Great classic tv shows

"The Jeffersons" was perhaps the most-successful spin-off series to "All in the Family." George Jefferson was the Black version of Archie Bunker in many respects: both were loud-mouthed, opinionated, and set in their bigoted ways. By 1975, Jefferson's fledgling dry-cleaning business, Jefferson Cleaners, had successfully grown into a small chain; his newfound wealth led to moving his family to a "deluxe apartment in the sky" in Manhattan. His family included his wife Louise, a level-headed and open-minded woman who often had to scold George when his mouth got him into trouble; and their son Lionel, an engineering major at a local college. George especially disliked Tom and Helen Willis, an interracial couple (he was white, she was Black) whose daughter Jenny was dating and later married Lionel; Florence, his sharp-tongued maid; and Harry Bentley, the esoteric Englishman who lived next door. George often flaunted his wealth and displayed rude, arrogant, bigoted behavior; however, he often found that money didn't open every door or win him favor with everyone. In later years, George and Louise became grandparents when Lionel and Jenny welcomed their adorable little daughter Jessica; and Lionel and Jenny found work, he as an electrical engineer, she as a fashion designer; but Lionel and Jenny's marriage crumbled. Meanwhile, as Jefferson Cleaners continued to expand, George continually had to deal with competing dry-cleaning franchises who sought to put him out of business. In the final season, George and Tom formed a partnership and purchased Charlie's Bar, their favorite hangout.

Lucy and her husband, Ricky Ricardo, are living in the country with their best friends and old landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz. Lucy is still getting into trouble with her sidekick Ethel, but in this sequel there is a famous guest star in each episode for her to bug.

Danny Williams, a successful nightclub singer, encounters a variety of difficult or amusing situations in trying to balance his career with his family: his outspoken second wife Kathy, teenage daughter Terry and son Rusty from his first marriage and Kathy's young daughter Linda and Danny's old-fashioned Uncle Tonoose. Later episodes feature Annette Funicello as a foreign exchange student from Italy. Most episodes conclude with a song by Danny or one of the children. Affection expressed as hostility ("I love you, you little jerk") and ironic humor characterize this show.

The Cleavers are the 1950's 'All-American Family' in this 'feel-good' family sitcom. Parents Ward and June, and older brother Wally, try to keep Theodore ('the Beaver') out of trouble. However, Beaver continues to end up in one kind of jam or another. Unlike real life, these situations are always easily resolved to the satisfaction of all involved and the Beaver gets off with a few stern moralistic words of parental advice. Instigator and troublemaker Eddie Haskell is an older kid who always manages to avoid being caught.

The Stones consist of loving homemaker Donna, her pediatrician husband Alex, and their children Mary and Jeff. Many situations arise like when they found a baby on their doorstep or take in a rebellious youth or when Donna tries to patch up marital spats among friends.

Bill Davis is a highly paid and successful engineer living in a large apartment in New York with his valet, Mr. Giles French . His life is suddenly changed when his niece, Buffy shows up. In the midst of deciding what to do, Buffy's twin brother, Jody shows up, and Bill has to leave for Peru. Once he leaves, Buffy and Jody's older sister, Cissy shows up. Bill and French's life is suddenly changed as they become surrogate parents for the 3 children.

Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney were best friends and roommates coping with dates, neighbors, and each other During the late '50s and early '60s they worked as bottlecappers for Shotz Brewery in Milwaukee. They moved to Burbank, California in 1965 to start a new life when they got replaced at the brewery by an automated bottlecapper.

Rob Petrie is the head writer for the television sketch comedy, the Alan Brady Show, starring the egotistical Alan Brady. Rob's appointment started off as being a controversial one, especially to his two co-writers, the more experienced Buddy Sorrell and Sally Rogers, who end up becoming his friends regardless. Rob has to balance his New York City work life with his New Rochelle home life with wife Laura Petrie, who he met while he was in the army and she a dancer with a USO troupe, and their young son Ritchie. Although largely content in her roles as housewife and mother, Laura on occasion aspires to her former dancer life, which places added complications into the marriage.

This "All In The Family" spin-off centers around Edith's cousin, Maude Findlay. She's a liberal, independent woman living in Tuckahoe, New York with her fourth husband Walter, owner of Findlay's Friendly Appliances; Carol Traynor, her divorced daughter from her second marriage; and Carol's son Philip. Other characters included: Dr. Arthur Harmon, Walter's conservative best friend from their Army days--he and Maude were always at odds about politics and just about everything; and Vivian Cavender-Harmon, Maude's naive best friend from their college days who married Harmon in season three. During the show's run, Maude went through three maids: Florida Evans, Nell Naugutuck, and Victoria Butterfield; but Florida and Mrs. Naugutuck were the most memorable. Although it was a situation comedy, it dealt with serious and often controversial issues, much like Norman Lear's other shows "All In The Family", "One Day At a Time", and "Good Times."

