The Jeffersons have moved on up and are now enjoying living in their new high-rise apartment. Louise has made a new friend in Diane Stockwell, who is having a hard time believing that George made his way up the ladder without doing anything shady. However, bigger problems are brewing when George insists that Louise hire a maid but Louise is totally against the idea.
Louise is having a hard time getting use to her new wealthy lifestyle and the boredom that comes along with it. She begins trying to talk George into letting her work in the store in the building but he is totally against it. This leads her to inadvertently get a job with another cleaning business and George hits the ceiling when he learns the news. That is until he begins thinking of using her position for sabotage.
The Willis' give Louise and George a piece of primitive African art, as a housewarming gift, which leads to the discussion of family roots. This leads George to discover his family roots, from an African tribe believed to be kings.
Lionel's new wealthy lifestyle begins to have an effect on him and a carefree attitude begins to be seen by his family. He stays out all night every night and cuts class. This leads to him debating on whether or not to drop out of college.
George refuses to participate in a tenants meeting until he learns the Mr. Whittendale will be there. George has hopes of doing business with the man. Meanwhile, George's want for a grand piano becomes a burden during the meeting.
An old friend of George's, Monk Davis, drops in after learning of George's new found success. However, Monk has more on his mind than just a friendly visit.
Louise is expecting a visit from her Uncle Ward, a man who happens to be a butler. His job is what makes George and Lionel put him down, calling him an "Uncle Tom." Meanwhile, a fight at school prompts Lionel to get kicked out.
George learns of Mother Jefferson's intentions of marriage and is totally against the idea, thinking her fiancee is after his money.
Wanting publicity for his stores, George tries to get in on a reporter's series of stories on successful black businessmen. However, once he finally gets the reporter to make an appearance he finds it difficult to hold his attention, with the Willis' and Mr. Bentley hanging around.
With the doctor's diagnosis that George has an ulcer, Louise tries to do everything to not allow George to become upset. This task proves difficult with Harry, Tom and Helen dropping in.
George comes home one evening with news an important potential client is coming over for dinner. However, Louise has news too. Some old friends of the Jeffersons are coming over, friends whom George is afraid will embarrass him in front of his pompous client.
Louise becomes concerned when she sees Lionel beginning to act more and more like his father. Things come to a head, when Lionel tries to get Jenny a seat on a campaign committee by using bribery. Meanwhile, Tom and Helen are at odds when they each back opposing candidates.
Jenny's globe-trotting brother surprises his family with a visit home. While Tom and Helen, debate on the reason for Allan staying away so long, Jenny is anything but happy about his visit and her reason has nothing to do with him staying away for so long.
It's Harry Bentley's birthday and the Jeffersons are planning a birthday party at there apartment. However, the joyous occasion is anything but when Tom arrives wearing the same dinner jacket as George. Meanwhile, Helen keeps the fact that she was mugged from Tom due to the fact that Tom is at the end of his rope with New York.
George doesn't know what to do with himself on a Sunday, the only day of the week George doesn't work. Tom quickly points out the obvious that George is a workaholic. Just to spite him, George decides to show him that he can relax and decides to book him and Louise on a cruise. However, Louise and George find themselves with a problem, Mother Jefferson has invited herself along.
When a young woman shows up at the Jefferson's door with the news that she thinks that she's Louise's daughter, George has a fit and begins to doubt Louise. Especially since, the young woman was born while George was in the Korean War.
Harry is sure that his latest girlfriend, Daphne is going to pop the question and doesn't have the heart to let her down. So he bolts to the Jefferson's bathroom. Meanwhile, George tries to handle an inspector who's inspecting one of George's stores. However, George's method to avoid paying a fine by blackmailing the inspector, doesn't go over too well.
Things aren't going to well for George and Louise on their anniversary. First, Louise must contend with the unwelcome Mother Jefferson and then she must contend with George's odd anniversary gift, bicycles. She quickly learns his motive for buying them, to meet Mr. Whittendale.
After being ignored, a hurt Mother Jefferson fakes a fall and gets all the attention she wants and proves to be an even bigger burden to Louise than usual.
George is sure that he's movin' back down the ladder after some financial setbacks. His worries soon turn into nightmares and with both Lionel asking for money and Florence asking for a raise, George's worries don't appear to be ending anytime soon.
Mother Jefferson encounters a masher in the elevator and later discovers he's Jenny's uncle. Things get out of hand when she locks him out on the balcony. Meanwhile, George wants to buy antique furniture, much to Louise's dismay.
George is all excited about being invited to speak in front of some youths about his success, that is until he discovers the place he is to speak at is in Harlem. Later, George's fears are justified when his delivery van is looted.
George's old navy buddy, Wendell comes for a visit and immediately begins making passes at Louise. Louise quickly finds herself in a difficult situation, especially since she likes the unexpected attention, since George has recently not been spending any time with her.
Jenny is tired of the bickering between her two grandfathers who have been against each other ever since Tom and Helen wed. So this leads Jenny, Louise and Mother Jefferson to concoct a scheme to get the two together at the Jeffersons' apartment since neither of the grandfathers will step foot in the Willis' apartment.
Lionel is in a car accident with the van which results in a broken headlight and dented fender. When Lionel doesn't tell George about it, George becomes convinced he was in an accident which could get him in trouble with the mob.
George needs a new manager for his store on the first floor in the apartment building. However, the person who's the most qualified for the job he refuses to hire for two reasons, she's a woman and she's white.
Louise realizes that Mother Jefferson has a strong hold on George when he refuses to cancel a monthly lunch with his mother and go with Louise to a funeral for a family friend.
A late night phone call makes George wide-awake when he learns that a flood in Illinois will cause his investment in the stock market to go through the roof. However, George himself is the one going through the roof when he learns Lionel turned down an engineering job which quickly leads to a Jefferson/Willis fight at the Willis apartment.
Lionel is desperate to pass a course but his odds are slim since his passing hinges on a paper he has to write about homosexuality. This leads George to buy a term paper for him, but this leads to a tremendous blow up ending with Jenny and Lionel breaking up and Louise and Helen ending their friendship.
Tom and Helen debate on whether or not to take the first step and try to patch things up with George and Louise while Louise debates the same thing. Meanwhile, Lionel makes a final decision about whether or not to use the ready made term paper.
