this show lost something...and yet - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

jamesanthony · 03-30-2004, 06:11 PM

Hi y'all. I'm new here.

I remember watching this show when it came on Sunday nights in prime time in the ealry 80s. I remember enjoying the 81-82 season a great bit (The Strays stands out in my mind), but once the 82-83 season got underway and Lionel and Bentley were no longer around it lost something. They had both actually been gone for a while, but they continued to be billed as stars in the opening. Once they left, this show got tired. I think it should've ended at the end of year 9. The actors were gettig old, wrinkled and overweight. Florence was now joking about George's bald head and he had a pot belly. Louise and Florence looked old and had obviously dyed hair. Helen looked too old for the punk rock haircut she had. Worst of all, the show's humor had become too politically correct, George had gone soft and Liouse was totally unlike her old self.

And yet, watching "The Gang's All Here" from the last season recently, I was struck by how much more entertaining it was than almost anything I've seen on TV now. The show had a nice theatrical quality to it and the performers seemed to be enjoying themselves, not just cashing in a paycheck. Plus let's face it, would a show about middle aged black people make it on TV today?

TVFactFan · 03-30-2004, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jamesanthony
Hi y'all. I'm new here.

I remember watching this show when it came on Sunday nights in prime time in the ealry 80s. I remember enjoying the 81-82 season a great bit (The Strays stands out in my mind), but once the 82-83 season got underway and Lionel and Bentley were no longer around it lost something. They had both actually been gone for a while, but they continued to be billed as stars in the opening. Once they left, this show got tired. I think it should've ended at the end of year 9. The actors were gettig old, wrinkled and overweight. Florence was now joking about George's bald head and he had a pot belly. Louise and Florence looked old and had obviously dyed hair. Helen looked too old for the punk rock haircut she had. Worst of all, the show's humor had become too politically correct, George had gone soft and Liouse was totally unlike her old self.

And yet, watching "The Gang's All Here" from the last season recently, I was struck by how much more entertaining it was than almost anything I've seen on TV now. The show had a nice theatrical quality to it and the performers seemed to be enjoying themselves, not just cashing in a paycheck. Plus let's face it, would a show about middle aged black people make it on TV today?

Read my post about how the 1983 TV GUIDE article breakdown why The Jeffersons were Different from the 1970's vs the 1980's

jamesanthony · 03-30-2004, 08:38 PM

Hi Solomon.

I read your post. Still, even though the show jumped the shark it never became unwatchable. I like the theatrical feel of those Norman Lear shows. I saw a retrospective of The Jeffersons at the Museum of TV and Radio here in NYC and Isabel Sanford commented on how different TV is today in comparison to how the show was produced then. She said she was appearing on a sitcom with a studio audience and they kept stopping and starting (I guess to change scenes). In the Jeffersons they didn't take that long to tape the show. In some episodes all the action in Act 1 is continuous, they don't have 19 different scenes the way the modern shows do. Act 2 could be the same way. An episode might only have about 3 or 4 scenes tops and you feel like you are watching a stage production. No show that I know of is made that way now. Also, i like the look of the videotape. it gives the show a warmer more intimate feel. If shows are shot on videotape now, I can't tell. the style looks exactly like film and to me it creates a certain distance that is a bit cold.

TVFactFan · 03-30-2004, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jamesanthony
Hi Solomon.

I read your post. Still, even though the show jumped the shark it never became unwatchable. I like the theatrical feel of those Norman Lear shows. I saw a retrospective of The Jeffersons at the Museum of TV and Radio here in NYC and Isabel Sanford commented on how different TV is today in comparison to how the show was produced then. She said she was appearing on a sitcom with a studio audience and they kept stopping and starting (I guess to change scenes). In the Jeffersons they didn't take that long to tape the show. In some episodes all the action in Act 1 is continuous, they don't have 19 different scenes the way the modern shows do. Act 2 could be the same way. An episode might only have about 3 or 4 scenes tops and you feel like you are watching a stage production. No show that I know of is made that way now. Also, i like the look of the videotape. it gives the show a warmer more intimate feel. If shows are shot on videotape now, I can't tell. the style looks exactly like film and to me it creates a certain distance that is a bit cold.

