Customer Reviews

The Jeffersons - The Complete Second Season

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There's a new Lionel and even more laughs and episodes with the hilarious second season of the Jeffersons! This is where the Jeffersons began to literally "move on up" both in writing and character development. In the second season, we not only get to know George & Weezie a lot better, but also the Willis', not to mention Mother Jefferson gets craftier, Bentley gets weirder, Florence gets sassier, and Ralph just gets more shameless! Another big change is Damon Evans replacing Mike Evans as Lionel Jefferson. Damon brings something new to the role and makes it his own from the get go. He would play Lionel until 1978 after which Mike reclaimed the role. Memorable moments abound in this DVD set like when George & Tom wear the same dinner jacket, Weezy's daughter visits, Mother Jefferson fakes a nasty fall, Louis Gosset puts the moves on Weezy, Lionel dents the company van, George locked in the bathroom with the Willis', Lionel & Jenny break up, Florence might jump off the empire state building, Lionel gets drunk, Bentley goes out on a date, George dances on the bed, and much much more! Here's the episode titles:
Disc 1:
Dinner for Harry
George's first vacation
Louise's daughter
Harry & Daphne
Jefferson vs. Jefferson
Mother Jefferson's Fall
Movin' on down
Uncle Bertram
George won't talk
Disc Two:
George's best friend
Jenny's grandparents
George's alibi
George and the manager
Lunch with Mama
George vs. Wall Street
The break up, part 1
The break up, part 2
Florence's problem
Disc three:
Mother Jefferson's birthday
Louise's cookbook
George meets Whittendale
Lionel's problem
Tennis, anyone?
The Wedding

Don't be a weird dude or a jive turkey...get the Jeffersons Season 2 right now! Can't wait for season 3! By the way, this DVD set has the play all episodes feature and you can skip past the opening theme...as if anyone would want to do that! 3 DVDs and 24 episodes for the same price as season 1!

Also recommended:
Good Times season one (which Mike Evans co-created and named the family after his!)
Sanford & Son seasons 1, 2, & 3 (coming in October 2003!)
All in the Family Seasons 1 & 2
and of course the Jeffersons Season 1...duh!

WEEZAY!

I should have guessed when I read the back cover, that has 9 episodes per disc - apart from disc 3, which contains 6 episodes and promos I wouldn't care for one way or the other.

The insert lists all the titles, but they aren't differentiated by disc number. I own a number of Columbia titles, and this is the first time they skimped on the index insert.

The source material is very good looking. DVD compression is typical for Columbia releases (aka "fair").

The DVD audio on discs 1 and 2 is a vast improvement from the "remastering" done for their season 1 discs. Unfortunately, the audio for many of disc 3's episodes is muted and hard to listen too; too much audio being removed along with the background hiss during the cleanup process. Hopefully they'll fix the problem for free one day... Comparing overzealous 'cleaning' to leaving the original hiss present (see "All in the Family" season 5 DVD set), I'd prefer the hiss if I had to choose any imperfections (and for the money, I'd prefer a properly made release.)

And, as usual, no extras worth having either. They hype up that these shows made TV history, and yet they don't have any commentaries or extras that help tell us WHY it made history. (long time fans know, but I may as well tell you King William is a great guy but not bother to say WHY... there are numerous King Williams in history too...)

It's like Columbia doesn't care about its customers at times; but all and all there's not as much to complain about this time...

Regardless, core fans will love this show regardless and may as well spend the money. Like breadcrumbs to slaves, we're lucky to get the show released at all. So here are the best episodes:

"Louise's Daughter" ***** - A lady claiming to be Louise's daughter appears.
"Mother Jefferson's Fall" **** - Mother Jefferson feigns a fall to get attention; feeling she is being ignored.

"Uncle Bertram" ***** - Jenny's uncle, Bertram, makes passes at Mother Jefferson. (there are some great moments in this...)

"George Won't Talk" ***** - George refuses to go to Harlem to speak about being a successful black man, thinking he'll get ripped off. He reluctantly goes... and gets ripped off.

"George's Best Friend" ***** - George's best friend from the navy pays a visit... but becomes more interested in Louise.

"Jenny's Grandparents" ***** - Tired of the bickering between her grandfathers, Jenny seeks the help of Mother Jefferson and Uncle Bertram. (another GREAT entry!)

