Favorite Characters and Episodes

Mrs. Avery was my favorite character on The PJs. She was funny, an ex-grifter living in the projects. She was always ready with a putdown of Thurgood and her trusty shotgun.

Janet Du'Bois, who did the voice for Mrs. Avery, won two deserved Emmys for her work on the show.

I have two favorite episodes. I love the Christmas episode and it's tradition for me to watch it these last few years. My second favorite episode is when Thurgood and Smokey do a riff on the old Abbott and Costello "Who's on First" with Thurgood playing the straight guy and Smokey saying such and such is on smack, such and such is on crack and such and such is on free base. I can't remember it fully, but it's hilarious.

I have to lay claim to Thurgood. There are a few episodes, though I have no idea what they are called.

The first is the one with Thurgood having a gumbo cook off with Juicy and going bug eyed every time he tasted his gumbo, like it was drugs or something. Funniest scene was him running around in front of Muriel's video camera with his hair on fire and hearing the noises as he waved his flaming head around in panic.

Another episode was where he fixed up the movie theatre and the roof caught fire. Thurgood rushed into the theatre to warn everyone but when he gasped that the roof was on fire (because he was out of breath), they thought he was rapping and joined in, completing the verses with him. The exchange went something like this:

Thurgood (gasping): The roof...the roof...
Thurgood and neighbours (together): THE ROOF is on fire!
Neighbours (together): We don't need no water, let the motha fu@cka burn!

I wouldn't mind that one but the roof really was on fire - and they kept doing it!

The episode where super had to deal with roaches in Mrs Avery's apartment. First was the scene with him sticking his finger in her chocolates and coming across a roach flavoured one! Then there was the scene with him down at the welfare office to pick up cannisters of roach spray and asking for help. The lady behind the counter HATES Thurgood and instructed him to go over to the cannisters, pick one up and move his lazy butt out. NEXT!!!

All the conversations with the guy who spoke jive were hilarious because it was obvious Thurgood had NO IDEA what he was talking about!