Do Saul Turteltaub & Bernie Orenstein deserve blame...

[TMC]

For the apparent decline in quality for S&S? They wrote a good portion of the fourth, fifth and sixth seasons. They are also responsible for the general tone of the show (many of those plots from those seasons were stupid) during those last seasons. As their influence (as producers) grew larger since the main actors did not seem to give a damn about the quality of the show. You can argue that some of the best episodes (and funniest) were when Aaron Ruben, Paul Mooney, Richard Pryor, and Ilunga Adell were writing the show.

[BigManMike]

I didn't think they were bad. I enjoyed Sanford and Son all the way through and thought it was always funny. Although, one thing I didn't like, I thought they really overused the supporting characters way too much in the later seasons, but they were still good. But my favorite Season is definitely Season 1 with just Fred and Lamont. I also liked Melvin and I wished he could have been on more episodes.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by thebigcookie

I didn't think they were bad. I enjoyed Sanford and Son all the way through and thought it was always funny. Although, one thing I didn't like, I thought they really overused the supporting characters way too much in the later seasons, but they were still good. But my favorite Season is definitely Season 1 with just Fred and Lamont. I also liked Melvin and I wished he could have been on more episodes.

To be more specific, what (from my understanding) happened was that in the latter seasons, Sanford & Son somehow lost much of its original authentic urban edge and ethnic vibe that made it such a stand-out and groundbreaking series (for its day) and instead relying on standard sitcom fluff and hijinks.

[GARFIELDKOOL]

Originally Posted by TMC

To be more specific, what (from my understanding) happened was that in the latter seasons, Sanford & Son somehow lost much of its original authentic urban edge and ethnic vibe that made it such a stand-out and groundbreaking series (for its day) and instead relying on standard sitcom fluff and hijinks.

I know exactly what you mean. I also agree with you when stated that the show was better when they had black writers and it gave it more of an urban feel. I also hated later characters such as Rodney, Hoppy's mother, and the many roles of Fritzi Burr.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by thebigcookie

I didn't think they were bad. I enjoyed Sanford and Son all the way through and thought it was always funny. Although, one thing I didn't like, I thought they really overused the supporting characters way too much in the later seasons, but they were still good. But my favorite Season is definitely Season 1 with just Fred and Lamont. I also liked Melvin and I wished he could have been on more episodes.

I'm in agreement here, on the Fred, Lamont & Melvin earlier shows.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by GARFIELDKOOL

I know exactly what you mean. I also agree with you when stated that the show was better when they had black writers and it gave it more of an urban feel. I also hated later characters such as Rodney, Hoppy's mother, and the many roles of Fritzi Burr.

The show arguably jumped the shark when Redd Foxx returned to the series following his self-exile over money (and Grady/Whitman Mayo was filling-in for him). Whereas Lamont matured, Fred became much sillier and the plots just flat-out ridiculous (the Hawaiian caper, Fred meeting his double "Redd Foxx", that horrible earthquake spoof, etc.), with many episodes that were more embarrassing to watch than funny.

[JT2016]

Honestly, I think everyone from the actors to the writers were bored and the show had simply run its course. That is pretty normal for sitcoms after a few years. Fred was just tossing one-liners and Lamont was wearing shades. lol That being said I still love the later seasons too.

[TMC]

A lot of the scripts of Sanford and Son were arguably terrible in the dialogue writing, situation, and structure, and relied on the performers to put them over. Redd Foxx, ironically, did not like many of the campier elements of the show that fans remember best. He was openly opposed to the church ladies and the Bible thumping, etc. Likely, he thought it to be an inaccurate representation of blacks.

[TMC]

The Ten Best SANFORD AND SON Episodes of Season Four

Despite the initial upswing in quality following Redd Foxx’s return (following three more Foxx-less episodes that were saved to air in the middle of the year), Sanford And Son begins its descent into mediocrity. This is largely a result of Turteltaub and Orenstein, who took the reigns for the last half of the series’ run and simply can’t resist turning the show into a cheap gag-filled cartoon. The days of continued excellence are behind us, and while there are a handful of episodes that work pretty well, very few are unqualified successes. Too many stories are illogical, or worse yet, unoriginal. It’s rare to find an episode that meets these three basics: funny, believable, and unique.