During what was supposed to be a three-hour tour, the S.S. Minnow is shipwrecked on an uncharted tropical island following a typhoon. The seven castaways include the blustery captain, his bumbling first mate Gilligan, a millionaire couple named the Howells, curvaceous movie star Ginger Grant, sexy farm girl Mary Ann Summers, and a science professor known as the Professor. Despite their dire situation, they managed to survive on a diet made up of fish and coconut cream pie, and were aided by their trusty transistor radio and a seemingly never-ending parade of guest stars who managed to drop by their "deserted" island (including a big game hunter, a movie producer, a mad scientist, a rock band, Russian cosmonauts, foreign spies, and a jungle boy), yet never managed to bring them to safety.

The live-action adaptation of the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name. Dennis Mitchell was a loveable young boy, dressed in overalls and carrying a slingshot in his pocket. Everywhere he went, Dennis' wide-eyed curiosity, well-meaning attempts to help out, and his simply being a normal, red-blooded American boy growing up always seemed to lead to trouble. Usually on the receiving end was Dennis' next-door neighbor, retired business machine salesman George Wilson. Dennis worshiped Mr. Wilson, but he usually displayed a less-than-cordial attitude around the young lad. Mr. Wilson's wife, Martha, adored Dennis and saw him as a surrogate grandson (since the Wilsons never had any children). Dennis' long-suffering parents were Henry (an engineer) and Alice (a stay-at-home mother). Episodes revolved around Dennis' adventures and the trouble that usually followed. Also involved in the fun were Dennis' friends Tommy, Margaret, and Seymour. During the final year of the show, Mr. Wilson's brother, John, moved in after George and Martha left the neighborhood (due to the death of Joseph Kearns). The live-action "Dennis the Menace" ran for years in syndication; an animated series showed up in the 1980s.

Sensitive teenager Dobie Gillis exasperates his grocer father Herbert T. Gillis and is the apple of his mother Winnie Gillis' eye. Dobie has an almost singular focus on the opposite sex, more often than not the object of his affection being the beautiful but money hungry Thalia Menninger, who in turn often loves Dobie but always loves money more, which Dobie never has and in his current life direction probably will never have to the extent that would satisfy Thalia. If not Thalia, Dobie pursues several other girls in his search for true love. His best friend is Maynard G. Krebs, a largely clueless but kind-hearted beatnik and lover of jazz music, he who always does what his best buddy Dobie does, often much to the chagrin of others in Dobie's life. While Dobie chases girls, the one girl he knows he does not want but who in turn knows that one day she will become Mrs. Dobie Gillis is bright Zelda Gilroy, who largely uses logic to convince Dobie that she is the girl for him.

Lucy Carter's a widow with 2 teenage kids; -Kim and Craig, living in LA. She works as secretary to her brother-in-law Harrison Otis "Carter, owner of an employment agency. Lucy's manner often causes her to stumble into embarrassing slapstick situations, much to the chagrin of her best pal Mary Jane.

The marriage of architect Mike Brady and homemaker Carol Martin née Tyler will be the second for both. They have the issue of blending their two already large families, Mike who has three children and Carol who has three children. One additional issue is that the Brady household was testosterone laden with Mike's children being three boys - Greg, Peter and Bobby - and the Martin household was estrogen laden with Carol's children being three girls - Marcia, Jan and Cindy. The six children not only have their usual issues in growing from children to teenagers, and in this situation in getting used to a new parent and new siblings, but also interacting with new siblings whose mentality generally reflects their specific gender, which more often than not is totally foreign to them. Mike and Carol also have the new roles of parent to daughters and sons respectively. Add to the mix the girls' cat Fluffy, the boys' dog Tiger, and Mike's longtime housekeeper Alice, and the collective new Brady bunch has the potential to get into one misadventure after another.

Television sitcom which was a continuation of 'All in the Family.' In this series, Archie Bunker gets to loudly voice his opinions in his own bar, instead of at home.

After her husband's death, Lucy Carmichael and her recently-divorced best friend Vivian Bagley move into a house together with their children. The series follows the adventures of the widow Lucy as she grapples with the comic complications of life on her own, with her income being controlled by impatient, grumpy banker Mr. Mooney.

Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis after a relationship goes bad. She finds work as an associate producer in a small television newsroom where the characters include Lou Grant, her gruff boss, Murray Slaughter the humorous writer, and Ted Baxter the Anchor Man who spends his time mispronouncing country names. Mary continues to hope for romance, but finds that her friends are more dependable.

Widower Steven Douglas is left to bring up three boys with the aid of his father-in-law, Michael "Bub" O'Casey, and later Bub's brother, "Uncle Charley." The series revolves around the trials and tribulations of life's experiences as a single parent family.