Florence goes on a cleaning spree in the Jefferson's apartment as well as behaving extremely strange including, kissing Harry and giving away a swimming award to Louise. This leads Louise to believe Florence is contemplating suicide.
Mother Jefferson is all excited about it being her 70th birthday and even more excited about what George is giving her for a gift. However, George and Louise have totally forgotten all about it leading them to scramble to come up with something to please the old bitty.
Louise is offered the opportunity to write a cookbook for Tom's publishing company, Pelham Publishing. However, just as she gets started, a green-eyed George tries his best to put an end to her cookbook.
George is excited that he's going to finally meet Mr. Whittendale, however a previous engagement with Harry could foil George's plans. Things get even worse for George when he becomes trapped in the bathroom with Tom and Helen.
Prior to his graduation from college, Lionel takes to drinking to ease the pressure of his expected success. Things come to a head when, on the day of his graduation, comes home drunk.
George is all excited to be the newest member of an exclusive tennis club. However, the real reasons for his induction slowly come to the surface after he meets the club's towel "boy."
After reading an article about Harry Belafonte renewing his marriage vows, George decides to do the same thing. However, Louise has second thoughts when she gets into an argument with George over her being an equal partner in Jefferson Cleaners.
George is sneaking around trying to hide the fact that he's opening another store. He goes so far as to convince Louise he's having an affair after she discovers a love letter she thinks is to him from a woman named Adele. However, Adele is really Bentley's girlfriend, and Adele wrote the letter to Bentley.
George's rival in the dry cleaning business, Cunningham, is running a campaign due to the Bicentennial celebration. This prompts George to come up with his own campaign and decides to dress up as Thomas Jefferson to lure in new customers.
Florence breaks down and tells Louise that she's losing her apartment due to the fact that the building is going to be torn down, this leads Louise to offer Florence a live-in maid position at the Jeffersons. Now the only problem is to get George to allow her to accept the job.
Lionel is ecstatic about his first day at his new job. However, when he is forced to take a lie detector test to verify everything in his portfolio, he promptly quits. Meanwhile, Louise and George plan for a family portrait to be taken.
George sets out to get a diploma after Lionel lies about George's education to his college pals saying he graduated from Harvard.
George is ready to sell out to a big corporation after a company makes him a lucrative offer. This would make him a vice president however, after reading over a booklet on the rules and regulations, George discovers that this would also mean some of his best workers will be forced into retirement.
George and Louise are initially upset when Lionel announces he will be moving out. Their anger worsens when he announces that he'll be moving in with Jenny.
George interferes in Lionel and Jenny's relationship by suggesting to Lionel that he have Jenny sign a pre-nuptial agreement. This leads to Jenny and Lionel to get into an argument which ends in them calling off the wedding.
George becomes indebted to Tom after he gives George the Heimlich remover at Charlie's bar, when George begins to choke on some popcorn. However, George quickly finds away to end the debt after everyone makes a fuss over Tom's good deed.
Jenny comes down with a case of premarital jitters and begins to doubt her feelings for Lionel. However, her feelings are tested when George, Tom and Lionel all appear to have been in a bus crash on their way to a football game.
One early morning, Louise and George are startled to discover a man in the kitchen, it isn't until after George threatens to beat him with a trophy, that he learns that Florence let him spend the night. This leads to a major argument resulting in Florence quitting her job.
Christmas eve brings disharmony to the Jefferson household when George argues with Tom over the preparations for Lionel and Jenny's wedding which is to take place that evening.
Louise is reading a book to try to help her to remember things, but the one thing George doesn't want her to forget, she does. She forgets to call his broker to invest some money, after he gets a stock tip. Meanwhile, Florence takes a Judo class.
Harry is having problems with the person who parks his car next to him in the garage. Seeking advice, Harry goes to George. However, George's advice lands Harry in jail, after he punches out a police officer. Meanwhile, Louise is looking forward to a trip to California.
George feels guilty for not staying in touch with the members of a childhood gang, after the death of one of the members. This leads George to hold a reunion at the apartment which also leads to a confrontation with the leader, JoJo.
Louise is fed up with George's workaholic attitude and urges him to get a hobby. However, the hobby he chooses has her worried sick, he's decided to take up flying.
George's latest business deal is with a black man married to a white woman, so when he invites them over for dinner, he also has Tom and Helen come over, to make it look like he doesn't have racial prejudices. However, when Tom and Helen discover his plot, they storm out before the guests have arrived. This leads to George having Florence and Ralph impersonate Tom and Helen.
Lionel falls ill while visiting his parents and Louise goes all out to take care of him. When Jenny comes over, she wants to take care of her sick husband which leads to a battle between who gets to take care of him, Lionel's mother or Lionel's wife.
Louise is taking French lessons and makes a friend with one of her classmates. However, when George discovers that her friend is a man, he is furious and can't believe that a woman can be just good friends with a man. This leads to yet another argument which leaves George sleeping on the couch.
After learning that Tom and Helen are taking a course on how to improve their marriage, and seeing their results, Louise tries to get George to take the course with her. However, George refuses to consider the possibility that their marriage could use improvement.
Mother Jefferson invites a secret guest over for dinner and Louise and George are curious. When George learns that the guest is his old girlfriend, Harriet Johnson, he goes all out getting ready. However, George quickly learns Harriet has her own secret agenda.
Jenny has just one a scholarship to study for the summer at Oxford in England. Lionel thinks it would be a great experience for Jenny, that is until he learns his company won't transfer him there.
George is in the running for a prestigious award and is out to beat a fierce competitor by pledging more to a charity than his competitors. He pledges his money to open up a youth center in Harlem, however, when he learns he lost, he plans to withdraw his pledge.
George, Tom, Helen, Harry and Florence are all sneaking around to set up a surprise birthday party for Louise. However, Louise is not exactly in a party mood after she comes back from a checkup at the doctor's office.
George is getting ready for a party to celebrate the opening of his new office. However, while George is in Charlie's bar, two men overhear George brag about his wealth and decide to make a move on his apartment. Later, a phone call puts a damper on the office party with news that Louise has been kidnapped for ransom.
George hurries to scoff up the ransom money for Louise's safe return. However, both George and the kidnappers quickly learn that they have the wrong person, when Louise returns to the apartment.
George is excited when he learns that an old Navy pal is in town and wants him to stop by at his hotel for a visit. However his old pal, Eddie, has a big surprise for George, his name is now Edie and he has undergone a sex change operation.
