When the show became less funny..... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Rob · 06-18-2001, 03:48 PM

I think The Jeffersons really started to lose it's edge when George and Tom became pals. George still wasn't exactly an angel when this happened, but still, the show lost something. The thing that confuses me though, is how this happened. Was there an episode that made George have a change of heart, or did it suddenly just occur?

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[This message has been edited by Rob (edited 06-21-2001).]

06-21-2001, 04:55 AM

The decade changed halfway through the run. The differences between culture and attitudes changed, so so did the series. Plus, they both had to accept that, through marriage, they were related

lil_weezy · 08-24-2001, 07:31 PM

In my opinion, the show has always been funny.

TV Guy · 08-28-2001, 01:12 PM

I thought it started to slide when Lionel, Jenny, and Mr. Bentley (for a time) were no longer regular cast members, around 1981. With this reduced cast, the writers went a little overboard with Florence.

boechsner · 09-02-2001, 02:41 AM

In my opinion, The Jeffersons became less funny when the writers decided to whitewash the show. From 1975-1981, the series spent a great deal of time dealing with race, racial jokes/insults, racial issues which set it apart from other series. Suddenly, the racial aspect was gone and the series just became another sitcom. The Jeffersons took pride in the fact that they were a poor black family from Harlem who made their way up the ladder but by the early 1980's the writers made this important aspect vanish.

TV Guy · 09-04-2001, 11:54 AM

Good point! I never really thought about it before, but those later seasons seem to carry much less weight than the earlier ones.

ThomasE · 09-19-2001, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rob:
I think The Jeffersons really started to lose it's edge when George and Tom became pals. George still wasn't exactly an angel when this happened, but still, the show lost something. The thing that confuses me though, is how this happened. Was there an episode that made George have a change of heart, or did it suddenly just occur?

Personally I liked it when George and Tom became friends. It was about time. I sitll like the later shows and NAN better show them all.

mstewart · 03-05-2002, 11:20 PM

I thought the show became less funny after 79-80 season. For one it was on six years at the end of that particular season. It stayed on way too long and watching the last three seasons of the show is quite painful. It became another bland sitcom. When George became kinder and gentler the show became quite stale. A great producer and creator such as Norman Lear did not know how to pull the plug on his shows. He keeps them on too long and it degenerates to silliness and desperate plots to keep the interest up. Not only did the Jefferson's lost it comical edge so did All In the Family, One Day At A Time, Maude and Good Times. After five to six years pull the plug so fans like myself can have a good memory of the show and not look at the reruns of one or two seasons too much in pain. Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore are examples of pulling the plug while the quality of their shows are still good and enjoyable without being forced off.

rothscr · 06-25-2002, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mstewart
I thought the show became less funny after 79-80 season. For one it was on six years at the end of that particular season. It stayed on way too long and watching the last three seasons of the show is quite painful. It became another bland sitcom. When George became kinder and gentler the show became quite stale. A great producer and creator such as Norman Lear did not know how to pull the plug on his shows. He keeps them on too long and it degenerates to silliness and desperate plots to keep the interest up. Not only did the Jefferson's lost it comical edge so did All In the Family, One Day At A Time, Maude and Good Times. After five to six years pull the plug so fans like myself can have a good memory of the show and not look at the reruns of one or two seasons too much in pain. Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore are examples of pulling the plug while the quality of their shows are still good and enjoyable without being forced off.

Don't forget Jerry Seinfeld.

Back to the Jeffersons. It got all fluffy and goofy in the eighties, more like a Mama's Family instead of an All in The Family type show. Alot of shows get stale in their last seasons.
Ex: Alice, All in the Family, Family Matters, The Cosby Show, Coach, The Drew Carey Show, Dharma and Greg, Spin City, Threes Company

But some shows never lost it: I Love Lucy, The Golden Girls, Cheers, A Different World (that one actually got better), The Nanny, and Married With Children

Those are only a few, though.

06-18-2001, 03:48 PM	#1
Rob Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 06, 2001 Location: Levittown, N.Y. United States Posts: 197	When the show became less funny..... I think The Jeffersons really started to lose it's edge when George and Tom became pals. George still wasn't exactly an angel when this happened, but still, the show lost something. The thing that confuses me though, is how this happened. Was there an episode that made George have a change of heart, or did it suddenly just occur? ------------------ [This message has been edited by Rob (edited 06-21-2001).]

06-21-2001, 04:55 AM	#2
Devastation26 Guest Posts: n/a	The decade changed halfway through the run. The differences between culture and attitudes changed, so so did the series. Plus, they both had to accept that, through marriage, they were related
Devastation26 Guest Posts: n/a

03-05-2002, 11:20 PM	#8
mstewart mstewart Senior Member Join Date: Jan 25, 2002 Location: California Posts: 1,780	When the Show Became Less Funny I thought the show became less funny after 79-80 season. For one it was on six years at the end of that particular season. It stayed on way too long and watching the last three seasons of the show is quite painful. It became another bland sitcom. When George became kinder and gentler the show became quite stale. A great producer and creator such as Norman Lear did not know how to pull the plug on his shows. He keeps them on too long and it degenerates to silliness and desperate plots to keep the interest up. Not only did the Jefferson's lost it comical edge so did All In the Family, One Day At A Time, Maude and Good Times. After five to six years pull the plug so fans like myself can have a good memory of the show and not look at the reruns of one or two seasons too much in pain. Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore are examples of pulling the plug while the quality of their shows are still good and enjoyable without being forced off.

08-24-2001, 07:31 PM	#3
lil_weezy I'll 4ever luv Weezy Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 26, 2001 Location: Cincinnati, Oh Posts: 346	In my opinion, the show has always been funny.

08-28-2001, 01:12 PM	#4
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	I thought it started to slide when Lionel, Jenny, and Mr. Bentley (for a time) were no longer regular cast members, around 1981. With this reduced cast, the writers went a little overboard with Florence.

09-02-2001, 02:41 AM	#5
boechsner Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI Posts: 2,212	In my opinion, The Jeffersons became less funny when the writers decided to whitewash the show. From 1975-1981, the series spent a great deal of time dealing with race, racial jokes/insults, racial issues which set it apart from other series. Suddenly, the racial aspect was gone and the series just became another sitcom. The Jeffersons took pride in the fact that they were a poor black family from Harlem who made their way up the ladder but by the early 1980's the writers made this important aspect vanish.

09-04-2001, 11:54 AM	#6
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	Good point! I never really thought about it before, but those later seasons seem to carry much less weight than the earlier ones.