A revival of Sanford and Son starring Redd Foxx as junk dealer Fred G. Sanford. The series attempted to recapture the magic (and the ratings) from his previous hit. However, Demond Wilson (Lamont) didn't return, so the producers dispatched his character to the Alaskan pipeline and cast perennial character actor Dennis Burkley as Fred's new partner and housemate, hefty Southerner Cal Pettie. In addition, Fred found love with a new girlfriend: wealthy socialite Evelyn Lewis (played by Marguerite Ray).
Over time, familiar faces from the original series popped in to visit; some, such as LaWanda Page's Aunt Esther and Nathaniel Taylor's Rollo Lawson, stayed for a while, with frequent visits from officers Hoppy and Smitty, and a couple of appearances from Grady. In addition, some loose plot threads from the previous show were finally tied up (including the issue of Fred's frequent "heart attacks", albeit in a somewhat dramatic manner).
But the show's new approach to the Fred Sanford character proved unwise. Not only was Fred no longer the lovable curmudgeon the audience had come to know and love, but he also underwent a significant transformation regarding his previous bigoted views (presumably due to his friendship with Cal, but it's implied that the change took place before the start of the new series). He even gives a somewhat Anvilicious lecture to Cal's mother when she objects to her son's friendship with a black man in one of the later episodes! Perhaps this was necessary Character Development to get past the changing times and the network censors, but low ratings proved that sometimes change isn't a good thing.
The series ran on NBC for two brief seasons (26 episodes total) from March 15, 1980 to July 10, 1981.
Contains examples of:
- Character Development
- Crying Wolf: Fred finally has a heart attack for real, but nobody will believe him when he complains of the initial symptoms. Becomes very, very
Harsher in Hindsight when you realize that this is exactly how Redd Foxx died in Real Life (on the set of The Royal Family).
- Innocent Bigot: When Cal's mother comes to visit Fred's place and sees him living there, she tells Cal "You can't live here, because he's colored". In all the years that Cal lived with her, he never knew her to show any signs of prejudice, and she denies having a prejudiced bone in her body, believing that everyone is God's children, and doesn't blame Fred for his dark skin color. Later on, Fred opens up to her with a story about his childhood where some school kids made him eat dirt, telling him that he's just as dark on the outside as the inside. Mrs. Pettie gains insight to racial sensitivity, and leaves Fred's place on better speaking terms.
- Promotion to Opening Titles: Nathaniel Taylor as Rollo.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Cal, the fat white redneck, who takes Lamont's place as Fred's business partner is actually a pretty strong aversion. However, Lamont's friend Rollo, previously a recurring character on Sanford and Son, works as one for a bit.