Helping out at the Help Center, puts Louise in the middle of new program which gives street kids jobs with businesses. This leads to a street kid getting a job at one of George's stores and soon George discovers an expensive suede jacket is missing.
George insists on being immortalized and comes up with ways on how to go about doing it. He finally decides on having a bust made of himself. However, his family and friends find the bust to be a hilarious joke.
Louise is eyeing a job opening down at the Help Center, which would make her editor of the Help Center newsletter. However, when her supervisor discovers how much experience Helen has, she is hired leaving a jealous Louise on the sideline.
George and Louise have two unexpected house guests when Florence's parents come for a visit. Their constant bickering keeps George, Louise and Florence up all night and proves to be a burden on the Jefferson household.
To avoid a weekend visit from his mother, George leaves Louise to deal with her when he decides to take an unexpected camping trip with Marcus.
When Louise looses her lucky wedding corsage, she becomes convinced that her marriage is over. This leads George to bend over backwards to prove that their marriage is far from over.
Louise's latest interest is working at a museum where she gets invited to go on an archeological dig. However, the only people going on the trip are her and her attractive supervisor, a fact that she keeps from George.
Louise and George are invited to a costume ball being put on by an organization that promotes inter-racial peace as well as inter-racial marriages. When George learns this, he is set against attending but then he gets an idea that would drum up work for his dry cleaning business.
George is once again after a big business deal. However, when negotiations don't seem to be going his way, he gets Florence to constantly insult him because the only thing the man he's doing business with enjoys is Florence's sharp tongue.
Louise is fed up with George's constant working which leaves little time to spend with her. This leads her to try to get George to hire a general manager, something he's set against.
Marcus takes a lesson from George and throws a pretty girl the Jefferson curve, which is to bend the truth to get what you want and Marcus tells the girl that he's Lionel. This eventually leads George and Louise to belive that Lionel is having an affair.
It's the Christmas season and the 1st wedding anniversary of Lionel and Jenny. However, George is sneaking around sending gifts to a mysterious address in Harlem. This leads Louise to follow him and she is shocked at what she discovers.
George and Louise discover that the landlord, Mr. Whittendale, may not be renewing their lease. This prompts George and Louise to invite Whittendale over to discuss this matter. However, just before he comes over, Harry drops his ant farm in the middle of the Jefferson's living room.
George is ecstatic when Lionel joins the family business, however ecstatic is not the word to describe George when Lionel begins making major changes and even puts into effect a half price sale, a change that could put George out of business.
A blackout prompts George to rush down to one of his stores when he hears about looting in the area. Once there, George and Marcus try to save some of the clothes from the looters but are arrested by mistake, landing them in jail.
Florence is named the head of the maids union in the building and wants to hold a meeting in the Jefferson's apartment. George is all for it until he discovers, H.L. Whittendale is set against it. So this prompts Louise and Florence to get George out of the apartment for the evening so the meeting can be held.
After learning that Jimmy Carter stays at "ordinary" peoples homes while on trips, George intends to invite him to stay at the Jefferson's abode. However, Secret Service agents show up at the Jefferson's door after George makes a phone call to the White House which sounds threatening to Jimmy Carter.
Helen is all excited for Tom when he plans on starting his own publishing firm. However, her happiness turns to anger when she gets into a fight with George and then later finds out Tom is going to get George to co-sign a loan.
George and Louise's have a houseguest, George's nephew, Raymond. Raymond is staying with them for six weeks and proves to be a hand full. When George's attempts to entertain the tyke fail, George takes him horseback riding, but when that fails, Raymond runs away.
Louise and George have yet another one of their infamous fights which leads to Louise storming off to the Willis'. Soon after she leaves, a burglar holds George hostage and ties him up. Louise also gets tied up when she returns. This leads to George and Louise reminicing about their lives and the time they've spent together.
As the burglar loots the apartment, Louise and George sit in the kitchen tied up. They continue to reminice about their lives (via flashbacks). Memories include, Louise putting up with Mother Jefferson and their lives when they lived across the street from Archie Bunker.
Memories continue as Louise and George are being held hostage. Later, the burglar finally leaves and Florence arrives home to discover what happened. The excursion proves to have brung George and Louise closer together.
Jenny needs a topic for a thesis that she's writing. However, her idea could lead her into danger when she decides her topic will be street gangs. This leads her to go to Harlem and meet Marcus', unknown to her Tom and George are following her.
Prompted by Helen, Louise begins taking an art class. However, when George discovers she's been sketching models who pose in the nude, he tries to get her to stop attending class.
George decides that he needs a cleaning factory and sets out to find a place for it. Meanwhile, Alan Willis returns to New York and learns that he has inherited a warehouse from his grandfather. Seeing that the warehouse would be perfect for his factory, George goes all out to try to get it, even allowing Alan to move in with the Jeffersons' due to squabbling between Alan and Tom.
Alan moves in with the Jeffersons and George continues efforts to get the warehouse for himself. Meanwhile, battles with the landlord prompt Louise and Helen to try to find a better place for the Help Center.
Louise has been trying to get a permit for the Help Center but she hasn't been able to get anywhere with the bank. This leads George to go down to the bank and discovers that the banker is an old navy pal of his, one who still holds a grudge over some navy day trickery.
Workaholic George falls asleep in his office, one evening, and has a dream that takes him to the year 1996. In the dream, Louise is celebrating the 22nd anniversary of George's business, who isn't there celebrating, since he passed on a few years earlier.
George's new stockbroker is quite a ventriloquist, after he introduces the Jeffersons to his dummy, J.P. However, George has second thoughts about him after he learns that he has spent time in a mental institution.
At the last minute, George's speaker at a benefit cancels which leaves him scrambeling to find a celebrity to speak. He sets out to rope Billy Dee Williams into speaking even considering getting a celebrity look-alike. However, George passes himself off as Alex Haley, and Billy Dee agress to speak. Meanwhile, an excited Florence is let down when she mistakes Billy Dee, her idol, for an impersonator.
George is being considered for a position on a bank's board of directors and when a banker comes over to interview him, Alan and the banker's daughter hit it off. This leads George to worry that because Alan is half black this will jeopardize his chances of getting the position.
George is thrilled to get a visit from his favorite cousin, Dusty. George's thrill turns to shock when Dusty asks George for a kidney since his are failing. This leads George to take a long hard look at the pros and cons of parting with one of his organs.
