, acted like he was in on the joke whereas David Garrison played it straight for most of the time.

hatwink · 09-10-2021, 12:32 PM

Liked both, but Jefferson was the type of guys to get Al in situations that Steve would never get Al into. Plus, there was an hidden side to Jefferson that was never fully explored.

Virtual · 01-22-2022, 05:11 PM

I liked both, but Jefferson probably fit better with Marcy. Steve just seemed like the kind of guy who was finally done with all the nonsense in their neighborhood.

jimpickens · 02-25-2022, 03:30 AM

Steve was good but Jefferson and Al had better chemistry and seemed to compliment each other.

Reinhold_Weege · 02-25-2022, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by needles1987

Jefferson was selfish and only married Marcy for her money.

Marcy deserved it.

Virtual · 03-27-2022, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimpickens

Steve was good but Jefferson and Al had better chemistry and seemed to compliment each other.

That's probably the biggest reason I liked Jefferson better; he would play the role as Al's "partner in crime" in ways that Steve never would have and I think it made the show funnier.

TVSCREEN2015 · 08-21-2022, 04:34 PM

Jefferson, around the time he came on the show is when the it really took off and found it's footing.

Steve was boring.

principehomura · 08-23-2022, 02:48 PM

I like them equally

TMC · 11-12-2022, 11:59 PM

Based on many of the comments here, the show never fully recovered from Steve/David Garrison's departure. Steve was maybe, the only one who brought a sense of normalcy to Married...with Children. With every other character being so over-the-top, Steve being the only rational person on the show, actually made things funnier.

At the end of the day, Steve/David Garrison was arguably, the true "heart and soul" of MWC. He was the sensible, yet sometimes quirky one who was always critical of his pal Al Bundy's motives. And going back to an earlier point, this made for great comedy.

When Ted McGinley's Jefferson showed up, he only served as a clone of Al, and the show arguably became a one-dimensional sleazefest.

TMC · 03-10-2024, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elizabeth Eden

I think they were funny in their own way, but Jefferson was my favorite. He was just hilarious in a smart-ass way, Steve was more of the straight man with sarcastic kind of humor.

An argument that recently read is that Jefferson fit in the show much better than Steve did. Or at the very least, Jefferson fit in better with what the show would evolve into. When Married with...Children started, the original concept of the show was pretty much about an older, more cynical long-time married couple (Al and Peggy) contrasting against a younger, newlywed married couple (Steve and Marcy).

But as the show continued to become basically, a live-action cartoon about white trash, it wouldn't have made much sense for Steve still be there. With Jefferson as the show itself got more over the top, his character likewise, was over-the-top. And he added to the irony that Al and Marcy are effectively in the same position but still hate each other, while Al's best friend has all the same traits he hates in his wife.

king of comedy · 03-11-2024, 08:51 AM

I voted for Jefferson. My friend met Amanda Bearse at Chiller fest in New Jersey last year and she said she liked Steve better than Jefferson.

10-18-2008, 11:59 AM	#62
I Remember Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 12, 2002 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 63	I vote Jefferson. He brought a little more energy than Steve, and was funnier.
	Last edited by I Remember; 10-19-2008 at 03:30 AM.

08-23-2022, 02:48 PM	#72
principehomura Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 24, 2010 Location: SEA, Napa, Lanford, NY \| Rome (WI), Coeur d'Coeurs, Stars Hollow, Sunnydale \| Twin Peaks, BAL, Deadwood, WA \| Tardis, Galactica Posts: 757	I like them equally
	__________________ Frasier, Mom, Roseanne, The Conners Picket Fences, Pushing Daisies, Buffy, Gilmore Girls Twin Peaks, The Wire, Deadwood, X-Files - Frasier, Niles and Martin Crane, Dale Cooper, Fox Mulder Christy Plunkett, Buffy Summers, Rory Gilmore, Becky Conner, Dana Scully - Roseanne Barr, David E. Kelley, David Milch, Amy Sherman, Bryan Fuller, Steven Bochco - Anna Faris, Marlee Matlin, Jane Levy, Lecy Goranson, Jennifer Esposito, Melissa J. Hart - Kelsey Grammer, David H. Pierce, Michael J. Fox

11-12-2022, 11:59 PM	#73
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,642	Based on many of the comments here, the show never fully recovered from Steve/David Garrison's departure. Steve was maybe, the only one who brought a sense of normalcy to Married...with Children. With every other character being so over-the-top, Steve being the only rational person on the show, actually made things funnier. At the end of the day, Steve/David Garrison was arguably, the true "heart and soul" of MWC. He was the sensible, yet sometimes quirky one who was always critical of his pal Al Bundy's motives. And going back to an earlier point, this made for great comedy. When Ted McGinley's Jefferson showed up, he only served as a clone of Al, and the show arguably became a one-dimensional sleazefest.
	Last edited by TMC; 05-10-2023 at 03:08 AM.

View Poll Results: Steve or Jefferson?
Steve	15	40.54%
Jefferson	22	59.46%
Voters: 37. You may not vote on this poll

10-17-2008, 06:27 PM	#61
Tinalilly1975 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 14, 2008 Posts: 21	I voted for Jefferson Just because I think that the comedy was better between Marcy & Jefferson than Marcy & Steve. The way Jefferson would laugh when Al put Marcy down...lol PLUS Jefferson was way hottier

10-18-2008, 12:31 PM	#63
BTO Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 07, 2008 Location: Big Blue Country! Posts: 175	Jefferson

08-16-2021, 03:00 AM	#65
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,642	One thing that we need to take for account is that Steve actually had more of a character arc and was better developed than Jefferson. We witnessed Steve's gradual corruption by Al, pathetic decline, and impatience with Marcy grow in the lead-up to his departure. Jefferson meanwhile, was just a male version of Peggy. He was also just a tool of comedy, a foil for Marcy, and a sidekick for Al. One observation that I read is that Ted McGinley for better or worse, acted like he was in on the joke whereas David Garrison played it straight for most of the time.

09-10-2021, 12:32 PM	#66
hatwink Member Forum Regular Join Date: Oct 19, 2004 Posts: 773	Liked both, but Jefferson was the type of guys to get Al in situations that Steve would never get Al into. Plus, there was an hidden side to Jefferson that was never fully explored.

01-22-2022, 05:11 PM	#67
Virtual Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 15, 2022 Location: US Posts: 118	I liked both, but Jefferson probably fit better with Marcy. Steve just seemed like the kind of guy who was finally done with all the nonsense in their neighborhood.

02-25-2022, 03:30 AM	#68
jimpickens Member Senior Member Join Date: Nov 01, 2007 Location: weston,wv Posts: 1,389	Steve was good but Jefferson and Al had better chemistry and seemed to compliment each other.

08-21-2022, 04:34 PM	#71
TVSCREEN2015 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 27, 2015 Posts: 136	Jefferson, around the time he came on the show is when the it really took off and found it's footing. Steve was boring.

03-11-2024, 08:51 AM	#75
king of comedy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 31, 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,140	I voted for Jefferson. My friend met Amanda Bearse at Chiller fest in New Jersey last year and she said she liked Steve better than Jefferson.