The Black Shows That Revolutionized TV, from 'Julia' and 'The Jeffersons' to 'Empire'

The Jeffersons was one of the first shows to portray an upper middle class Black family, paving the way for The Cosby Show and other successors. Also striking was that George Jefferson shockingly shared his cynicism about White people and race in America via blunt humor and uncomfortable truths. It was also one of the first shows to feature an interracial couple and Blackness across socio-economic statuses.

"We always wanted them to reflect America, like showing a well-off Black family," Norman Lear, who developed the sitcom, told PEOPLE in 2022. "While we were creating the show, three members of the Black Panthers came to my office to complain about the 'garbage' they were seeing on TV. They were upset about Blacks only being portrayed as poor or as maids, that kind of stereotyping. Thankfully the meeting ended better than it began, as we were already creating The Jeffersons."

Added Oz Scott, who directed 40 episodes of the sitcom: "I think people saw themselves [in the characters], and they had something to aspire to."

(Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Pluto TV, Tubi)