Watch Sanford

1980
2 Seasons
6.7 (439)

Sanford is an American sitcom that was aired on NBC from 1980 to 1981. The show stars Redd Foxx as Fred G. Sanford, a widowed junk dealer who lives in South Central Los Angeles, California. Sanford runs a business with his son, Lamont (Dennis Burkley), which involves selling salvaged items collected from various neighbourhoods in the city.

The show centers around the relationship between Fred and Lamont as well as their daily struggles as they navigate through life in their low-income community. They are constantly trying to make ends meet, often facing financial challenges and dealing with difficult customers. Fred is always on the lookout for a good deal to add to his inventory, while Lamont is often trying to persuade his father to give up the junk business and start a new venture.

Despite the challenges they face, the two have a strong bond and share a great sense of humor. They often exchange witty banter and engage in humorous arguments, keeping the audience entertained with their quick wit and unique personalities. The show is also known for the catchphrase "You big dummy!" which is frequently used by Fred to insult Lamont.

The supporting cast of Sanford includes Marguerite Ray as Donna Harris, Lamont's girlfriend, who often appears in the show to provide a romantic subplot. She is portrayed as a strong, independent woman who loves Lamont deeply but often disagrees with his father's views on life. Other notable cast members include Nathaniel Taylor as Rollo Lawson, a close friend of Lamont's who often gets caught up in their schemes, and Hal Williams as Officer Hoppy Hopkins, a police officer who frequently visits Fred and Lamont to investigate various crimes in the neighbourhood.

Sanford is known for its pioneering approach to portraying African American characters on screen. The show focuses on African American family dynamics and social issues in a way that had not been seen before on network television. It addresses topics such as racism, poverty, and the struggles faced by African American families at the time, drawing attention to the realities of life for people living in low-income neighbourhoods.

Despite the critical acclaim, Sanford faced several challenges during its brief run on NBC. Redd Foxx was known for his irreverent humor, which sometimes caused controversy and led to disagreements between Foxx and the network executives. The ratings for the show also began to decline towards the end of the first season, and NBC ultimately cancelled the show after the season finale in 1981.

Despite its short run, Sanford remains an important show in American television history. It broke barriers in its portrayal of African American characters, and its portrayal of the struggles faced by families living in low-income neighbourhoods continues to resonate with audiences today. The dynamic between Fred and Lamont and their humorous interactions also made the show a fan favorite, inspiring numerous catchphrases that have become a part of American pop culture.

Sanford is a series that ran for 2 seasons (26 episodes) between March 15, 1980 and on NBC

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Seasons

2 1

12. To Keep a Thief

July 10, 1981

Fred and Cal are on the watch for a neigborhood burglar. In the process, they catch him breaking in. It ends up to be a punk kid who stole $200 worth of stuff. A judge then sentences the kid to work at Fred's until he works off the money. The kid drives Fred crazy with his smart mouth and his rudeness. Fred then tells him a fake story about Lamont to put him back on track and it takes some impact.

11. Private Lives

July 3, 1981

Fred doesn't feel like taking Evelyn out to where she wants to go, so Fred and Evelyn both end up getting new dates. After the competition of who they end up with, it draws Fred and Evelyn closer together.

10. Cal's Illegal Alien

June 26, 1981

Manny, a Mexican friend sneaks his illegal-alien sister Maria into the country. Maria offers service in exchange for Fred to take her under his wing. Along the way, Cal falls in love with Maria. As a way to make her more dependant, Cal sends her out to get a cake, but the bakery is raided by immigration. Cal and Fred head down to immigration to try and get her. Cal even proposes marriage to her and she lets him down. So it's back to Mexico for her as she gets deported.

9. Jury Duty

June 19, 1981

Fred tries to convince a jury that looks shouldn't determine whether someone is guilty or not guilty. In this case, a mob-looking man who looks guilty and who Fred is afraid of.