"George's Alibi" **** - During a severe blizzard, Lionel wrecks George's truck by accident. Meanwhile, a news report reveals somebody was hit in an accident, with George's truck being identified. George thinks he caused the incident.

"George and the Manager" ***** - George is under attack for not wanting to hire a female manager. (Another TERRIFIC entry; his defense for not hiring whites is utterly noble and correct.)

"George Vs Wall Street" ***** - George invests in beans, hoping natural disaster will allow him to profit from it. (Another GREAT entry; the moral talk of profiting from peoples' suffering I don't think had ever been addressed before - or since - in tv history.)

"The Break-up", part 1 ***** - Lionel is desperate to pass a college course, and George buys a readymade term paper. A HUGE argument ensues, causing Jenny and Lionel to break up... and the Jeffersons and Willises break up as well. AWESOME set-up that couldn't be better handled (and the cast handle some difficult scenes with aplomb, this stuff is incredibly good!) Indeed, George's response to the question "What would happen if everybody bought papers" is a classic.

"The Break-up" (conclusion) *** - George wants to help Lionel find a new girlfriend... and brings on up somebody he didn't fathom: A call girl! (there are some fun moments, but you know they'll all get back together by the end...)

"Florence's Problem" ***** - Louise notices peculiar behavior in Florence and suspects she has plans to kill herself.

"Tennis, Anyone?" ***** - George is invited to become a member in an excusive tennis club. But he shortly finds out WHY he was chosen...

As for the show itself, the sharp wit, sarcasm, and flirting with social issues remains - though the educational slant is somewhat reduced... But there's a confidence in this season not felt in season 1. Even with the "new Lionel", who takes some time getting used to. And especially for the episodes I'd listed above, the character and plot twists are definitely atypical; even if the plots themselves are (e.g. "Louise's Daughter" with the storyline that she may have cheated while George was serving in Korea.)

All in all, season 2 is a wild success. The best part of which is that Florence (Marla Gibbs) breaks out of her season 1 stereotype and comes into her own - with style and pizzazz. She and George are riotous together, with their sparring and her sarcastic wit.

Definitely worth getting, but the lack of care put into this set has me skeptical for seasons 3 and 4, which I shall netflix first and then buy if there's more effort put into them.

Here are the episodes that aired between fall 1975 and spring 1976 on CBS. One that I loved was the two-part "The Break-Up",which is between the Jeffersons' son Lionel and Jenny,Tom and Helen Willis' daughter. ... The beauty of it is,Lionel and Jenny reconcile in part two. Also in that episode,the friendship between the Jeffersons and the Willises dissolves with their respective childrens' relationship. When Lionel and Jenny reconcile,the Jeffersons and the Willises become friends again. George does continue to refer to Tom,English neighbor Harry Bentley,landlord Mr. Whittendale(sorry,don't know his first name) and doorman Ralph Hart,occasionally seen as honkies. I think this is the season where Marla Gibbs joins the Jeffersons cast as Florence Johnston,the Jeffersons' maid. Also,Damon Evans resumes the role of Lionel,originally played by Mike Evans,who at this time served as a producer for Good Times which he had co-created. As for the Jeffersons' former residence,now occupied by Archie Bunker's daughter,Gloria Bunker Stivic and husband Mike, at this time they have become proud parents. The Jeffersons at this time were in the Nielsen Top 10.

Interestingly enough, I was born after "The Jeffersons" started running and too young to catch the later years. It's a show that I caught in syndication on TV Land, and I must admit that I am HOOKED!!!!! I have the first two seasons on DVD, and am anxiously awaiting the release of Season Three. I've been checking upcoming release dates, and I see no mention of it! When will it be released?! I'm hoping that enough people will join with me and protest to Sony/Columbia. We want "The Jeffersons"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Jefferson's 2nd Season is one of the show's best. Now you can see this super season in all it's glory!

Unfortuately I had to return my first copy becuase for some reason the 1st disc wouldn't play on my 2 DVD players! At least I saw the last 2 discs. I did finally replace it with no problems.

Anyways, I love this show and like I stated above, think it's one of the series' best seasons. My favorite episode of course is "George Meets Whittendale" which is the classic episode where George gets locked in the bathroom with the Willises.

Funny stuff. A lot of the scenes during this season are featured in the following season's opening title sequence (ex. George dancing on his bed, Louise acting like an indian in front of Lionel and Jenny in the kitchen, the Willises and George locked in the bathroom, etc.)

