The Jeffersons: Season 04  (1977)

Theatrical Release Information:
The Jeffersons: Season 04

Even though its ratings had dropped precipitously since its January 1975 debut, The Jeffersons remained on the CBS prime time schedule during the 1977-1978 season, if for no other reason than the "clout" of series producer Norman Lear. Having been moved all over the map during its third season, from Saturday evenings to Wednesdays and finally Mondays, the series launched season four by returning to Saturdays, albeit in a later time slot than it had occupied in previous years. The cast of characters remained the same as before, with the notable and tragic exception of Zara Cully as the imperious Mother Jefferson. Having been too ill to appear in anything but "guest-star" assignments since the end of season two, Cully died in January 1978. Meanwhile, a new recurring character had been added to the fold in the form of Ernest Harden Jr. as Marcus Garvey Henderson, a street-smart young employee of dry-cleaning entrepreneur George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley). Marcus was one of several characters introduced when George's wife Louise (Isabel Sanford), in concert with best friend Helen Willis (Roxie Roker) and the Jeffersons' housekeeper Florence (Marla Gibbs), began volunteering her services at the Help Center, an outreach organization designed to assist inner-city youngsters. The series' move back to Saturdays evidently helped not at all. The Jeffersons dropped even lower on the ratings scale, not even appearing on the Top 30 programs of the year. Clearly, another time slot change was in order; thus in June 1978, The Jeffersons hopped back to Mondays, where it would remain until returning to Wednesdays for its fifth-season debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide