It was one of the first shows to prominently feature an African-American couple as successful (George Jefferson owned a chain of dry-cleaning stores, and he and his wife Louise lived in an East Side high rise apartment complex with their live-in maid Florence) as well as the first to prominently feature an interracial couple (Tom and Helen Willis, Tom was white and Helen was black). Until 2012 (when it was surpassed by ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne'' by one episode), it was the longest-running sitcom with African-Americans as featured lead characters. | It was one of the first shows to prominently feature an African-American couple as successful (George Jefferson owned a chain of dry-cleaning stores, and he and his wife Louise lived in an East Side high rise apartment complex with their live-in maid Florence) as well as the first to prominently feature an interracial couple (Tom and Helen Willis, Tom was white and Helen was black). Until 2012 (when it was surpassed by ''Tyler Perry's House of Payne'' by one episode), it was the longest-running sitcom with African-Americans as featured lead characters. |