My 85yr old mother stopped watching TV after my dad died two years go (they always watched together) but I started playing old episodes of Sanford & Son (their favorite show). She started laughing and it helps her deal with her lost. RIP Dad.
I've worked at several nursing homes. I've noticed that the most watched shows at these facilities were Andy Griffith, Price is Right, and Sanford and Son.
This show has such a special significance for me. When I was growing up, my dad and I used watch Sanford and Son all the time. He had seasons 1,2, and 4 on DVD. He passed away 10 years ago when I was 12 and I’m 22 now. I ended up buying the complete collection to complete the set. I got to keep the DVD’s he had and I still have them to this day. I still watch the show to be closer to him. We used to act out our favorite scenes from episodes we liked. RIP Dad.
Steptoe and Son is fascinating, the characters hated one another but were trapped together in a toxic codependent relationship when they both wanted to escape - and the actors were the exact same. The actors hated each other and wanted to be known as other roles but were typecast and trapped as the show was so successful.
This is one of my favorite shows of all time. Frickin' love the chemistry between Fred and Lamont. The show really took off when Aunt Esther was introduced.
When I was growing up I didn’t realize how much I was influenced by Redd Foxx until about the third time I was suspended from elementary school for quoting him in class. By high school I discovered his comedy albums and I realized how lucky I was that I hadn’t found those earlier. I’d have been expelled! Still miss him to this day. He left us much too soon.
A lot of the jokes flew over my young head but I got just as many and loved this show, it felt genuine in a way few others have and was something I shared with my dad. And that theme song, what a funking jam.
Fun fact: Malcolm X (then known as Detroit Red) used to work at a restaurant with Redd Foxx (then known as Chicago Red). Malcolm called him "the funniest dishwasher in the world".
