
Sanford and Son was a groundbreaking Norman Lear creation that first aired in January of 1972 on NBC. Based on the British sitcom Steptoe and Son, Sanford and Son featured a mostly black cast. Standup legend Redd Foxx starred as cantankerous LA junk collector Fred Sanford, with son Lamont played by Demond Wilson. Sanford and Son was a perennial ratings-topper throughout most of its network run.