Why exactly did "Sanford" (1980-81) fail

[TVFactFan]

Sanford was better than season 1 and season 5 of sanford and son

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by TVFactFan

Sanford was better than season 1 and season 5 of sanford and son

Sanford was an OK show, but the absence of Lamont probably hurt it... Fred without Lamont is just mediocre IMO

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

Sanford was an OK show, but the absence of Lamont probably hurt it... Fred without Lamont is just mediocre IMO

Cal generated more laughs than Lamont because of his size

[TMC]

Originally Posted by TMC

Since I didn't exactly get the answer that I wanted..:


I was thinking that a show like Sanford & Son would have a fairly hard time having to adjust to the more "touchy-feeling" formula (S&S wasn't exactly the most politically correct show in hindsight) of '80s shows. I remember watching episodes of Sanford on BET back in the mid-'90s (and for a spell in 2008) and there was an episode in which Fred lectures Cal's prejudice mother about tolerance. The whole thing seemed kind of disingenuous and hypocritical because Fred Sanford was pretty bigoted himself on Sanford & Son.

To add on this, the era that the original Sanford and Son came out of made it seem like the 1970s in America was really bleak and physically depressing. It wasn't just Sanford and Son, but other sitcoms of that specific time period like Barney Miller, All in the Family, Good Times, Welcome Back Kotter, and Chico and the Man. If you look at all of the shows that I just mentioned, the the interiors were always so drab and worn down looking. But the eighties (at least up until the time that Roseanne debuted in the fall of 1988), we decided everyone on sitcoms should be middle or upper class and beautiful.

[BigManMike]

I watched this entire series back in January-February 2020. I really enjoyed it. Fred Sanford was still just as funny as always and I enjoyed Cal too. It’s a shame it didn’t last longer. Since it didn’t have a lot of episodes, I wish they would just add it to the Sanford and Son syndication package and treat it like it was Seasons 7 & 8 of Sanford and Son.

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by BigManMike

I watched this entire series back in January-February 2020. I really enjoyed it. Fred Sanford was still just as funny as always and I enjoyed Cal too. It’s a shame it didn’t last longer. Since it didn’t have a lot of episodes, I wish they would just add it to the Sanford and Son syndication package and treat it like it was Seasons 7 & 8 of Sanford and Son.

Every episode was funny