When The Jeffersons debuted on Jan. 18, 1975, the All in the Family spin-off was not just an instant hit, but groundbreaking in its depiction of a wealthy African American family in a network sitcom. The show’s popularity dipped a bit over the course of its 11 seasons — but when the show was abruptly canceled in 1985, the news came as a shock to the cast, including its stars Sherman Hemsley (George) and Isabel Sanford (Weezy). Despite the iconic sitcom’s impact on television, the network didn’t let those involved know the show was ending — instead, the actors were left to discover the news on theit own through tabloids and family members.
A groundbreaking sitcom
image from the 1970s sitcom “The Jeffersons.” It is a long shot of stars Isabel Sanford as “Weezy,” sitting on the left on a couch, and Sherman Hemsley as George, sitting on the right. Weezy has her hands clasped over her knee as she looks and smiles at George; George is smiling back, and he has his right hand on Weezy’s left shoulder, with a newspaper opened on his lap and his feet up on a coffee table.
Produced by Norman Lear, the show was more than just a spinoff of All in the Family — it was a cultural milestone. The Jeffersons tackled social issues like racism and classism, while also showcasing Black identity and culture through its central characters, George and Louise “Weezy” Jefferson, their family members and friends. The series portrayed Black Americans as successful, upwardly mobile and multidimensional characters, breaking away from stereotypes that were common on TV at the time.
With its bold storytelling and humor, The Jeffersons became a ratings success in its first three seasons. Although the show faced challenges with multiple time slot changes, and ratings fluctuated during its fourth and fifth seasons, The Jeffersons made a mighty comeback, securing a place in the Top Ten for an additional four years.
The shocking cancellation
image from an early season of “The Jeffersons,” probably 1975. Left to right are stars Isabel Sanford as “Weezy,” Mike Evans as Lionel and Sherman Hemsley as George. Lionel and George are laughing about something, but Weezy does not look amused.
Isabel Sanford as “Weezy,” Mike Evans as Lionel and Sherman Hemsley as George in The Jeffersons
As the 11th season of The Jeffersons drew to a close, no one on the cast guessed that the show would be canceled. After the season finale episode, “Red Robins” — which concerned George’s ill-advised attempt to win a “Dry Cleaner of the Year” award — the cast went on hiatus.
Unbeknownst to them, CBS had already informed advertisers of the show’s cancellation, with no series finale or farewell episode planned. One by one, the cast members learned about the cancellation in unexpected ways:
– Isabel Sanford, who portrayed Jefferson family matriarch Louise “Weezy” Jefferson and was the first Black actress to win the Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, told the Archive of American Television that a cousin called to tell her to say she’d read about the cancellation in a tabloid. Sanford never forgave the affront.
– Sherman Hemsley played the family’s proudly outspoken patriarch George Jefferson and learned of The Jeffersons cancellation while reading the newspaper. Hemsley, who preferred the stage to TV and often complained about George’s lack of growth, never said much about the series end.
– Marla Gibbs, who earned five Emmy nominations as the Jeffersons’ comically outspoken maid Florence Johnston, already had a role secured on the NBC sitcom 227 when she read the news in the paper. “You just don’t do that,” Gibbs told the Television Academy Foundation of the lack of a proper sendoff for The Jeffersons.
– Franklin Cover, who played Tom Willis, one half of television’s first interracial couple, discovered the cancellation while watching Entertainment Tonight. Cover enjoyed a long career after The Jeffersons, but his legacy remains tied to the groundbreaking sitcom.
But that wasn’t the end of George and Weezy Jefferson
