''Checking In'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

television series and a spin-off of ''

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...

'' that aired for four episodes on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

from April 9 to April 30, 1981.

Synopsis

In the seventh-season finale episode of ''The Jeffersons'', " Florence's New Job", the Jeffersons' maid,

Florence Johnston The television series ''The Jeffersons'' featured several supporting characters. An incomplete list of these characters appears below. Willis family Helen Willis Helen Willis ( née Douglas) (portrayed by Roxie Roker, except for her first appeara ...

(

Marla Gibbs Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer, whose career spans six decades. Gibbs is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, in th ...

), accepted a job to become the executive housekeeper at the fictional St. Frederick Hotel in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The series follows Florence's misadventures at the hotel with her co-workers: Lyle Block, her stuffy manager; Elena Beltran, her assistant; Earl Bellamy, the inept house detective; Hank Sabatino, the lewd handyman; Betty, the floor supervisor; Dennis, the bellboy; and Mr. Claymore, the hotel owner.

Cast

Larry Linville Lawrence Lavon Linville (September 29, 1939 – April 10, 2000) was an American actor known for his portrayal of the surgeon Major Frank Burns on the television series ''M*A*S*H''. Early life and education Linville was born in Ojai, California ...

as Lyle Block * Ruth Brown as Betty * Patrick Collins as Earl Bellamy *

Robert Costanzo Robert Jason Costanzo (born October 20, 1942) is an American film, television and voice actor. He has an acting career spanning over 40 years and is often found playing surly New York City types such as crooks, low-level workers and policemen, a ...

as Hank Sabatino * Fezwick DaPoochie as Jack Niblick * Jordan Gibbs as Dennis *

Liz Torres Elizabeth Larrieu Torres (born September 27, 1947) is an American actress, singer, and comedian. Torres is best known for her role as Mahalia Sanchez in the NBC comedy series ''The John Larroquette Show'' (1993–1996), for which she received two ...

as Elena Beltran *

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Business *John Anderson (Scottish businessman) (1747–1820), Scottish merchant and founder of Fermoy, Ireland * John Byers Anderson (1817–1897), American educator, military officer and railroad executive, mentor of ...

as Mr. Claymore

Episodes

Reception

''Checking In'' premiered on

on April 9, 1981, and lasted for only four episodes in the Thursday, 8:00 p.m. EST timeslot. Faced with low ratings, the series was cancelled, and the final episode aired on April 30, 1981. Gibbs then returned to her regular role on ''The Jeffersons'' and it was explained that the St. Frederick Hotel had burned down. ''Checking In'' was the first ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' spin-off series that was not successful, unlike ''

'', '' Maude'' and Maude spin-off '' Good Times''. Other failed spin-off attempts were '' Gloria'' in the 1982-1983 season and ''

704 Hauser ''704 Hauser'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of ''All in the Family'' (the final of several) that aired on CBS from April 11 to May 9, 1994. The series is built around the concept of a black family, the Cumberbatch Family ...

'' in 1994.

Home media

The third episode, "Whose Side Are You On?", was added as a bonus feature on ''The Jeffersons: The Complete Series'' 33-disc

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

set issued by Shout! Factory.

References

External links

* {{Norman Lear Shows The Jeffersons 1981 American television series debuts 1981 American television series endings 1980s American sitcoms 1980s American black sitcoms 1980s American workplace comedy television series CBS original programming American television spin-offs Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television series set in hotels Television shows set in New York City English-language television shows