Louise is convinced that George and her are in a routine, something that George scoffs at. However, their routine gets shaken up after Louise is brutally mugged resulting in her getting amnesia.
Harry practically moves into the Jefferson's apartment to avoid his annoying house guest, Felicia. George tries to help him out by giving him tips to throw her out but this results in Felicia thinking that Harry is proposing.
The Christmas season brings old friends, Buddy and Zeke, to the Jefferson apartment. With them comes along a long buried secret, one that George can't handle. Buddy and George's mother were once lovers.
George is planning a surprise party for Louise in which her gift is a surprise visit from her sister, Maxine. When Louise has a strange reaction to her sister, George is puzzled, unknown to him, her reasons stem to her and Maxine's childhood.
On the evening of her class reunion, Louise discovers in George's will that all of his money would go to her on the condition that she never remarries. This obviously prompts yet another argument resulting in Louise attending her reunion without George.
George is trying to hide his impotence from Louise and explores many means to cure his problem, including, oysters, medications and even a sex therapist.
Florence's latest boyfriend, Buzz Thatcher, proposes marriage which she accepts happily. However, his religious attitudes give Louise a bad feeling about the whole thing.
Louise is excited that she's being considered to receive the Volunteer of the Year award due to her work down at the Help Center. However, what she doesn't know is that George is planning to make sure she wins the award by bribing one of the judges.
A business trip of Tom's sparks an argument between him and Helen which gets even worse when she discovers that a beautiful blond is accompanying him.
George becomes the holdout when he refuses to sell his first store to a company who is buying up all the buildings on the block. His strategy, holdout to up the offer despite the fact that the company plans to build an expensive apartment building which would put those living there now, out on the street.
Tom and Alan's fight causes a fight to erupt between George and Louise on the same evening a reporter from Black Life Magazine is to interview them on the subject of happily married life.
Louise turns down an offer to be in a play being put on by the Help Center because she wants to spend her evenings with George. However, after an evening at a disco, George catches disco fever and begins spending all night every night at the local disco.
Florence is reading a novel in which a woman pretends to be different people this gives Florence the idea to act like different people to attract men. While down at the Help Center, she tries it out on a man, unknown to her he's a psychiatrist who becomes convinced Florence has multiple personalities.
Helen gives Louise the news that both of them have been invited to California to attend a convention, however, the planned trip coincides with the date of her wedding anniversary. Meanwhile, George mistakenly plans a business meeting on his anniversary and later at home happily allows Louise to go to California but his joy arouses suspicions in her.
When the heat goes out in a few of the apartments in the building, Harry, Tom and Helen convene at the Jefferson's heated apartment, causing cramped space and sore feelings.
Lionel and Jenny after wonderful news, Jenny is pregnant, but they only share the news with Tom and Helen, reason being Lionel doesn't want George making jokes about what color the baby will be. However, when Florence overhears the news she accidentally lets slip to Louise and she in turn tells George which leads to yet another argument.
George is ecstatic when he learns he's been named Small Businessman of the Year. However, Louise quickly learns that the basis of the award is purely physical. The award is to honor short businessmen.
Louise is excited when she receives a letter from her old boyfriend, Bill Simpson, asking her out to dinner. However, she decides not to go because she knows George will be upset if she does, so Florence secretly goes and pretends to be Louise, but things get really confusing for Bill when Louise changes her mind and shows up with George in tow.
It's Halloween, and the Jeffersons and the Willis are all gearing up for a costume contest, they're each going as old movie stars. Meanwhile, Harry brings his telescope over onto the Jefferson's balcony to view a specific star, this leads to Louise taking a peek but what she sees is totally unexpected, she sees someone dressed as a rabbit murder someone.
When the Killer Rabbit overhears Louise telling Harry what she saw through the telescope, he follows her to her apartment and waits until everyone leaves to confront her. The Killer Rabbit soon finds that killing Louise is not going to be an easy task with constant interruptions preventing him.
While going through a bunch of old items, George and Louise discover an old will which belonged to his father. The will states that his father wanted to be buried next to Mother Jefferson, so George sets out to do just that but quickly discovers that this is no easy task.
Lionel becomes overwhelmed with advice on being a father when he and Jenny arrive at the Jefferson apartment, one evening which prompts him to storm out.
George takes Marcus to the gym to teach him how to box, after the boyfriend of a girl that Marcus made a move on beats him up. However, George's bigmouth gets him in the ring with another boxer but George is confident he'll win since he used to be called "Joltin' George."
With all the excitement over Jenny's pregnancy, Florence begins to hear her biological clock ticking. This prompts her to find a prospective husband and father through a dating service.
Louise is to present a Volunteer award and must take care of the engraving on the plaque. However, when Florence takes it to her cousin, he mispells the name. This leads to a huge fight between Florence and Louise which results in Louise firing her. When George hires her back to serve some guests he's entertaining, constant bickering erupts.
Louise is excited when she gets to have an orphan, stay at the Jefferson's apartment for a week. However, when she and Florence go out to the store and leave George in charge some of his prejudiced attitudes rub off on the impressionable young lady leading to what was supposed to be a week turns into only a few hours.
While making a dry cleaning delivery at a mental institution, George is accidentally mistaken as a mental patient, when the real patient escapes disguised as George.
Louise is ecstatic when she learns that a television documentary will be done on the suicide helpline available down at the Help Center, and she is going to be interviewed. However, in the midst of all the excitement, Louise inadvertently neglects a teenage girl who later swallows a bottle of pills.
When two old friends of Helen's come for a visit, Tom feels like a "white" outsider in his own home. This prompts him to ask George to teach him how to act black.
George and Louise are disappointed with the news that if Lionel gets the job that he's getting interviewed for, Jenny and him will have to move to Boston. Meanwhile, when Tom comes down with the flu, he can't take Jenny to her Lamaze class which prompts George to take her, but when the class is over and everyone has gone, George gets stuck there with Jenny, who has gone into labor.
George rushes Jenny to the hospital as she begins having contractions. Meanwhile, Lionel is offered the job in Boston, and returns from the interview to find out the news the Jenny has gone into labor. At the hospital, the family gathers and George begins to worry if the baby's skin color will be black or white.
George and Louise are happily planning a belated baby shower for Jenny and Lionel. However, as soon as the shower begins, a workaholic Lionel walks out, leaving behind a lonely wife.
