It was John Amos’s decision to leave the show. He didn’t like that Walker was becoming the “star” and thought it was too much clowning. You might remember that even Esther Rolle left the show for a year (her character married Moses Gunn and they moved to Phoenix) and Ja’net DuBois had top billing during the 4th season. Rolle only agreeing to come back for the final season if they agreed to tone down J.J. a bit.
By today’s standards, it’s a remarkably Conservative, pro-family and pro-Christian show with a strong father figure. It’s held up better than the other Norman Lear show, “One Day At A Time”, whose premise would never have happened in reality (meaning no way the two teenage daughters would’ve left their comfortable middle class home where their life was and uproot it to move with their flaky, confused feminist mother to a cramped apartment in a seedy part of a city).
“One Day At A Time, whose premise would never have happened in reality (meaning no way the two teenage daughters wouldve left their comfortable middle class home where their life was and uproot it to move with their flaky, confused feminist mother to a cramped apartment in a seedy part of a city).”
According to the premise of the show, she just got divorced (the ex-husband would make a few appearances) which is why she moved and obviously the teenaged daughters moved with her because being underaged teens, they had no choice in the matter.
And on “The Jeffersons”, George Jefferson was identified as a Republican, and he was a businessman.
I’ve never seen “One Day” but maybe the dad didn’t want the kids.