Legendary producer and show creator, Norman Lear, who was behind the creation of “The Jeffersons” had quite a few successful shows in his resume. He was behind shows like “Sanford and Son”, “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman”, “All in the Family”, and “One Day at a Time” among others.
“The Jeffersons” went on to be his second longest-running show and he went on to create other notable shows like “Silver Spoons” and “The Facts of Life”.
The Truth is in the Toilets
The Jeffersons had moved into a very nice, spacious apartment, even by today’s standards. One of the not-so-subtle commentaries on how dramatically their lives had changed since their dry cleaning business took off was when George Jefferson decided to flush all four of their toilets at the same time.
This was to show not only that well, they had four toilets, but that the plumbing must have been great too.
The Kiss Controversy
Featuring a successful, African American couple, “The Jeffersons” was already a rather progressive show for the time. But there was one scene that a number of CBS executives thought was not appropriate. Sadly, several of the executives were opposed to the kiss between Tom and Helen Willis, an interracial couple on the show.
Thankfully though, Fred Silverman (an executive producer) was able to push for the scene to remain in the episode.
Time Slot Chaos
Studio executives often fight to get their shows to air during a certain time slot so as to get more viewers and higher ratings. But “The Jeffersons” time slots were all over the place. In fact, during the show’s eleven seasons, it appeared in fifteen different time slots.
The chaotic schedule over the years didn’t seem to negatively impact the show though as it became a cult-classic comedy.
Starting Out in Doubt
When studio executives assemble a cast for a new show, they most likely assume that each actor or actress is fully invested and confident in the project. But, actress Isabel Sanford, (Louise Jefferson) had her share of doubts about the future success of the show.
And not only was she unsure of how well it would do, but she was also apprehensive to play the role of Louise. Thankfully she could soon put her doubts to rest.