Actors: Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Marla Gibbs, Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover
Directors: Jack Shea
Number of discs: 33
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Shout! Factory
DVD Release Date: December 9, 2014
Run Time: 4440 minutes
Series: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
“Movin’ on up to the east side!”, “The Jeffersons” easily has one of the catchiest and best theme songs in television history. For the first time ever you can enjoy this classic sitcom with this complete series including all 253 episodes of this Norman Lear (“All in the Family”, “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman”) developed series. Previously, Shout! has only released the first 6 seasons of this show on DVD, so season 7-11 have been unreleased. This is the perfect to get this entire series in one nice collection. Plus with the holidays right around the corner, it is also a way to become the favorite person in your family but gifting this wonderful set.
Official Premise: Originally airing from 1975 to 1985, The Jeffersons documented the side-splitting exploits of an upwardly-mobile family: dry cleaning entrepreneur George (Sherman Hemsley), his wife Louise (Emmy winner Isabel Sanford), and their son Lionel, as they move from the working-class section of Queens to a luxury apartment in Manhattan. George’s brash, arrogant personality always seems to get him in hot water. Lucky for him, he’s got the level-headed “Weezy”, by his side and their wise-cracking maid Florence (Marla Gibbs) to keep him humble. Together, they overcome the comic challenges and culture clashes that their new way of life brings.
The special features are good as well. There is a featurette called “Movin’ On Up – The Jeffersons”. There is an episode of “All In The Family” called “The Jeffersons Move Up”. There is Marla Gibbs’ 4-episode spinoff series “Checking In”. There is also the pilot to the 1984 TV series “E/R”, starring Elliott Gould and featuring Sherman Hemsley guest-starring as George Jefferson. If you want more “The Jeffersons”, Norman Lear just released a new autobiography release on October 14, 2014, titled “Even This I Get to Experience,” which reveals never-before heard stories about the development and creation of “The Jeffersons”.