Sitcoms are about how characters deal with situations. Pickles as it were. And George accidentally killing the dog of the powerful penthouse businessman is one heck of a plot-line, and hilarious as the dog... who is really a nasty and angry and irritable dog by the way (Dobies were extremely popular in this era)... leaps in slow-motion over the railing. So calm down people. I remember even as a kid cracking up, and I hate when dogs die in movies or shows, but this was funny.
5 Reviews
People take tv way too seriously
anthonymessina-183938 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
For starters The Jeffersons is a comedy show second the dog was not hurt at all thirdly they weren't poking fun at the dog's death. They felt that the dog was very mean and malicious and how many people act like that when a dog is like that. My point is if you stop watching the series because of that episode you need to go see a psychiatrist because you take things way too seriously. The Jeffersons to me is an outstanding series that covered a lot of ground and had a lot of meaning on a lot of episodes and there were other animals of dogs and other episodes and they never treated them poorly or anything like that dog happened to jump on the ball George didn't deliberately throw it knowing that the dog was going to jump over the ledge. Bottom line if it affects you don't watch the episode but it's not as bad as it seems I love animals I love dogs cats. So people relax the episode I gave it a perfect 10 because it was a very good episode not because the dog died but because the way the storyline went.
Problematic episode
jarrodmcdonald-126 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The previous reviewer, whose comments were posted over two years ago, seems very reactionary. But I can understand that. I remember watching this episode when it was brand new, and as a kid I guess I didn't take it very seriously. When I watched it today, after all these years, it does seem like a poorly constructed episode.
With a bit of revising, they still could have had the dog jump over the balcony if that plot point was necessary...and they could have gone through the stuff where George tells Louise, Florence and the Whittendales what happened. But maybe we should have found out in the end that the dog lived, like if it had fallen on something soft that cushioned its fall on the balcony below, and the tenants downstairs had taken it to the vet where it will recover. The dog really didn't need to die.
The main reason I am rating this story lower than other episodes is because the death is one thing, but the callous way they brush it aside is almost worse. George is too busy trying to finagle a deal with Mr. Whittendale; and Whittendale himself is glad the dog is dead, because he didn't like it. The writers make a point of having him say it was a vicious animal and that he would have gotten rid of it were it not for his wife's attachment to it. But in the earlier scenes when Poopsie the dog was on camera, he seemed fairly lovable, despite his barking at everyone. It's like the dog shouldn't have been allowed to live as long as it did, if you go by the callous behavior exhibited by George and Whittendale, which seems wrong.
I think Louise should have had a line after the Whittendales left where she told George he was trying to profit off the death of a dog and that was a new low for him. Something to snap George back to reality and get him in line again.
For the most part it's a rather objectionable episode. Sitcoms should still tackle difficult subjects. But in this case, nothing positive came from the dog dying and the story was told at the expense of the Jeffersons' decency.
With a bit of revising, they still could have had the dog jump over the balcony if that plot point was necessary...and they could have gone through the stuff where George tells Louise, Florence and the Whittendales what happened. But maybe we should have found out in the end that the dog lived, like if it had fallen on something soft that cushioned its fall on the balcony below, and the tenants downstairs had taken it to the vet where it will recover. The dog really didn't need to die.
The main reason I am rating this story lower than other episodes is because the death is one thing, but the callous way they brush it aside is almost worse. George is too busy trying to finagle a deal with Mr. Whittendale; and Whittendale himself is glad the dog is dead, because he didn't like it. The writers make a point of having him say it was a vicious animal and that he would have gotten rid of it were it not for his wife's attachment to it. But in the earlier scenes when Poopsie the dog was on camera, he seemed fairly lovable, despite his barking at everyone. It's like the dog shouldn't have been allowed to live as long as it did, if you go by the callous behavior exhibited by George and Whittendale, which seems wrong.
I think Louise should have had a line after the Whittendales left where she told George he was trying to profit off the death of a dog and that was a new low for him. Something to snap George back to reality and get him in line again.
For the most part it's a rather objectionable episode. Sitcoms should still tackle difficult subjects. But in this case, nothing positive came from the dog dying and the story was told at the expense of the Jeffersons' decency.
Not funny
mdchavez-2418129 October 2021
Although I like to watch "The Jeffersons ", I had not watched this episode until today. I found appalling that they tried to present the death of Poopsie as something funny. I agree with what was posted in another review, that somehow the dog surviving his fall would had been a much better ending. A comedy is not supposed to make people sad.
Dog Murder is Disgusting and Not "funny"---Awful & Disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!
zev-8664315 November 2015
Back when this series was first run, this is the episode that forever ended my watching the Jeffersons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is nothing funny about Dog Murder------even if the Murder was "accidental" (and implied--- not "seen on camera")!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No Way!!! Not "funny"----and it's a Sickeningly Awful episode that forever labeled this series as a detestable "Cruelty to Animals" series!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have Boycotted Jeffersons ever since as both first run and in every rerun incarnation---and I will Never watch any episode again Due to This Dog Murder Episode!!!!!!!!!! Dog Gone is an abomination of trying to make a Dog's Murder "Funny"!!!!!!!!!
I have been outraged by this story line for 40 years!!!!!!!! I was overwhelming Outraged by the Sick Audience's laughter at the dog's "accidental" killing!!!!!!!!!!
Sick minds find Killing a Dog "funny"!!!!!
Nothing "Funny" in detestable "Dog Gone"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No Way!!! Not "funny"----and it's a Sickeningly Awful episode that forever labeled this series as a detestable "Cruelty to Animals" series!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have Boycotted Jeffersons ever since as both first run and in every rerun incarnation---and I will Never watch any episode again Due to This Dog Murder Episode!!!!!!!!!! Dog Gone is an abomination of trying to make a Dog's Murder "Funny"!!!!!!!!!
I have been outraged by this story line for 40 years!!!!!!!! I was overwhelming Outraged by the Sick Audience's laughter at the dog's "accidental" killing!!!!!!!!!!
Sick minds find Killing a Dog "funny"!!!!!
Nothing "Funny" in detestable "Dog Gone"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