When Louise, Helen, Florence and Jenny go out for the day, George, Tom and Lionel are left to take care of baby Jessica. They soon find out that taking care of a baby is no easy chore and the Jefferson apartment begins to slowly turn to shambles.
Louise is planning a surprise party for George's 50th birthday and has invited all his friends to meet up at the Willis for the party. Meanwhile, George gets the idea to throw a birthday party for himself and finds all his friends refusing to attend this leads him to wallow in Charlie's bar.
On their anniversary, George and Louise get into an argument over his honesty, this prompts George to storm out to a hotel and Louise is left to think about George's fidelity. Things get worse when she arrives at his hotel and discovers a young woman in his room.
Lionel and Jenny are excited with the news that they're trying to purchase a home. However, when the bank turns down their loan application, George, Louise, Helen and Tom each go down to the bank to help them get one, after each promising not to interfere.
George is excited when he learns he will be able to expand his store on the first floor of the building. However, his excitement starts to dwindle when he learns the expansion means taking over Charlie's bar, since Charlie's lease is not being renewed.
As Louise and George look through old photos, they recall George opening his first store in 1968. His opening coincides with the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr and when news of his death circulates, chaos erupts in the Jeffersons' neighborhood.
While babysitting his granddaughter, Jessica, George entertains her with his version of King Arthur, King George. In his tale, King George is defending his kingdom from the evil, Inflation.
George and Tom run in a marathon through Central Park to prove who is the better athlete.
Tom and Helen are enjoying their vacation in Hawaii, while Florence is back home wanting to take a vacation. This leads Louise to buy her a plane ticket to Hawaii. Meanwhile, George visits his doctor and learns that he must lower his blood pressure, so he decides to take a vacation to Hawaii with Louise.
George, Louise and Florence arrive in Hawaii and discover that Tom and Helen have decided to stay a few more days. George wants to sell his business and move to Hawaii.
George gets involved in an investment plan that would allow the Jeffersons to move to Hawaii. A sailing trip goes awry when Tom and George get lost.
George and Tom meet some friendly islanders who will be forced from their homes because of the development project in which George wants to invest.
Helen and Jenny take a hesitant Louise to a male strip club, but George and Tom follow them and end up showing some skin on the stage.
Florence's cousin Ernie pays a visit, but George is convinced that Ernie is a crook.
When George plays Santa at the Help Center, he makes a seemingly impossible promise to a dispirited young orphan.
While trying to enter baby Jessica in a contest, George and Louise misplace their granddaughter.
Florence tries writing a "Dallas"-inspired soap-opera script with George portraying the evil, greedy tycoon in the lead role.
George's chance to appear on a talk show is threatened when the host learns that George is sponsoring a Cuban refugee.
A desperate George calls on Tom to fill a spot on his bowling team in a fierce rivalry with another dry cleaner.
With her childhood home about to be demolished, Louise visits the building and reminisces.
Tom unwittingly brings George along to a KKK meeting.
After saving a woman from a mugger, George seeks to hire a personal bodyguard.
To fix a rift resulting from George's Valentine's Day gift to Louise of money, he pays to have a love song written for her.
To get into an exclusive club, George exaggerates how many stores he owns but soon finds himself in way over his head.
After an employee drops dead while George is firing him, George gives the eulogy at the funeral but has a hard time coming up with nice words.
A hotel owner being wooed by George as a potential customer offers Florence a job as executive housekeeper. (This is a backdoor pilot for the spinoff series titled "Checking In".)
As the hotel's new executive housekeeper, Florence must fire a maid who is also her friend and tell George that he didn't get the cleaning contract. (This is a backdoor pilot for the spinoff series titled "Checking In".)
Louise and George are heartbroken when they discover Lionel and Jenny are having marital problems that result in a separation. This prompts George, Louise, Helen and Tom to convene to try to get them back together.
Due to the separation, Lionel is living at home with George and Louise. This prompts George to trick a marriage counselor into showing up at the Jefferson's apartment for the intention of bring Lionel and Jenny back together.
A newspaper photo alerts George to the fact that the man in the photo could very well be Louise's father, since they both have the same name. Louise refuses to entertain this notion since she believes that her father died when she was young. However, George learns the truth after visiting the man.
With Florence working at a new job, Louise and George decide to hire a new maid. However, George and Louise are at odds when they each have separate candidates in mind for the position.
George has become convinced that age is taking it's toll on him, with a receding hairline and larger midsection. To try to revitalize him, Louise sends him some flowers with a seductive note at his office. However, George becomes convinced the flowers are from his secretary.
Constant bickering between George and Carmen prompts Louise to tell Carmen how Florence handled George (via flashbacks). However, just as Carmen gets a handle on how to handle George, Florence shows up with news that the hotel burned down and she would like her old job back.
When Florence learns the Jeffersons have hired a new maid she decides to let Carmen have the job. However, Carmen doesn't want to take Florence's job away from her so she decides to let her have it. With both Florence and Carmen at odds over who should keep the job, Louise decides to hire them both. However, on the sly, Florence makes plans to get fired.
George wants everyone to know him when he dies so he sets out to create himself into a legend. First he tries writing a book about his life but he then changes his mind and does the unthinkable. He buys a building and turns it into the George Jefferson Museum, complete with exhibits about his life and times.
Louise is furious when she learns that George is the businessman who plans on building over a local children's playground. However, George has second thoughts after he makes a visit to the playground.
When George discovers Louise is keeping a diary, he goes all out to try to read it. Including staying up all night to try to wriggle it out of Louise's clutches. However, one day when she leaves it unguarded, George takes a peek and is shocked by it's contents which detail a number of affairs that Louise appears to be carrying on.
George doesn't understand why he wasn't invited to a posh gala event at the Whittendale apartment, until Tom, Helen, Louise and Florence break the news the Whittendale "hates his guts." Wanting to earn some respect, George takes charm lessons in order to live up to the standards of the behavior of "rich folks"
George and Louise receive a post card from Harry, who's been transfered out of the country. Soon after, they meet the man who's moving into Harry's old apartment, a jingle writer whom George tries to get to write a jingle for his business. However, jingles are far from his mind, since he's having marital problems.
Helen's comments that Tom hasn't been paying any attention to her, fuel George's belief that she is having an affair especially since he sees her and another man having lunch together. This leads George to bring Tom down to the restaurant to see for himself.
