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24 Episodes 1974 - 1975
Episode 1
Tue, Sep 10, 197425 mins
Florida is in a bad mood and does not explain why. Everyone comes up with different reasons as to what is wrong. She goes to a woman's support group because she wants more than just taking care of the house and family.
Episode 2
Tue, Sep 17, 197425 mins
J.J. is turning 18 and Florida and James decide to give him some new art supplies as well as a fancy new case. Unfortunately, James is denied credit due to the fact that he was late on a few payments over the years and as a result they have to give J.J. a much cheaper present. Later that night after a small gathering in the Evans' apartment, J.J. gets arrested for allegedly holding up a liquor store. Now the family begin to worry that J.J.'s 18th birthday will wind up with him doing time in prison.
Episode 3
Tue, Sep 24, 197425 mins
After hearing about J.J. getting arrested, the Evanses and Willona head for the police station to learn what happened and, hopefully, post bail. Unfortunately, they can't afford the bail and even consider accepting money from a loan shark. Meanwhile, in his cell, J.J. has a confrontation with a meaner, much larger guy, with very funny results.
Episode 4
Tue, Oct 1, 197426 mins
Michael is selected to be bussed to a school in a more affluent and predominantly white section of Chicago. However, he is against it due to his strong views. James does convince him, in his own way, to get on the bus. However, Michael is nervous that he won't fit in and Florida is afraid that her youngest child might be a target of violence due to the color of his skin.
Episode 5
Tue, Oct 8, 197425 mins
Michael has trouble deciding who to write his essay for school on. He ultimately chooses James who is in a less than festive mood after another unsuccessful job interview.
Episode 6
Tue, Oct 15, 197425 mins
Thelma shocks the family when she brings home her much older boyfriend and announces their plans to marry.
Episode 7
Tue, Oct 22, 197425 mins
On the eve of his eighth grade graduation, Michael comes home with a note informing his parents of his very low scores on a standardized I.Q. test. In fact, the note suggests that Michael should give up his dreams of going to college and consider trade school instead. However, Michael admits that the reason his score was so low was that he refused to take it due to his feelings that the test was culturally biased and that it didn't test kids on how smart they were but how white they were, which infuriates James. However, when he tells the family that white kids did just as poorly on a black I.Q. test, James and Florida decide to pay the person who created the test a visit to see if he could pass the the black I.Q. test.
Episode 8
Tue, Oct 29, 197425 mins
The Evans family realizes that they may have been scammed by a blind man selling encyclopedias.
Episode 9
Tue, Nov 12, 197425 mins
JJ is forced into joining the Satan's Knights street gang. However, he is a less than active member, especially when it comes to getting involved in the gang's ongoing turf war with the Warlords. When he is threatened with physical harm if he doesn't participate in the next rumble, he must find a way to get Florida and James out of the house before the gang's leader, Mad Dog, comes and physically removes him from the house.
Episode 10
Tue, Nov 19, 197425 mins
After getting shot by Mad Dog while trying to save James, JJ comes home and makes like he was critically injured even though it was just a flesh wound. However, on a more serious note, James threatens physical violence on Mad Dog for shooting his oldest son. However, after a court hearing, James has second thoughts on what he wants to do, especially after seeing an incident between Mad Dog and his mother.
Episode 11
Tue, Nov 26, 197425 mins
Florida decides to play matchmaker for her friend and neighbor, Willona. Willona talks of being lonely, so when Florida, James, and Willona attend a wedding, Florida arranges her to go with a date.
Episode 12
Tue, Dec 3, 197425 mins
James comes across a bag containing a claimed $27,000 in stolen money and turns it into the police. The Evanses are quickly hassled by ghetto neighbors, strangers and people they thought were their friends about James' good deed. However that's nothing compared to Florida's reaction when James reveals that the bag actually contained $29,000, and that he kept $2,000 to help his family get out of the slums once and for all.
Episode 13
Tue, Dec 10, 197425 mins
James & Florida's niece comes to visit and seems to always be happy. Soon they notice the liquor in the house is disappearing. Thelma does not know how to tell her parents that her cousin is an alcoholic.
Episode 14
Tue, Dec 31, 197425 mins
Florida is excited about a possible job, then disappointed when she does not get it. James takes Florida with him to a job interview at a department store, but he is then disappointed when the store wants to hire Florida instead of him.
Episode 15
Tue, Jan 7, 197525 mins
Florida is excited about returning to school for her high school equivalency degree, but James thinks she is busy enough with work and family. He also worries about her having more education than him.
Episode 16
Tue, Jan 14, 197525 mins
One of the Evanses sexiest neighbors wants JJ to paint a very special picture of her to give to her husband for her birthday. However, Flo puts her foot down when she learns that the woman wants to be painted in the nude. The woman then suggests that instead of a nude that she would be glad to pose in her bathing suit. However, things really get complicated when the woman's husband thinks that she and JJ are having an affair. Now JJ must keep from getting his face pounded before he gets paid for his first commissioned portrait.
Episode 17
Tue, Jan 21, 197525 mins
When James is rejected for a loan to open a repair shop, he sets up shop in the apartment ... well-aware of a clause in his lease prohibiting the operation of commercial activities inside rental units. Can the Evans family keep the business a secret from Bookman, the scheming building superintendent, knowing he might make the new venture very difficult for James if he finds out?
Episode 18
Tue, Feb 4, 197525 mins
After meeting well-to-do South Shore girl Clarissa at the movies where he ushers, J.J. has found his new girlfriend. She asks him to a high society function, the 10th Annual South Shore Debutante Ball, and he eagerly accepts. As J.J. prepares for his big night, Clarissa comes to the Evans home to explain that her parents object to J.J. as her escort to the ball. The parents appear at the Evans home, too, looking for Clarissa, and the families discuss the issue.
Episode 19
Tue, Feb 11, 197525 mins
Florida and James decided to ask their friend Gertie Vincent to give Thelma singing lessons with the money they have leftover after paying their monthly bills. Unfortunately, they find out that Gertie has retired from giving voice lessons. They then find out through Wilona that the reason Gertie retired is due to the fact that for every two dollars she brings in through her teaching the government takes away one. However, they are in for more of a shock when they find out that things have gotten so bad for her that she is now forced to eat pet food. The Evanses decide to invite her over for dinner to help her out. However, when she brings meatloaf that she made, they are afraid that she is feeding them pet food.
Episode 20
Tue, Feb 18, 197525 mins
A childhood friend of James comes to the house to visit, claiming to be a successful businessman.
Episode 21
Tue, Feb 25, 197525 mins
After JJ has dating Henrietta for while, the family wants to meet her. Florida invites her to dinner, and everyone is surprised when she walks in and is obviously pregnant.
Episode 22
Tue, Mar 4, 197530 mins
James gets word that he is about to be "temporarily" laid off leaving JJ the only bread winner in the Evans household. Unfortunately, he finds out that the theater where he has been working is about to be shut down. He then takes drastic measures and decides to enlist in the army. However, James Sr. finds out that the rumors of his layoff were false and now must hurry to the induction center before JJ becomes Uncle Sam's latest recruit.
Episode 23
Tue, Mar 11, 197524 mins
An upscale boarding school in Michigan offers Thelma a scholarship to attend their school. She is excited until she learns they only want her because she is black, regardless of her grades and needs.
Episode 24
Tue, Mar 18, 197530 mins
After he gets picked on by the school bully, Michael decides to take a different approach and invite him over for the weekend.