Sanford

This spinoff of sorts was a weak attempt to continue to the success of Sanford and Son. Lamont Sanford's character had taken a job elsewhere and his friend Cal took the place of Fred's partner in the business. Fred also had a new girlfriend, a rich Beverly Hills matron (it was never explained what happened to his fiancee, Donna, from the previous show). His new girlfriend had a mother who disapproved of Fred being a junkman from South Central LA. Aunt Esther was also still on hand to exchange insults, but the magic that had made the earlier show a classic was just not there.

This was actually a very funny show and the back and forth between Redd and Cal was hilarious. Typical establishment though - anything that is different, people are opposed to accepting. I would have liked to have seen Redd's son in some episodes to complete the transition to just the "Sanford." show. With all the nonsense poor quality shows before, at the time. and since, this show should have lasted much longer and gotten much more credit than it received. I was sorry to see the actor who played Cal passed away. He too had great talent and never went as far as he should have in the business.

I actually saw this show before I ever saw an episode of "Sanford and Son". After watching them both, I honestly thought that "Sanford" was much funnier. Redd Foxx, in his older age, seems to have a sharper, more spiteful humor. He certainly carries the show, but the supporting characters make great targets for "Fred's" off-color remarks. If your already familiar with "Sanford and Son", then you may not like "Sanford" simply due to the fact that major staples in the show are missing. However, if you haven't grown accustomed to Lamont, and other familiar characters that don't appear in "Sanford", then you will probably agree that it is much more enjoyable over all. Give it a fair chance without expecting it to be just another spin off.

I grew up seeing this first so maybe nostalgia clouds me here but I liked this show a lot. I really though the episodes (at least the ones where the Cal character was featured) were really funny. I liked the banter between Cal and Fred and remember Cal reading "the little engine That Could" quite humorously.OK it isn't as funny as the original and yes the guest stars seem unrealistic, but for folks who have seen the original 100 times and never caught this version its really worth seeing. One thing I never understood though is why the Norman Lear shows watered down the characters as they ages. I like the original Archie, George, and Fred. Sure they weren't nice but that was the point. OK Lear didn't have anything to do with this spin off but it seems that all of the daring he puts into his lead roles loose their fizz. Still worth catching Dennis in my favorite role of his.

This was just another example of trying to revisit history with disastrous results. Sanford and Son was truly a classic, but N.B.C., which was desperate for ratings at the time thought it would be a good idea to bring back America's favorite junk man. However, missing were Lamont, Grady and Donna. Esther, Rollo and Bubba were there as well as a new girlfriend named Eve as well as Eve's upper crust family. Also new to the cast was Cal, a friend of Lamont's who worked with him in Alaska, which was where Lamont had supposedly moved to work on the pipeline. But still, it was not the same and it truly was a shame to see how far the mighty had fallen. The thing that really killed the show was that it simply lacked the dynamic relationship between Lamont and Fred and the chemistry between Fred and the rest of the cast was just not the same. Too bad N.B.C. had to destroy a once great character.