I wonder why the last season was the only season notin the top ten ratings - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TVFactFan · 01-12-2003, 10:11 AM

I saw that Sanford and So was in the top ten thefirst five seasons but for some reason the show fell to 27 in the last season. I wonder did the show have new competition in it's time slot because Sanford and Son still had all the same characters. So if someone knows what made the show take a downward spiral let me know

Bruiser Chong · 02-04-2003, 11:53 PM

Even though the show was still pretty funny, it was getting a bit old and repetitive. There were still some great episodes from those later years, but they began to run out of ideas, and started recycling older ones, which while they were good the first time around, shouldn't have been used again and again. That's the sort of thing that every TV show has to worry about.

TVFactFan · 02-04-2003, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bruiser Chong
Even though the show was still pretty funny, it was getting a bit old and repetitive. There were still some great episodes from those later years, but they began to run out of ideas, and started recycling older ones, which while they were good the first time around, shouldn't have been used again and again. That's the sort of thing that every TV show has to worry about.

Do u know what episode in the last season was similar to episodes in previous seasons?

Bruiser Chong · 02-05-2003, 12:09 AM

I guess what I meant to say was that a lot of the stuff in later seasons were repetitive and getting stale. Maybe not full plots for episodes, but rather, certain lines and situations that clogged up a lot of the episodes were stuff we had already seen a million times in earlier seasons.

I think that some of the later season eps. that did have good SOUNDING plots were pretty poorly executed. They could have been good, but the execution just wasn't there for some of them, and we got lackluster eps. as a result. One episode that comes to mind in this case is the one where Fred becomes a man of the cloth to avoid taxes. Now that sounds like an instant classic, but the truth is, it was just good and not anywhere near great.

In addition to running out of ideas and beating certain things into the ground, you should take into consideration that Redd Foxx's heart just wasn't into the show anymore by time those later seasons rolled around. After he sat out half of season three, things weren't really ever the same again. They may have seemed the same at times on the shows, but Redd became more resentful about his role because of some of the criticisms he was getting from black people about his character being too stereotypical.

AtlantaBravesFan29 · 02-05-2003, 03:56 PM

In response to the question why Sanford and Son finished in the top 25 in the ratings in the last season(1976-1977) it was in competition with Donny and Marie on ABC,and also because that Redd wanted to leave Sanford and Son because of contractual problems,and Demond didn't want to do it anymore because he wanted to do at least one more season,but he wanted more money,so that's when they pulled the plug on Sanford and Son!!!

There were funny moments from the last season though:

The Hawaiian Connection
The Committee Man
Fred Meets Redd
Fred's Extra Job
Esther And Woody Have A Baby
The Reverend Fred
Fred Meets B.B King
Fred Gets Handcuffed With Esther

So there were some funny moments from the last season,it wasn't the storylines,it was the competition of Donny and Marie on ABC and Redd wanting to leave the show that led to Sanford and Son not being in the top 25 that last season

01-12-2003, 10:11 AM	#1
TVFactFan Member Forum Junkie Join Date: Aug 17, 2002 Posts: 99,050	I wonder why the last season was the only season notin the top ten ratings I saw that Sanford and So was in the top ten thefirst five seasons but for some reason the show fell to 27 in the last season. I wonder did the show have new competition in it's time slot because Sanford and Son still had all the same characters. So if someone knows what made the show take a downward spiral let me know

02-04-2003, 11:53 PM	#2
Bruiser Chong Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 04, 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 6	Even though the show was still pretty funny, it was getting a bit old and repetitive. There were still some great episodes from those later years, but they began to run out of ideas, and started recycling older ones, which while they were good the first time around, shouldn't have been used again and again. That's the sort of thing that every TV show has to worry about.

02-05-2003, 12:09 AM	#4
Bruiser Chong Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 04, 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 6	I guess what I meant to say was that a lot of the stuff in later seasons were repetitive and getting stale. Maybe not full plots for episodes, but rather, certain lines and situations that clogged up a lot of the episodes were stuff we had already seen a million times in earlier seasons. I think that some of the later season eps. that did have good SOUNDING plots were pretty poorly executed. They could have been good, but the execution just wasn't there for some of them, and we got lackluster eps. as a result. One episode that comes to mind in this case is the one where Fred becomes a man of the cloth to avoid taxes. Now that sounds like an instant classic, but the truth is, it was just good and not anywhere near great. In addition to running out of ideas and beating certain things into the ground, you should take into consideration that Redd Foxx's heart just wasn't into the show anymore by time those later seasons rolled around. After he sat out half of season three, things weren't really ever the same again. They may have seemed the same at times on the shows, but Redd became more resentful about his role because of some of the criticisms he was getting from black people about his character being too stereotypical.

02-05-2003, 03:56 PM	#5
AtlantaBravesFan29 Atlanta Braves Fan Senior Member Join Date: Aug 13, 2002 Location: Pleasanton,TX--40 Miles South Of San Antonio Posts: 1,859	In response to the question why Sanford and Son finished in the top 25 in the ratings in the last season(1976-1977) it was in competition with Donny and Marie on ABC,and also because that Redd wanted to leave Sanford and Son because of contractual problems,and Demond didn't want to do it anymore because he wanted to do at least one more season,but he wanted more money,so that's when they pulled the plug on Sanford and Son!!! There were funny moments from the last season though: The Hawaiian Connection The Committee Man Fred Meets Redd Fred's Extra Job Esther And Woody Have A Baby The Reverend Fred Fred Meets B.B King Fred Gets Handcuffed With Esther So there were some funny moments from the last season,it wasn't the storylines,it was the competition of Donny and Marie on ABC and Redd wanting to leave the show that led to Sanford and Son not being in the top 25 that last season