The Jeffersons

The Jeffersons have moved on up and are now enjoying living in their new high-rise apartment. Louise has made a new friend in Diane Stockwell, who is having a hard time believing that George made his way up the ladder without doing anything shady. However, bigger problems are brewing when George insists that Louise hire a maid but Louise is totally against the idea.

Louise is having a hard time getting use to her new wealthy lifestyle and the boredom that comes along with it. She begins trying to talk George into letting her work in the store in the building but he is totally against it. This leads her to inadvertently get a job with another cleaning business and George hits the ceiling when he learns the news. That is until he begins thinking of using her position for sabotage.

George refuses to participate in a tenants meeting until he learns the Mr. Whittendale will be there. George has hopes of doing business with the man. Meanwhile, Georges want for a grand piano becomes a burden during the meeting.

Louise is expecting a visit from her Uncle Ward, a man who happens to be a butler. His job is what makes George and Lionel put him down, calling him an "Uncle Tom." Meanwhile, a fight at school prompts Lionel to get kicked out.

Wanting publicity for his stores, George tries to get in on a reporters series of stories on successful black businessmen. However, once he finally gets the reporter to make an appearance he finds it difficult to hold his attention, with the Willis and Mr. Bentley hanging around.

George comes home one evening with news an important potential client is coming over for dinner. However, Louise has news too. Some old friends of the Jeffersons are coming over, friends whom George is afraid will embarrass him in front of his pompous client.

Jennys globe-trotting brother surprises his family with a visit home. While Tom and Helen, debate on the reason for Allan staying away so long, Jenny is anything but happy about his visit and her reason has nothing to do with him staying away for so long.

George doesnt know what to do with himself on a Sunday, the only day of the week George doesnt work. Tom quickly points out the obvious that George is a workaholic. Just to spite him, George decides to show him that he can relax and decides to book him and Louise on a cruise. However, Louise and George find themselves with a problem, Mother Jefferson has invited herself along.

Harry is sure that his latest girlfriend, Daphne is going to pop the question and doesnt have the heart to let her down. So he bolts to the Jeffersons bathroom. Meanwhile, George tries to handle an inspector whos inspecting one of Georges stores. However, Georges method to avoid paying a fine by blackmailing the inspector, doesnt go over too well.

Things arent going to well for George and Louise on their anniversary. First, Louise must contend with the unwelcome Mother Jefferson and then she must contend with Georges odd anniversary gift, bicycles. She quickly learns his motive for buying them, to meet Mr. Whittendale.

George is sure that hes movin back down the ladder after some financial setbacks. His worries soon turn into nightmares and with both Lionel asking for money and Florence asking for a raise, Georges worries dont appear to be ending anytime soon.

Jenny is tired of the bickering between her two grandfathers who have been against each other ever since Tom and Helen wed. So this leads Jenny, Louise and Mother Jefferson to concoct a scheme to get the two together at the Jeffersons apartment since neither of the grandfathers will step foot in the Willis apartment.

George needs a new manager for his store on the first floor in the apartment building. However, the person whos the most qualified for the job he refuses to hire for two reasons, shes a woman and shes white.

Louise realizes that Mother Jefferson has a strong hold on George when he refuses to cancel a monthly lunch with his mother and go with Louise to a funeral for a family friend.

Lionel is desperate to pass a course but his odds are slim since his passing hinges on a paper he has to write about homosexuality. This leads George to buy a term paper for him, but this leads to a tremendous blow up ending with Jenny and Lionel breaking up and Louise and Helen ending their friendship.

Florence goes on a cleaning spree in the Jeffersons apartment as well as behaving extremely strange including, kissing Harry and giving away a swimming award to Louise. This leads Louise to believe Florence is contemplating suicide.

Louise is offered the opportunity to write a cookbook for Toms publishing company, Pelham Publishing. However, just as she gets started, a green-eyed George tries his best to put an end to her cookbook.

Prior to his graduation from college, Lionel takes to drinking to ease the pressure of his expected success. Things come to a head when, on the day of his graduation, comes home drunk.

After reading an article about Harry Belafonte renewing his marriage vows, George decides to do the same thing. However, Louise has second thoughts when she gets into an argument with George over her being an equal partner in Jefferson Cleaners.

Florence breaks down and tells Louise that shes losing her apartment due to the fact that the building is going to be torn down, this leads Louise to offer Florence a live-in maid position at the Jeffersons. Now the only problem is to get George to allow her to accept the job.

Lionel is ecstatic about his first day at his new job. However, when he is forced to take a lie detector test to verify everything in his portfolio, he promptly quits. Meanwhile, Louise and George plan for a family portrait to be taken.

George is ready to sell out to a big corporation after a company makes him a lucrative offer. This would make him a vice president however, after reading over a booklet on the rules and regulations, George discovers that this would also mean some of his best workers will be forced into retirement.

George becomes indebted to Tom after he gives George the Heimlich remover at Charlies bar, when George begins to choke on some popcorn. However, George quickly finds away to end the debt after everyone makes a fuss over Toms good deed.

George interferes in Lionel and Jennys relationship by suggesting to Lionel that he have Jenny sign a pre-nuptial agreement. This leads to Jenny and Lionel to get into an argument which ends in them calling off the wedding.

Christmas eve brings disharmony to the Jefferson household when George argues with Tom over the preparations for Lionel and Jennys wedding which is to take place that evening.

Harry is having problems with the person who parks his car next to him in the garage. Seeking advice, Harry goes to George. However, Georges advice lands Harry in jail, after he punches out a police officer. Meanwhile, Louise is looking forward to a trip to California.