George has the task of taking care of Mr. Whittendale's wife's pet Doberman. However, when a freak accident occurs, ending in the dog's death, George is scared that he will end up on the streets.
George is distraught when he learns that his Brooklyn store has burned down due to faulty wiring. However, Tom raises his spirits by reminding him that his insurance will cover it by taking to court the person responsible for the faulty wiring. Just then George remembers who put in the wiring, Lionel.
For Jessica's baptism, Louise wants Florence and her gospel singing group to perform and Jenny agrees with her. However, George wants someone else and sets out to get Andrae Crouch to preform at the baptism, going so far as to say he is a reverend.
When Lionel and Jenny's apartment gets broken into, George begins to worry that his apartment could just as easily be broken into. His solution: buy a gun, something that Louise is totally against. However, George buys one on the sly and later proves to be a dangerous possession.
Upset that their husbands do not feel they should be involved in business matters, Louise and Helen move in together leaving George and Tom to live together in the Jefferson apartment. All this prompted by George not consulting Louise about a commercial he was making and Tom's plans to go ahead publishing a book by written by a sexist.
Louise, George, Tom and Helen plan a surprise party for Florence just to let her know how much they appreciate her friendship. However, when Florence walks in on the planning stages Tom makes an excuse and tells her she's invited but only to serve the meal. This prompts Florence to drown her sorrows in a $500 bottle of wine George just bought.
For their anniversary, George decides to replace the setting on Louise's wedding ring. Meanwhile, one of George's messenger's is robbed by an all-female street gang who gets away with the week's proceeds. Trying to combat the gang, George is stabbed and left for dead but not before they steal Louise's ring.
While recuperating, George contemplates a plan to get Louise's ring back from The Strays, despite her objections.
A record producer follows Florence home from church, after hearing her gospel singing. Once at the Jefferson's apartment, he offers Florence the chance to make a record in exchange for $1200. Smelling a con, Louise and George try to stop Florence from making a big mistake that would cost her dearly.
Louise and Helen consider leaving the Help Center due to lack of involvement from others as well as lack of funds. However, just as they're about to call it quits, a young hooker named Maggie walks in the door.
Florence becomes depressed when her latest boyfriend doesn't call her for a second date. She later is asked out by a police officer and in order to keep him interested her, George gives Florence some tips on what men like in a woman.
Helen gets an invitation to have lunch with an old boyfriend and Tom is seething with jealousy. This leads him to have a dream about the Old West where he has a shootout with Pecos Darryl, a man after Helen's heart.
George is in a price war with Big Sky Cleaners and they are no holds bar. A representative from Big Sky comes to the Jefferson's apartment offering to buy George out and he refuses. When Big Sky comes out with a 1,000,000 customer gimmick George tries to find his own gimmick and people with "talent" swamp the apartment including a bearded lady and a lion tamer. But when Louise goes down to Big Sky to end this battle she becomes the 1,000,000 customer. This leads George to decide to sell out.
George has decided to sell out to Big Sky Cleaners and he begins to hang around the apartment like he already has retired. This drives Florence and Louise up the wall since he has gotten into the habit of giving advice to everyone he meets. However, pretty soon, George has second thoughts about giving up his business.
When Tom gets his pants back from Jefferson Cleaners with a stain on them, he wants a refund however George refuses to pay for the pants, charging it was Tom's fault for leaving a candy bar in the pocket. This leads them to take their case to a TV court show.
Florence is unsure of the future when she realizes she doesn't have any financial security. This prompts her to ask George for a pension plan, something George flatly refuses.
Charlie wants George to provide him with a loan for some improvements on his bar. George refuses but does offer him some advice on how to get some more business, including hiring waitresses and dressing them provocatively. This leads Charlie to go to Tom who goes in on the deal and quickly the bar is buzzing with business, something George now wants a part of.
Louise is not looking forward to the visit of one of George's best friends, Johnny Moore, due to the fact that she can't stand his chauvinistic jokestar mannerisms. Things get worse when she inadvertantly gets him to stay at the Jeffersons' apartment during his stay in New York.
At a party thrown by the Willis, the guest of honor, Joe Blake, a successful author, asks Florence out and she can't wait to go out with him. However, soon after he takes her away on their date, Tom and Helen let George and Louise know the fact that he was in prison for murdering his girlfriend.
For George's birthday, Louise books herself, George and Florence on a murder mystery cruise ship for mystery novelists, thus George pretends to be a novelist. George is having fun trying to solve a murder mystery until an apparant "real" murder occurs.
The novelists try to solve the apparent "real" murder with George trying his best to solve it as well. When it is determind that the victim, Edgar, was poisoned the crew deduces that the Duchess did it, however in the end George discovers the real culprit.
George stops by 8-B, Ms. Sanderson's apartment, to drop off her cleaning bid but soon after he leaves, Ralph stops by and hears Ms. Sanderson having sex with a man named George and Ralph quickly jumps to the wrong conclusion.
Louise discovers some old poems the George once wrote and has them bound in a book. However, in order to get it bound she must order a number of copies, copies which get circulated around to those living in the building. George is furious however his attitude changes when a publisher takes an interest in his poems.
George's investment advice for Tom proves fruitful and puts Helen in a fur coat. This prompts Florence to want to make some money so she asks George for advice. However, since she doesn't have enough money for investing, he suggests she go in on the venture with the other maids in the building. The results of the ordeal prove to be less that satisfying, for George anyway.
While going through a box of momentos, George refuses to allow Louise to see a certain picture and decides to put it in his store safe. Determind to see it and with Helen in tow, Louise tries to break into the store safe but both her and Helen end up in jail.
Florence runs into an old classmate, Pauline, and finds that she has married money. This prompts a jealous Florence to say that she too married wealth, George. This leads to Louise posing as the maid and Florence posing as Louise when Pauline comes over for dinner.
George forgets to pick up opera tickets and this leads to Louise and Helen comparing him to the "thoughful" Tom. A miffed George spills the beans about Tom buying an insurance policy and has made a cousin the beneficiary, a cousin who is a racist and is against Tom and Helen's marriage.
With the Help Center on its last legs, Louise and Helen desperately try to find someone who could make a sizeable donation to keep the Help Center going. This prompts Louise to go to her ex-employer, Lillian Warren, whom Louise worked for as a maid and who treated her like a piece of furniture.
