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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'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.

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.

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.

The family is displeased with Lionel's news that he's moving out, and outraged at his choice of a roommate. Lionel: Damon Evans. Louise: Isabel Sanford. George: Sherman Hemsley. Helen: Roxie Roker. Tom: Franklin Cover. Jenny: Berlinda Tolbert.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A blackout prompts George to rush down to one of his stores when he hears about looting in the area. Once their, 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.

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.