Sanford and Son - Reception and Cancellation

Reception and Cancellation

Sanford and Son has long been hailed as the precursor to many African American sitcoms, such as The Cosby Show. Although sometimes gregarious in its humor, Sanford and Son was groundbreaking for African Americans on television. James Whittle of The Washington Post called it "a show that broke new ground and paved the way for Cosby...". And Gene Siskel, known best for his critical reviews of both television and movies, said this: "What All in the Family did for the Caucasian race in our nation with television, Sanford and Son did for African Americans. It is one of the two most noted and significant African American sitcoms since the invention of television."

Sanford and Son was enormously popular during most of its run, and was one of the top ten highest-rated series on American television from its first season (1971–1972) through the 1975–1976 season.

With its coveted 8 p.m. Eastern Friday night time slot, Sanford and Son put enough of a dent into the middling audience of ABC's The Brady Bunch to drive it off the air in 1974. Sanford and Son peaked at #2 in the Nielsen ratings during the 1972–1973 season, and stayed there for three years in a row. The series was second only to All in the Family in terms of ratings. By the 1974–1975 season, Sanford and Son's high lead-in helped the entire NBC Friday night lineup to place in the coveted bracket of Top 20 shows (Chico and the Man, following Sanford, placed in the Top 10, while the police dramas The Rockford Files and Police Woman aired later in the evening and ranked in the lower reaches of the Top 20).

In the midst of taping episodes for the 1973–1974 season, Redd Foxx walked off the show in a salary dispute. His character was written out of the series for the rest of the season. The continuity of the show explained that Fred Sanford was away in St. Louis attending his cousin's funeral and leaving his friend Grady (Whitman Mayo) in charge of the business. NBC sued Foxx and as part of the settlement, Foxx later returned. Foxx had taped fewer than ten episodes before Fred "left for St. Louis." The show was still quite popular when it was canceled in 1977.