Jenny is depressed that no one will take a chance on her fashion designs so she stops by the Jefferson's apartment for a visit. Meanwhile, George's bodyguard, Hugo, is determined to find love now that, as he puts it, is in the spring of his life. When he runs into Jenny he falls for her and is determined to make her his even though she's married.
George and Louise prepare for a visit from their foster son, Jimmy. However, they are in for the shock of their lives when they discover their foster son is a grown man who's supposedly been using the money they've sent them on his education.
One evening while playing poker, George and his buddies make a mess of the living room throwing food all over. This prompts Florence to stay up all night cleaning up after George's mess which is why she is exhausted the next morning. This leads George to make a bet with Florence stating that he can do in three hours what she does in a day.
The good life is striking everyone, George has hit success with the stocks allowing Louise to get a ring she wanted, Tom has just gotten a new client and Helen has just been pampered at a spa where she met famous celebrities. Wanting in on the "good life" Florence shells out enough money to go to the spa wanting to meet celebrities and unknowingly runs into Gladys Knight.
A young boy befriends Louise and Helen and they become convinced that he has a crush on one of them but the real reason he befriended them was to get to George. He wants to ask George if he would participate in a father-son bowling tournament, since his father is supposedly dead. However, the boy does indeed have a father who's alive, but not-so well, he's a parapalegic.
On the night of a big banquet for Tom, George runs out at the last minute to do an errand at his store in Queens. Once there, we're taken back to 1968 and witness the grand opening of Jefferson Cleaners and we see how George earned his first dollar.
George is trying to drum up some cleaning business from a famous fashion designer, Camille Hendricks. George tricks Jenny into swinging by the apartment to meet her in order to show her some of her designs, however Jenny is unprepared for this unexpected surprise.
George is in yet another promotional battle with Cunningham. This time Cunningham has hired a popular soap star to boost sales, so for competition, George tries to get celebrities too. However, his idea may get him in trouble with the law when he hires celebrity look alikes and is going to try to pass them off as the real thing.
An auction is held to raise money for the Help Center and Florence gets a big surprise when she discovers $2500 stuffed under the lining of a hat that she buys. Florence turns the money into the police, hoping no one will claim it and no one does. However, just as Florence thinks she'll get to keep the money, an apparent owner arrives at the apartment.
When Florence asks for enough money to purchase a new TV set, George flatly refuses. She tries again, this time politly asking and again, George refuses. This leads to George having a dream about entering the gates of heaven after Florence makes a comment that he'll never get by those gates if she held the key.
When her marriage gets into a rut, Louise tries to spice up her marriage by trying to get George to spend some time with her. However, her idea of spending time turns into a disaster when they get into a bicycling accident landing them both with a broken leg.
George has a reunion with some old navy buddies and the fact that Tom has become so gullible becomes a topic of discussion. This leads his old pals to talk him into playing a little con game on Tom to teach him a lesson. However, the con becomes a little to real when George's old pals, Lloyd and Allan make off with $15,000 of Tom's money. Tom fears that Helen will divorce him if she finds out since this was money which was to be used for a down payment on a house that has come up on the market.
A furious Tom almost kills George when he learns he's been hustled out of $15,000, money that he had planned to use to make a down payment on a house. George calls in Jimmy to help him get Tom's money back. Jimmy talks George and Tom into flying out to Los Angeles, where Lloyd and Allan have fled. Once there, they meet Jimmy's cousin, a crafty man who has a well planned out way of getting Tom's money back. Meanwhile, Florence, who knows what George and Tom are up too, tells Louise and Helen and they rush to Los Angeles.
Jimmy's cousin puts his plan into effect which includes getting Lloyd and Allan to believe that Los Angeles is going to be hit by a military attack from a neighboring country. However, the plan could be ruined when Louise, Helen and Florence arrive in Los Angeles.
Tom and Helen are hosting a seminar for newlyweds, a job that George learns that he could be doing if Louise hadn't passed on it without telling him. However, when Tom falls ill, George gets his chance of showing newlyweds how to keep the spice in a marriage, something Louise won't belive until she sees it.
Florence and her friend, Betty go down to the museum in hopes of landing millionaires. Florence is surprised when a millionaire follows her home and begins showering her with expensive gifts. However, his true intentions prove to be extremely painful to Florence.
Louise is eyeing the Volunteer of the Year award for her work down at the Help Center. She's hopeful that she'll win since last year, Mrs. Van Morris beat her out and this year Mrs. Van Morris was away on a cruise. However, Mrs. Van Morris comes back just in time to sway the award toward her side by donating $2500 to the Help Center.
The Jeffersons and the Willis' are all excited with the news that Harry Bentley is returning to New York. However, Mr. Whittendale is the one person who is standing in the way of Harry getting his old apartment back and George quickly joins Whittendale's bandwagon when the new occupant of Bentley's old apartment could make George a lot of money.
George gets a letter from an old friend who had made a bet with George years ago that he could accomplish everything on life goal list before George. This leads George to dig out his old list and finds that there is one thing he hasn't done, get even with a bully that picked on him when he was a kid.
For his latest promotion, George decides to hold a beauty contest to find Miss Jefferson Cleaners. Meanwhile, George's 10-year lease on his stores is up and Mr. Whittendale holds the new lease but he will only give it to George if his punk rocker niece wins the beauty contest.
Refusing to go Christmas caroling with Louise, Helen, Florence and Harry, George and Tom sit home decorating the tree. This prompts reminiscing about Christmas' of the past, spent with their fathers.
Louise discovers that Sammy Davis, Jr. is renting the apartment across the hall in order to get some peace and quiet from his fans. However, an ecstatic Louise has a hard time keeping his secret a secret.
George needs a new gimmick for his dry cleaning business, so he decides to hire Walter, an artist, to put together a animated commercial. However, Walter's job with George is threatened when Louise discovers that he can't read.
Florence is sad because George and Louise are going on a vacation to Atlantic City without her but she soon finds herself in the middle of excitement when she allows police officers to use the Jefferson's apartment to stakeout the neighbors across the street. However, Florence soon finds her self in danger landing her in the hospital.
Louise, Helen and Florence are in awe of the instructor of their self defense class, due to his rugged manly ways. This leads George and Tom to prove they are too are manly and they decide to go on a hunting trip. However, after not getting anything on the trip they hire a taxidermy company to bring in stuffed animals and brag that they caught them.
