Search - The Jeffersons - The Complete Second Season on DVD

"Now we're up in the big leagues!"

B-MAN | Earth, occasionally. Until I get bored. | 08/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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 WeddingDon'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!"

There's a lot of great stories in this set, though I still h

Twiddles42 | MN, USA | 02/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

More of the black Archie Bunker

andy8047 | Nokomis,Florida | 06/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

WHERE IS SEASON THREE??!!

andy8047 | 04/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"