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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
The Jeffersons Featurette with series creator Norman Lear.
From The Marla Gibbs 4-Episode The Jeffersons Spinoff Series, Checking in
The 1984 TV Series E/R Staring Elliott Gould with Sherman Hemsley Guest Starring As George Jefferson.
An All in the Family episode in which The Jeffersons Depart for Manhattan.