8. Freeway

June 12, 1981

With water dripping everywhere and the place falling apart, Fred decides that he wants to sell the house... that is until he learns that there are plans to build a freeway, either through a rich neighborhood or Fred's neighborhood. Worrying about their neighborhood, Fred and his neighbors plan on taking their case to the State Government. After a debate with the rich and them, Fred's persuasion hits and his side wins the case. Just after winning the case, an earthquake erupts, causing big damage to Fred's house and Fred saying ""Earthquake! I got to dump this dump!""

7. Gaslight

June 5, 1981

A series of misunderstandings (like rat poison, pills, a shovel, and doctor's advice to ""get rid of the old thing"") causes a sick Fred to think that Cal is trying to kill him.

6. Cal's Mom

May 29, 1981

Cal's mother visits and seems to like Fred, that is until he leaves the room. It is revealed that she is a racist and does not approve of her son living with a black man. She then ends up not wanting to stay at Fred's overnight. Cal then tries to break the news to Fred, who tries to get her to change her mind. When it looks like there is no other hope for her, Fred tells her a story that hurt him when he was young. She does not take it to heart and then has Cal decide who he would rather side with. Cal then makes a decision.

5. Love is Blind

January 30, 1981

Cliff's girfriend is blind and he hasn't told Fred yet. After staying out all night, Fred gets mad and labels her as a ""hussy"". Fred then tells Cliff to invite her over, so that Cliff can prove that she is not a hussy. When Fred and Cal both find out that she's blind, Fred has a talk with him and makes serious sense. Cliff's girlfriend then sides with Fred and tells Cliff what he's getting himself into when it comes to the responsibilities and all.

4. Cal the Coward

January 23, 1981

Fred is enjoying himself on the porch when all of a sudden a Police chase causes the crooks to ""dump"" a bag of gold which happens to land on Fred's property. Later crooks later end up at Fred's looking for the gold worth $65,000 at gunpoint. Fred makes up every excuse in the book and when things look good, Cal comes in and sits down on the couch. After feeling something weird he pulls out gold coins which cause the crooks to trap Fred and Cal in the closet. Risking everything Fred tries to chase them out by breaking out of the closet, but they left. Cal then gets depressed because he was too scared to do anything. Fred then comes up with some schemes to try and make Cal look like a hero.

3. Fred Has the Big One

January 16, 1981

Cal tries to get Fred to do some work around the house, but Fred says that he doesn't feel good. Cal then thinks he is fibbing like he has done many times before, just to get out of doing some chores. When Cal and Cliff go outside to get the truck loaded, Fred has a real heart attack and colapses. Cal and Cliff rush him to the hospital, but the hospital seems too busy to help. When they do finally find time for him, thanks to Cal and his hot violent temper, they realize that Fred needs to take better care of himself.

2. Here Comes the Bride (2)

January 9, 1981

After reaching Freemont Missouri, Fred and Esther try to get divorced, but they end up getting a judge that hates divorce. When Fred explains the problem, the judge understands but doesn't understand. He says the only way that he can fix the problem is if they get married officially and then get a divorce.

1. Here Comes the Bride (1)

January 9, 1981

Aunt Esther moves in to watch her son Cliff because she thinks that Fred's influence has caused him to slip in his grades. Then, she breaks Fred and Evelyn apart from kissing and degrades Evelyn by calling her names and tells Fred what a ""disgrace"" he is to Elizabeth. After getting a hold Fred's marriage license, Cal tells Fred that Fred and Esther are married. You see, it turns out that Elizabeth signed where the witness was suppose to sign and Esther signed where the bride was suppose to sign. This age-old mistake causes a lawyer to stop by to tell the ""newlyweds"" that they have to go back to the state of Missouri (Where Fred and Elizabeth originally got married) to fix the problem.

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Where to Watch Sanford

Sanford is available for streaming on the NBC website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Sanford on demand at and Tubi TV.