Were you on Sitcomsonline before?

jamesanthony · 03-30-2004, 09:17 PM

I just registered today, but I had been reading the boards for about a year. That's how i knew your other name.

Anyway, I can't think of any other show that is produced in this way. I believe that the Steve Harvey Show was the last sitcom to use that old fashioned videotape style and that ended 2 years ago.

boechsner · 03-31-2004, 01:42 AM

jamesanthony, I totally agree with you of the later seasons! They aren't totally unwatchable and much better than some of the crap thats on today.

TVFactFan · 03-31-2004, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by boechsner
jamesanthony, I totally agree with you of the later seasons! They aren't totally unwatchable and much better than some of the crap thats on today.

Every episode after 1983 is UNWATCHABLE

boechsner · 03-31-2004, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TVShow Analyzer
Every episode after 1983 is UNWATCHABLE

This of course is your opinion!

jamesanthony · 03-31-2004, 09:16 AM

Hi Boeschsner:

What struck me in watching that last year episode and the retrospective was that these actors seemed to be having a genuinely good time working on the show. It seemed like they enjoyed going to work and it comes through in their performances. I don't watch much of the shows that are produced now. The black UPN sitcoms are among the few and I catch those only occassionally. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to watch any of them. Even at it's worst/lowest the Jeffersons had a sort of heart or warmth to it that I don't see too much of in the modern shows where they seem to be more about promoting things that they want the viewers to spend money on (fashions, clothes, some performer's new CD) than leaving you feeling uplifted. It's a very strange thing

mstewart · 04-02-2004, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jamesanthony
Hi y'all. I'm new here.

I remember watching this show when it came on Sunday nights in prime time in the ealry 80s. I remember enjoying the 81-82 season a great bit (The Strays stands out in my mind), but once the 82-83 season got underway and Lionel and Bentley were no longer around it lost something. They had both actually been gone for a while, but they continued to be billed as stars in the opening. Once they left, this show got tired. I think it should've ended at the end of year 9. The actors were gettig old, wrinkled and overweight. Florence was now joking about George's bald head and he had a pot belly. Louise and Florence looked old and had obviously dyed hair. Helen looked too old for the punk rock haircut she had. Worst of all, the show's humor had become too politically correct, George had gone soft and Liouse was totally unlike her old self.

And yet, watching "The Gang's All Here" from the last season recently, I was struck by how much more entertaining it was than almost anything I've seen on TV now. The show had a nice theatrical quality to it and the performers seemed to be enjoying themselves, not just cashing in a paycheck. Plus let's face it, would a show about middle aged black people make it on TV today?

I agreed wholeheartedly about the whole thing. Marla Gibbs and Isabel Sanford wore wigs during the entire run of the Jeffersons. Personally the show should had pulled the plug after year 6 and maybe 7. Midway through the 81-82 season until the end of the series the show was not enjoyable to watch. The show ran its course and wore its welcome out.

jamesanthony · 04-05-2004, 10:43 AM

The funny thing is that even though the show wasn't as good as it was in its younger years it still had great ratings. It was the 3rd highest rated show of the 81-82 season. The next year it was number 12 and the year after that it was number 19. It only dropped off when CBS moved it off of Sundays and up against the A-Team on Tuesdays. I stopped watching it during the 82-83 season and remember tuning in occassionally in the last year and thinking to myself, "Wow, THIS is still on?!!" I remember watching pt 1 of Sayonara (which was actually not a bad episode) in early 85 and thinking, this show is going to get cancelled! Yet the cast clearly enjoyed going to work and being in the show. I heard Isabel say that she was surprised when she showed up at work and she and the others parking spaces were gone. That's when they found out they were cancelled. You'd think they would have figured they were going to get dumped from the time CBS moved them off of Sunday nights. Marla obviously did because 227 started the very next season.