George feels guilty for not staying in touch with the members of a childhood gang, after the death of one of the members. This leads George to hold a reunion at the apartment which also leads to a confrontation with the leader, JoJo.

Lionel falls ill while visiting his parents and Louise goes all out to take care of him. When Jenny comes over, she wants to take care of her sick husband which leads to a battle between who gets to take care of him, Lionels mother or Lionels wife.

Louise is taking French lessons and makes a friend with one of her classmates. However, when George discovers that her friend is a man, he is furious and cant believe that a woman can be just good friends with a man. This leads to yet another argument which leaves George sleeping on the couch.

Jenny has just one a scholarship to study for the summer at Oxford in England. Lionel thinks it would be a great experience for Jenny, that is until he learns his company wont transfer him there.

George, Tom, Helen, Harry and Florence are all sneaking around to set up a surprise birthday party for Louise. However, Louise is not exactly in a party mood after she comes back from a checkup at the doctors office.

George hurries to scoff up the ransom money for Louises safe return. However, both George and the kidnappers quickly learn that they have the wrong person, when Louise returns to the apartment.

Helping out at the Help Center, puts Louise in the middle of new program which gives street kids jobs with businesses. This leads to a street kid getting a job at one of Georges stores and soon George discovers an expensive suede jacket is missing.

Louise is eyeing a job opening down at the Help Center, which would make her editor of the Help Center newsletter. However, when her supervisor discovers how much experience Helen has, she is hired leaving a jealous Louise on the sideline.

To avoid a weekend visit from his mother, George leaves Louise to deal with her when he decides to take an unexpected camping trip with Marcus.

Louises latest interest is working at a museum where she gets invited to go on an archeological dig. However, the only people going on the trip are her and her attractive supervisor, a fact that she keeps from George.

George is once again after a big business deal. However, when negotiations dont seem to be going his way, he gets Florence to constantly insult him because the only thing the man hes doing business with enjoys is Florences sharp tongue.

Marcus takes a lesson from George and throws a pretty girl the Jefferson curve, which is to bend the truth to get what you want and Marcus tells the girl that hes Lionel. This eventually leads George and Louise to belive that Lionel is having an affair.

George and Louise discover that the landlord, Mr. Whittendale, may not be renewing their lease. This prompts George and Louise to invite Whittendale over to discuss this matter. However, just before he comes over, Harry drops his ant farm in the middle of the Jeffersons living room.

A blackout prompts George to rush down to one of his stores when he hears about looting in the area. Once their, George and Marcus try to save some of the clothes from the looters but are arrested by mistake, landing them in jail.

After learning that Jimmy Carter stays at ""ordinary"" peoples homes while on trips, George intends to invite him to stay at the Jeffersons abode. However, Secret Service agents show up at the Jeffersons door after George makes a phone call to the White House which sounds threatening to Jimmy Carter.

George and Louises have a houseguest, Georges nephew, Raymond. Raymond is staying with them for six weeks and proves to be a hand full. When Georges attempts to entertain the tyke fail, George takes him horseback riding, but when that fails, Raymond runs away.

As the burglar loots the apartment, Louise and George sit in the kitchen tied up. They continue to reminice about their lives (via flashbacks). Memories include, Louise putting up with Mother Jefferson and their lives when they lived across the street from Archie Bunker.

Jenny needs a topic for a thesis that shes writing. However, her idea could lead her into danger when she decides her topic will be street gangs. This leads her to go to Harlem and meet Marcus, unknown to her Tom and George are following her.

George decides that he needs a cleaning factory and sets out to find a place for it. Meanwhile, Alan Willis returns to New York and learns that he has inherited a warehouse from his grandfather. Seeing that the warehouse would be perfect for his factory, George goes all out to try to get it, even allowing Alan to move in with the Jeffersons due to squabbling between Alan and Tom.

Louise has been trying to get a permit for the Help Center but she hasnt been able to get anywhere with the bank. This leads George to go down to the bank and discovers that the banker is an old navy pal of his, one who still holds a grudge over some navy day trickery.

Georges new stockbroker is quite a ventriloquist, after he introduces the Jeffersons to his dummy, J.P. However, George has second thoughts about him after he learns that he has spent time in a mental institution.

George is being considered for a position on a banks board of directors and when a banker comes over to interview him, Alan and the bankers daughter hit it off. This leads George to worry that because Alan is half black this will jeopardize his chances of getting the position.

Louise is convinced that George and her are in a routine, something that George scoffs at. However, their routine gets shaken up after Louise is brutally mugged resulting in her getting amnesia.

The Christmas season brings old friends, Buddy and Zeke, to the Jefferson apartment. With them comes along a long buried secret, one that George cant handle. Buddy and Georges mother were once lovers.

On the evening of her class reunion, Louise discovers in Georges will that all of his money would go to her on the condition that she never remarries. This obviously prompts yet another argument resulting in Louise attending her reunion without George.

Florences latest boyfriend, Buzz Thatcher, proposes marriage which she accepts happily. However, his religious attitudes give Louise a bad feeling about the whole thing.

A business trip of Toms sparks an argument between him and Helen which gets even worse when she discovers that a beautiful blond is accompanying him.

Tom and Alans fight causes a fight to erupt between George and Louise on the same evening a reporter from Black Life Magazine is to interview them on the subject of happily married life.

Florence is reading a novel in which a woman pretends to be different people this gives Florence the idea to act like different people to attract men. While down at the Help Center, she tries it out on a man, unknown to her hes a psychiatrist who becomes convinced Florence has multiple personalities.

When the heat goes out in a few of the apartments in the building, Harry, Tom and Helen convene at the Jeffersons heated apartment, causing cramped space and sore feelings.