When NBC announced their Fall 1980 schedule, they mentioned that Sanford was moving to Wednesday nights at 9:30 PM (ET). That meant that the show was going to be on surrounded by NBC's at-that-time hits Real People, Diff'rent Strokes and Quincy.

Well, of course the new season was delayed by the actors' strike. When the strike was resolved, NBC had rearranged the time slots of many of their series. Sanford's promised time slot went to Facts Of Life. (Facts Of Life was originally going to air Friday nights at 8:30).

If NBC had stayed with their original decision of airing Sanford on Wednesdays, do you think the series might have been a success?

Interesting. From what I know, NBC was in last place in 1980. Despite that, the shows you mentioned were modest hits, not chart toppers, so Sanford could have been a success. But then again, it was 1980, not 1972 and viewers always want something fresh, and the FOL was fresh.