03-30-2004, 06:11 PM	#1
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	this show lost something...and yet Hi y'all. I'm new here. I remember watching this show when it came on Sunday nights in prime time in the ealry 80s. I remember enjoying the 81-82 season a great bit (The Strays stands out in my mind), but once the 82-83 season got underway and Lionel and Bentley were no longer around it lost something. They had both actually been gone for a while, but they continued to be billed as stars in the opening. Once they left, this show got tired. I think it should've ended at the end of year 9. The actors were gettig old, wrinkled and overweight. Florence was now joking about George's bald head and he had a pot belly. Louise and Florence looked old and had obviously dyed hair. Helen looked too old for the punk rock haircut she had. Worst of all, the show's humor had become too politically correct, George had gone soft and Liouse was totally unlike her old self. And yet, watching "The Gang's All Here" from the last season recently, I was struck by how much more entertaining it was than almost anything I've seen on TV now. The show had a nice theatrical quality to it and the performers seemed to be enjoying themselves, not just cashing in a paycheck. Plus let's face it, would a show about middle aged black people make it on TV today?

03-30-2004, 08:38 PM	#3
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	Hi Solomon. I read your post. Still, even though the show jumped the shark it never became unwatchable. I like the theatrical feel of those Norman Lear shows. I saw a retrospective of The Jeffersons at the Museum of TV and Radio here in NYC and Isabel Sanford commented on how different TV is today in comparison to how the show was produced then. She said she was appearing on a sitcom with a studio audience and they kept stopping and starting (I guess to change scenes). In the Jeffersons they didn't take that long to tape the show. In some episodes all the action in Act 1 is continuous, they don't have 19 different scenes the way the modern shows do. Act 2 could be the same way. An episode might only have about 3 or 4 scenes tops and you feel like you are watching a stage production. No show that I know of is made that way now. Also, i like the look of the videotape. it gives the show a warmer more intimate feel. If shows are shot on videotape now, I can't tell. the style looks exactly like film and to me it creates a certain distance that is a bit cold.

03-30-2004, 09:17 PM	#5
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	I just registered today, but I had been reading the boards for about a year. That's how i knew your other name. Anyway, I can't think of any other show that is produced in this way. I believe that the Steve Harvey Show was the last sitcom to use that old fashioned videotape style and that ended 2 years ago.

03-31-2004, 01:42 AM	#6
boechsner Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI Posts: 2,212	jamesanthony, I totally agree with you of the later seasons! They aren't totally unwatchable and much better than some of the crap thats on today.

03-31-2004, 09:16 AM	#9
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	Hi Boeschsner: What struck me in watching that last year episode and the retrospective was that these actors seemed to be having a genuinely good time working on the show. It seemed like they enjoyed going to work and it comes through in their performances. I don't watch much of the shows that are produced now. The black UPN sitcoms are among the few and I catch those only occassionally. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to watch any of them. Even at it's worst/lowest the Jeffersons had a sort of heart or warmth to it that I don't see too much of in the modern shows where they seem to be more about promoting things that they want the viewers to spend money on (fashions, clothes, some performer's new CD) than leaving you feeling uplifted. It's a very strange thing

04-05-2004, 10:43 AM	#11
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	The funny thing is that even though the show wasn't as good as it was in its younger years it still had great ratings. It was the 3rd highest rated show of the 81-82 season. The next year it was number 12 and the year after that it was number 19. It only dropped off when CBS moved it off of Sundays and up against the A-Team on Tuesdays. I stopped watching it during the 82-83 season and remember tuning in occassionally in the last year and thinking to myself, "Wow, THIS is still on?!!" I remember watching pt 1 of Sayonara (which was actually not a bad episode) in early 85 and thinking, this show is going to get cancelled! Yet the cast clearly enjoyed going to work and being in the show. I heard Isabel say that she was surprised when she showed up at work and she and the others parking spaces were gone. That's when they found out they were cancelled. You'd think they would have figured they were going to get dumped from the time CBS moved them off of Sunday nights. Marla obviously did because 227 started the very next season.