Remember that deluxe apartment in the sky-y-y?

In 2007 the farmers cooperative for which I work relocated its maintenance shop from the back lot to a building with actual road frontage.

As editor of the company newsletter, I couldn't resist reporting the change with the headline "We're movin' on up."

I was confident that People of a Certain Age (or People with a Reliable Source of Reruns) would "get" the playful reference.

That's my roundabout way of saying that January 18 marks the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the legendary Norman Lear sitcom "The Jeffersons," starring Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford.

Yes, it has been half a century since George and Louise ("Weezy") Jefferson moved from the Queens neighborhood of Archie Bunker to "a deluxe apartment in the sky" (or at least the Upper East Side of Manhattan).

Thanks to George's hard work and Louise's long-suffering support, the family "finally got a piece of the pie." Granted, such an accomplishment meant more in 1975 than it would in 2025. Nowadays spoilsport RFK Jr. would ask, "Are you sure you really want that pie? Most of the ingredients are banned in Europe…"

Yes, dry-cleaning magnate George (described by one critic as a feisty bantam rooster of a man) pulled himself up by his own bootstraps in the 70s, whereas now he would hire someone with an H-1B visa to pull him up by his own bootstraps.

Dutiful son Lionel, daughter-in-law Jenny and matriarch Olivia "Mother" Jefferson were important parts of the show's appeal; but back-talking, wisecracking housekeeper Florence Johnston (played by Marla Gibbs) frequently stole the show.

If "The Jeffersons" was being made today, the self-assured Florence would probably be a fact-checker instead. ("The science is settled: I need a raise. And you're short and losing your hair, and it's all Trump's fault.")

The idea of an interracial couple (neighbors Tom and Helen Willis) was edgy at the time, but pretty tame for 2025. Now you can't produce a 30-second commercial for replacement windows without the couple first speed-dating the entire United Nations.

Back in the day, tip-hungry doorman Ralph Hart actually performed services for his gratuities. How quaint! Now a typical business announces, "We're tacking a mandatory 20 percent to your bill because one of our associates nodded in the general direction of the self-checkout."

In 2025 we wonder whether drones are from another planet; but in the heyday of "The Jeffersons," George wondered whether eccentric British neighbor Harry Bentley was from another planet.

I hope that new generations can learn to appreciate the series, but relevance won't be recognized immediately. Few youngsters would care about the line in the theme song "Fish don't fry in the kitchen, beans don't burn on the grill" – as long as no banned cooking appliances were involved in the aforementioned frying and burning.

The line "Took a whole lotta tryin' just to get up that hill"? "Get a *^%$# Uber!" would be the response today.

The thrill of "Now we're up in the big leagues, gettin' our turn at bat" would mystify younger viewers, unless the turn at bat involved a $765 million Mets contract.

Oh, well, no matter what the rest of the world thinks, my wife and I will continue to appreciate classic television.

"As long as we live, it's you and me, baby. Ain't nothin' wrong with that…unless you stand between me and my high-fructose corn syrup…"
–

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Controversial author Harlan Ellison once described the work of Mr. Tyree as "wonkily extrapolative" and said his mind "works like a demented cuckoo clock." Tyree generated a particular buzz on the Internet with his column spoofing real-life Christian nudist camps. A lifelong small-town southerner, he graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications.

Previously:
• What's your opinion of 'gentle parenting'?
• Do I know where you live?
• Rockford Files? Little House? 50 Years? Really?
• Did you remember your pets in your will?
• Is everyone always in your way?
• Is country music cool again?
• Do you talk with your hands?
• Are you and your blood pressure best buddies?
• Are you hopelessly confused about telephone etiquette?
• Should a sense of humor be mandatory for fathers
• Ready for Pat Sajak's final spin of the Wheel?
• Can the population implosion be stopped?
• Is 'value' a dirty word?Is it nice to fool mother nature?
• Is 'value' a dirty word?
• Ever have a 'work spouse'?
• Has the Pentagon shattered your faith in UFOs?
• Am I overthinking slang?
• Have you ever taken full responsibility?
• AAAAAY! Is Happy Days' really turning 50?
• Could you pass a citizenship test? really?
• Have you ever caused a scene?
• Should society slam on the brakes about this trend?
• Are you terrible at remembering names?
• Is this remnant of American culture doomed, y'all?
• Are free refills the arch-nemesis of the Golden Arches?
• How Are you in the best friend department?
• Baldness: Is not parting such sweet sorrow?
• Are you clinging to your landline phone?
• Are you distressed by distressed clothing?
• Do you have one of those paranormal pillows?
• Ready to fire up those Father's Day memories?
• Are you a drive-in theater enthusiast?
• Have you heard of after school satan clubs?
• Do you like the tradwife trend?
• Have you ever taken your business elsewhere?
• Journalism: Can't live with it, can't live without it
• Shall we sing the praises of public restrooms?
• Given up on your 2023 reading list yet?
• Cold enough for you?
• M*A*S*H, MAUDE and KUNG FU all turn 50
• Does your body hate you?
• Do Gallup poll respondents have a prayer?
• Was your grandfather a character?
• Is a platonic life partnership right for you?
• Do you hate intersections too?
• The 'Rural Purge' of 1971
• Do morning people deserve to live?
• What will Presidents' Day be like in 50 years?
• Are you and your middle name on speaking terms?
• Have you ever met a stranger?
• Do you dare take the goodness challenge??
• Commercial radio turns 100: what are your favorite memories?
• What shall we say about 50 years of home ownership?
• Do you dread opening your car trunk?
• So this is John Lennon's 80th birthday (And what have you done?)
• Come on, get happy: the Partridge Family at 50
• Come on, get happy: the Partridge Family at 50
• Who can turn the world on with her anniversary?
• Inspirational quotes: Are you for them or against them?
• Ray Bradbury: Something centenary this way comes
• 'Ban Bossy': Unintended Consequences
• Almost Here: A Translator For Dogs!
• Will Eggs Become Obsolete?
• Doctor Who: A Fiftieth Anniversary Primer
• The Martians Were Coming, The Martians Were Coming
• Are Pigs Smarter Than Dogs? And Should We Care?
• America, Let's Be #1 At Corruption
• Free College Tuition? Read The Fine Print
• Independence Day: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Typos
• Let's Have More Wrist Slap Punishments
• Father's Day: Can It Survive?