So was the Lionel Jefferson character only funny in the presence of.. - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TVFactFan · 08-05-2012, 08:40 PM

ARCHIE BUNKER?

Is that the conclusion we can come to since his career never took off once he started on the Jeffersons?

I mean he still had that same personality he had on AITF so I wonder what happened?

*ROGER* · 08-05-2012, 08:42 PM

Lionel was definitely at his funniest when he was interacting with Archie Bunker.

Lionel entertained me on The Jeffersons, but I didn't find him funny by then.

TVFactFan · 08-05-2012, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *ROGER*

Lionel was definitely at his funniest when he was interacting with Archie Bunker.

Lionel entertained me on The Jeffersons, but I didn't find him funny by then.

I still can't believe he took a back seat to a 86 year old woman. A character who was only seen on AITF one time and then got all this screen time on the Jeffersons

FrankCostanza · 08-10-2012, 01:35 PM

I actually didn't think of that until you mentioned it, Solomon. While I like Lionel and Mike Evans' portrayal of the character, I do somewhat feel that he was funnier around Archie. Part of that is because he played off of O'Connor so well. But, when Damon Evans took over the role he sucked the humor out of it. He didn't bother me as much when I watched it as a kid, but rewatching it recently his bad acting is apparent.

We all know Mike Evans left for many reasons (Good Times, being downsized for other characters, he was never really an actor who wanted to be tied down to a role for a long time), but I just don't think Lionel could have ever had that big of a part on TJ. He would have always been supporting. Sure, it would have been great if Mike stayed around for another year or two, but Lionel was already 22 and close to graduating. He couldn't live at home forever. George and Louise were the heart and soul of the show, even if Lionel was seen first. I appreciate his role on AITF, but it just don't think it was meant to be for him to be a major character for a long time.

TVFactFan · 08-10-2012, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankCostanza

I actually didn't think of that until you mentioned it, Solomon. While I like Lionel and Mike Evans' portrayal of the character, I do somewhat feel that he was funnier around Archie. Part of that is because he played off of O'Connor so well. But, when Damon Evans took over the role he sucked the humor out of it. He didn't bother me as much when I watched it as a kid, but rewatching it recently his bad acting is apparent.

We all know Mike Evans left for many reasons (Good Times, being downsized for other characters, he was never really an actor who wanted to be tied down to a role for a long time), but I just don't think Lionel could have ever had that big of a part on TJ. He would have always been supporting. Sure, it would have been great if Mike stayed around for another year or two, but Lionel was already 22 and close to graduating. He couldn't live at home forever. George and Louise were the heart and soul of the show, even if Lionel was seen first. I appreciate his role on AITF, but it just don't think it was meant to be for him to be a major character for a long time.

He played off his father the same way he did Archie so not sure why he wasn't funny in those situations.

And he left the Jeffersons in 75 because his role was too small not because he was working on Good times. All of this is in the Jeffersons book and a 1975 Ebony Magazine

08-05-2012, 08:40 PM	#1
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,062	So was the Lionel Jefferson character only funny in the presence of.. ARCHIE BUNKER? Is that the conclusion we can come to since his career never took off once he started on the Jeffersons? I mean he still had that same personality he had on AITF so I wonder what happened?

08-10-2012, 01:35 PM	#4
FrankCostanza George's Dad Frequent Poster Join Date: May 23, 2005 Location: Athens, Tennessee Posts: 138	I actually didn't think of that until you mentioned it, Solomon. While I like Lionel and Mike Evans' portrayal of the character, I do somewhat feel that he was funnier around Archie. Part of that is because he played off of O'Connor so well. But, when Damon Evans took over the role he sucked the humor out of it. He didn't bother me as much when I watched it as a kid, but rewatching it recently his bad acting is apparent. We all know Mike Evans left for many reasons (Good Times, being downsized for other characters, he was never really an actor who wanted to be tied down to a role for a long time), but I just don't think Lionel could have ever had that big of a part on TJ. He would have always been supporting. Sure, it would have been great if Mike stayed around for another year or two, but Lionel was already 22 and close to graduating. He couldn't live at home forever. George and Louise were the heart and soul of the show, even if Lionel was seen first. I appreciate his role on AITF, but it just don't think it was meant to be for him to be a major character for a long time.
	__________________ R.I.P. Sherman Hemsley, 1938-2012. It is time for the Shout Factory to release the DVDs of the remaining seasons of The Jeffersons.

08-05-2012, 08:42 PM	#2
ROGER Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 05, 2007 Location: United States Posts: 2,776	Lionel was definitely at his funniest when he was interacting with Archie Bunker. Lionel entertained me on The Jeffersons, but I didn't find him funny by then.