Louise has had it with George who breaks all his previous engagements with Tom and Mr. Bentley to go golfing on Saturday. This prompts Louise to daydream what it would be like to be in George's shoes and not care about the feelings of those around him.
Florence manages to get George to become the manager of a struggling singing sister group. However, on their opening night, the place where George booked them turns out to be a country western bar and the reception from the audience is less than welcome.
Florence is excited when she learns that her 18 year old cousin, Rhonda, is coming to New York for a visit. This leads Louise and Florence to trick George into allowing her to stay with them. However, her plans for a short visit change when she decides to live permanently in New York. This leads to an argument with Florence which follows with Rhonda moving out and getting a job as a mud wrestler.
George is all excited about having a magazine expose done on him and his cleaning business. However, the magazine wants to present a non-stereo typical view of blacks, and this is a problem for Otis, a shoeshine man who has his stand right out side of George's Harlem store.
Ralph, the doorman, wants a raise and Louise and George give him the confidence he needs to ask Mr. Whittendale. However, the results are totally unexpected to him, when Mr. Whittendale announces, the fact that he will no longer be needed since they're going to install an automatic elevator.
Louise finds a perfume soaked letter in the mail to George from an old girlfriend. After a discussion, Louise decides to allow him to meet with her, which turns out to be a big mistake. Almost as soon as she arrives, she pulls a gun on him with intent to kill him.
Tom and Helen's 30th wedding anniversary is anything but happy when they get into a big argument over where they should go to spend the day together. They finally decide to go to the hotel where they spent their honeymoon. However, once they arrive, thing go from bad to worse.
Jimmy arrives at the Jeffersons' apartment with a bag full of gambling chips and a wild story of how he got them. However, George is ready to kill him, when he discovers the chips aren't Jimmy's and a collector is on their tale ready to repossess the chips at all costs.
The Help Center is having a blood drive and Louise tries to get George to give some. However, a leery George pays Ralph to give blood in his name. But when, the blood saves the life of Mrs. Whittendale, her husband decides to pay George back for his good deed and of course Ralph wants in on the "payback."
The snobby socialite that beat Louise out of a Volunteer of the Year award is back and brags about how her grandson is going to win a piano recital. This leads Louise to enter her granddaughter, Jessica in the recital with the intent of beating the snobby competition.
Louise and Florence have the perfect plan to get the best of George. They've got the hidden video show, Boobles, Bangles and Booboos coming over on the pretense of an interview for George. However, Louise and George begin to doubt the validity of them when the apartment is robbed.
Louise is running for tenant council president and is sure she's going to win, that is until she discovers someone is running against her, George.
George, Louise, Tom and Helen go out to a big charity ball where Florence's favorite soap star is scheduled to make an appearance. However, Florence is left behind because tickets for the event where sold out. This leads Florence to daydream a "Cinderella" story of ending up with a prince charming.
Louise is all excited that for once George has remembered her birthday after she sees him sneaking around with party favors. However, George, who overhears Helen and Louise, realizes that he has forgotten her birthday and scrambles to buy her a gift before it's to late.
Florence is all excited since her and her church choir are going to Ohio for a competition. However, Florence loses her faith in God when the Reverend steals the money they needed to enter the competition.
After catching vandals trying to break into his store, George and Louise stake it out and are surprised when two young kids break in. George wants to call the police but Louise bets George that if she can't turn them around, he won't have to give her $2,000 to save the Help Center's children's counseling program.
Needing some quick cash to fly to a family get together, Florence accompanies George and Louise to Atlantic City where Florence is struck by gambling fever. Meanwhile, Louise is determined to see some celebrities unknown to her she is running in to them everywhere she turns.
George undergoes constant insults and humiliation after dropping Reggie Jackson's home run hit at a baseball game. This leads Louise to make attempts to boost his floundering self-esteem.
When George, Louise and Helen are busy for an evening, an ignored Tom gets all the attention he could want from the sister of Mr. Bentley's girlfriend. This leads Tom to daydream what it would be like to get all the attention all the time from five Playboy Playmates.
Lionel and Jenny return to New York after a trip to Japan and they have a very important announcement. This leads Louise, George, Tom and Helen to assume that Jenny is pregnant. However, no one is prepared for their real announcement. They've decided to get a divorce.
After hearing the news of the divorce, George and Louise get into a big fight with Tom and Helen and the fight continues all the way through Family Night at Jessica's school. The constant bickering leads Jessica to run out of the school and onto the streets of New York.
George's assistant, Clark doesn't have a date for the prom and Florence agrees to go with him. However, once there Florence runs into the man whom she wanted to go to her prom with but he never asked her.
When Charlie goes out of town for the weekend, Louise agrees to be the bartender for a party he had previously booked. However, Louise quickly finds herself in over her head when the party is for a reunion of a biker gang.
Tom is up for a promotion to president of Pelham Publishing and he's disappointed when it looks as if he's not going to get it. However, when he does get promoted, he finds the responsibility too overwhelming and considers resigning.
George and Louise's anniversary party comes to a screeching halt when they learn that Charlie, the bartender, has a drinking problem, which caused his separation from his wife.
George is in yet another advertising war with Cunningham Cleaners and each has vowed to out promote one another. However, the festivities go to far leading to Cunningham's death and leaving George to deal with his vengeful widow.
Louise is up in arms over the new "young" tenant whose just moved into 12C. The young woman's constant partying prompts Louise to call a tenants meeting but ends with Louise discovering a little bit about age when the tenants accuse her of being an "old" stick in the mud.
When Louise and Helen go to a spa for the weekend, they leave behind two bored husbands. To pass the time, George and Tom decide to break a record and the record they choose is how many times they can go up and down on the elevator.
Louise is all excited about the completion of her painting in art class. However, everyone who views her painting lies about how they really feel about it, leading Louise to believe she has created a masterpiece and she later decides to put on an art show.
Florence is tired of being alone and decides to place an ad in a personals column. However, the one response she gets is from someone who you would least expect, Mr. Bentley.
Louise and Helen need quick cash to save their Disabled Youth Services program down at the Help Center. To raise money, they decide to put on a talent show, while George thinks it'll be a great way to promote his business.
George is eyeing to win the Dry Cleaner of the Year award but finds he's short on the community service portion. This leads him to take over as "nest mother" of Jessica's Red Robin troop where he gives the girls irresponsible tips on how to sell candy.
