Question for W.J. Griffin about Lionel Jefferson - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TVFactFan · 11-12-2003, 07:14 PM

What were your thoughts when you saw for the first time in september of 1975, the new lionel jefferson? Did you know that the First lionel was not coming back before the start of the second season? And what were you saying to yourself when you saw the replacement Lionel?-LOL

W.J. Griffin · 11-14-2003, 10:55 PM

Well, we knew going into the new season that Mike Evans would be leaving the show, but watching Damon Evans (no relation...they kept saying that throughout the summer... to the point of distraction, I might add...) was somewhat...underwhelming. It was hard to belive that this goober was the same Lionel Jefferson who regularly outwitted the likes of Archie Bunker on "All In The Family", and Damon's performance of the character was so low-key as to be sleep-inducing...and it never progressed from there.

So you can imagine my elation when Mike Evans returned to the show four seasons later...but it wasn't the same...we had been cheated out of seeing Lionel Jefferson...the REAL Lionel Jefferson...married to Jenny Willis, and becoming a father...we were cheated out of three seasons of the real Lionel smarting off to his father, lying to his mother, possibly flirting with Florence or teaming up with her to dis George, etc. We pretty much missed out on all of this, and when Mike returned, he sleep-walked, too.

As you can see, I preferred the Lionel Jefferson who was street-smart and savvy, a wise-guy jokester who could insult a narrow-minded bigot (Archie, George, take your pick) and make it seem like he was complimenting him (though it did seem like Uncle Henry put the Fear Of God into him...), and it aggravated the hell out of me to see yet another strong Black male character reduced to a shadow of his former self.

TVFactFan · 11-14-2003, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by W.J. Griffin
Well, we knew going into the new season that Mike Evans would be leaving the show, but watching Damon Evans (no relation...they kept saying that throughout the summer... to point of distraction, I might add...) was somewhat...underwhelming. It was hard to belive that this goober was the same Lionel Jefferson who regularly outwitted the likes of Archie Bunker on "All In The Family", and Damon's performance of the character was so low-key as to be sleep-inducing...and it never progressed from there.

So you can imagine my elation when Mike Evans returned to the show four seasons later...but it wasn't the same...we had been cheated out of seeing Lionel Jefferson...the REAL Lionel Jefferson...married to Jenny Willis, and becoming a father...we were cheated out of three seasons of the real Lionel smarting off to his father, lying to his mother, possibly flirting with Florence or teaming up with her to dis George, etc. We pretty much missed out on all this, and when Mike returned, he sleep-walked, too.

As you can see, I preferred the Lionel Jefferson who was street-smart and savvy, a wise-guy jokester who could insult a narrow-minded bigot (Archie, George, take your pick) and make it seem like he was complimenting him (though it did seem like Uncle Henry put the Fear Of God into him...), and it aggravated the heck outta me to see yet another strong Black male character reduced to a shadow of his former self.

Do you remember what critics were saying about the Jeffersons when it first aired?

W.J. Griffin · 11-14-2003, 11:30 PM

No, not really. Then, as now, I always felt that "critical acclaim" was the kiss of death for tv shows, that media critics, whose taste run to the extremely highbrow, have nothing in common with the average tv viewer in America, that THEIR opinions are more important than the people who actually watch and enjoy these programs.(Or worse, selling their opinions for a price to the conglomerates that own most of the media today, soulless corporations that care only for the money in your pocket, not the heart in your soul...)

Um...sorry. I didn't mean to go off on a tangent like that. To answer your question, I never paid attention to what the critics had to say about any of the shows I liked on tv...99% of the time, they were usually wrong, anyway...

11-12-2003, 07:14 PM	#1
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,059	Question for W.J. Griffin about Lionel Jefferson What were your thoughts when you saw for the first time in september of 1975, the new lionel jefferson? Did you know that the First lionel was not coming back before the start of the second season? And what were you saying to yourself when you saw the replacement Lionel?-LOL

11-14-2003, 10:55 PM	#2
W.J. Griffin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 29, 2002 Posts: 527	Well, we knew going into the new season that Mike Evans would be leaving the show, but watching Damon Evans (no relation...they kept saying that throughout the summer... to the point of distraction, I might add...) was somewhat...underwhelming. It was hard to belive that this goober was the same Lionel Jefferson who regularly outwitted the likes of Archie Bunker on "All In The Family", and Damon's performance of the character was so low-key as to be sleep-inducing...and it never progressed from there. So you can imagine my elation when Mike Evans returned to the show four seasons later...but it wasn't the same...we had been cheated out of seeing Lionel Jefferson...the REAL Lionel Jefferson...married to Jenny Willis, and becoming a father...we were cheated out of three seasons of the real Lionel smarting off to his father, lying to his mother, possibly flirting with Florence or teaming up with her to dis George, etc. We pretty much missed out on all of this, and when Mike returned, he sleep-walked, too. As you can see, I preferred the Lionel Jefferson who was street-smart and savvy, a wise-guy jokester who could insult a narrow-minded bigot (Archie, George, take your pick) and make it seem like he was complimenting him (though it did seem like Uncle Henry put the Fear Of God into him...), and it aggravated the hell out of me to see yet another strong Black male character reduced to a shadow of his former self.

11-14-2003, 11:30 PM	#4
W.J. Griffin Member Forum Regular Join Date: Aug 29, 2002 Posts: 527	No, not really. Then, as now, I always felt that "critical acclaim" was the kiss of death for tv shows, that media critics, whose taste run to the extremely highbrow, have nothing in common with the average tv viewer in America, that THEIR opinions are more important than the people who actually watch and enjoy these programs.(Or worse, selling their opinions for a price to the conglomerates that own most of the media today, soulless corporations that care only for the money in your pocket, not the heart in your soul...) Um...sorry. I didn't mean to go off on a tangent like that. To answer your question, I never paid attention to what the critics had to say about any of the shows I liked on tv...99% of the time, they were usually wrong, anyway...