Make sure you get this if you are a fan of The Jeffersons. If you like the first season set, you'll love this, and vice versa.

Nominated for 13 Emmys and 8 Golden Globes, The Jeffersons was a groundbreaking situation comedy that was not only utterly hilarious, but also explored the controversial social issues of its day. Premiering in mid-season 1975, the show was a spin-off of the #1 hit series All In The Family, where main characters George and Louise were the next-door neighbors of Archie and Edith Bunker. During its nine-season run, The Jeffersons spent all but its last season as a Top 25 Nielsen rated show. One of the first sitcoms to center exclusively around the lives of African-Americans, The Jeffersons most likely featured television's first interracial married couple in Tom and Helen Willis. It was this fearless attempt to push the boundaries of the status quo that made the show one of the funniest of its time as well as a valuable resource for American race relations...

The Jeffersons follows the lives of George (Sherman Hemsley) and Louise Jefferson (Isabel Sanford), a middle-aged African-American couple who own a string of successful dry cleaning stores. The windfall generated by their business paves the way for George and Louise to "move on up" into an exclusive Park Avenue apartment. The series is made by Hemsley's portrayal of the stubborn and greedy, yet quite lovable, character of George whose sarcasm and antics are only equaled by the Jeffersons' quick witted live-in maid Florence (Marla Gibbs). A supporting cast composed of omni-present neighbors Tom (Franklin Cover) and Helen Willis (Roxie Roker), the ever-polite Bentley (Paul Benedict), and a tip-grubbing doorman named Ralph (Ned Wertimer) provide for endless sources of irritation and annoyance for George. Throw in George's mother (Zara Cully) and her constant insults of Louise, and The Jeffersons becomes one of the best-written humorous shows of its time...

The Jeffersons (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "A Dinner for Harry" in which the Jeffersons plan a birthday party for their neighbor Harry Bentley, but the party turns sour when Tom Willis shows up wearing the same jacket as George. Meanwhile, Helen tries to conceal from Tom that she was mugged because he's already considering leaving New York... Other notable episodes from Season 2 include "Mother Jefferson's Fall" in which, in a play for attention, George's mother proves to be an even greater burden on Louise than normal, and "George's Best Friend" in which George's old Navy pal Wendell (Louis Gossett, Jr.) pays a visit only to end up incessantly hitting on Louise...

Below is a list of episodes included on The Jeffersons (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 14 (A Dinner for Harry)
Episode 15 (George's First Vacation)
Episode 16 (Louise's Daughter)
Episode 17 (Harry and Daphne)
Episode 18 (Mother Jefferson's Fall)
Episode 19 (Jefferson vs. Jefferson)
Episode 20 (Uncle Bertram)
Episode 21 (Movin' On Down)
Episode 22 (George Won't Talk)
Episode 23 (Jenny's Grandparents)
Episode 24 (George's Best Friend)
Episode 25 (George and the Manager)
Episode 26 (George's Alibi)
Episode 27 (Lunch with Mama)
Episode 28 (George vs. Wall Street)
Episode 29 (The Breakup: Part 1)
Episode 30 (The Breakup: Part 2)
Episode 31 (Florence's Problem)
Episode 32 (Mother Jefferson's Birthday)
Episode 33 (Louise's Cookbook)
Episode 34 (George Meets Whittendale)
Episode 35 (Lionel's Problem)
Episode 36 (Tennis, Anyone?)
Episode 37 (The Wedding)

The DVD Report

Bigger, badder, and even funnier than series I. Weezie, Florence, George "and the zebra-couple" knew what pure fun and true laughs were all about. There will never be another like it.
Keep belting out those series' for us pleeeeeze!!!

the jeffersons must be one of the greatest tv shows of all time and this dvd is great. unfortunately I'm really disappointed by the complete lack of subtitles (the first series had them).
so I'll give 5 stars for the series (and the dvd the reunites the complete second season) but just 1 star because of the missing subtitles.

I grew up watching this show from the ages of 6-13. Its one of those nostalgic things you just can't explain. Being the product of an interracial marriage myself, I cannot stop laughing at the racial stereotypes. excellent writing and performances.

The Jeffersons is a comedy classic!But please we want more ...when is more releasing.I can'y wait...why not sell a complete box set....why the delay?... please.The Jeffersons is a comedy that one can watch over and over again.