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The Best Episodes of Sanford and Son

Every episode of Sanford and Son ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Sanford and Son!

Binge this in 2d 20h•Peaking at 9.0/10

The misadventures of a cantankerous junk dealer and his frustrated son.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Sanford and Son Season 1 Episode 14 - The Piano Movers
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #1 - The Piano Movers

    S1:E14

    A wealthy man wants to get rid of a grand piano and Lamont gets a great deal on it. However, the big problem turns out to be moving it out of the man's apartment.

    Director:Bruce Bilson
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 6 - Card Sharps
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - Card Sharps

    S2:E6

    Fred gets a surprise one night when Lamont announces that he's having some friends over to play poker. However, Fred doesn't take Lamont's advice at "getting lost" since he's convinced Lamont's so-called friends are trying to hustle him out of his money.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 16 - A Visit From Lena Horne
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - A Visit From Lena Horne

    S2:E16

    Fred and Lamont take a tour through the NBC studios and Fred gets a kick out of seeing Johnny Carson's parking spot. However, what Fred really gets a kick out of is seeing Lena Horne's car and sneaks into her dressing room. After meeting her, he tries to trick her into visiting him at his home.

    Director:Jack Shea
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 24 - Rated X
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - Rated X

    S2:E24

    Lamont and Rollo answer an ad that promises them stardom through low-budget movies. Fred gets a hold of the brochure and decides to try out too. When they get down there they quickly discover the low budget movies are X-rated followed by a police raid and Fred, Lamont and Rollo are hauled off to jail.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Sanford and Son Season 3 Episode 14 - Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe
    9.0/10(2 votes)

    #5 - Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe

    S3:E14

    Grady has a a piece of juicy gossip and is just dying to tell everyone. It seems Grip, an old friend, dated Fred's late-wife, Elizabeth, prior to her getting married to Fred. Elizabeth and Grip had been intimate and Lamont is the result. Fred is convinced Grip is nothing but a "jive turkey" and Esther may have the answer to this paternity question.

    Director:Jack Shea
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Sanford and Son Season 1 Episode 3 - Here Comes the Bride, There Goes the Bride
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #6 - Here Comes the Bride, There Goes the Bride

    S1:E3

    Engaged, Lamont is excited about his impending nuptials but on the wedding day he quickly finds himself the only one who is. The bride dumps him at the altar and he finds his relatives begging to get back their wedding gifts.

    Director:Bud Yorkin
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Sanford and Son

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  7. Sanford and Son Season 1 Episode 5 - A Matter of Life and Breath
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #7 - A Matter of Life and Breath

    S1:E5

    Lamont comes down hard on Fred to try to get him to quit smoking and has him go to the doctor for a chest x-ray. Later, the results are sent in the mail and Fred becomes convinced he has tuberculosis.

    Director:George Tyne
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Sanford and Son Season 1 Episode 6 - We Were Robbed
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #8 - We Were Robbed

    S1:E6

    While cleaning the house, Fred knocks over Lamont's glass figurine collection. Trying to cover up the fact that he broke them, Fred makes up a story about how the house was robbed and how he fought them off. In the process, he is labeled as a hero and Fred takes advantage of it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Sanford and Son Season 1 Episode 11 - TV or Not TV
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #9 - TV or Not TV

    S1:E11

    Fred wants a new color television set and Lamont wants a new car. The problem is that they cannot afford both of them, so Lamont buys the car. However, after Fred discovers Lamont's purchase, he comes up with a scheme that involves him pretending to have amnesia until Lamont will buy him a color television.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Sanford and Son Season 1 Episode 12 - The Suitcase Case
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #10 - The Suitcase Case

    S1:E12

    While collecting junk, Lamont runs across an old suitcase and decides it could be worth something. However, once he gets it home, Fred makes a shocking discovery when he opens the case to discover that it is stuffed with money. Lamont wants to turn the money in and Fred wants to keep it and locks in a safe. Just then a gunman shows up wanting the money.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 1 - By the Numbers
    8.0/10(2 votes)

    #11 - By the Numbers

    S2:E1

    Fred is sure that his dreams will be good luck in picking numbers for a lottery and his hunch turns out to be true, despite the fact that Lamont forbids him to participate. Fred quickly finds himself $500 richer but also finds Aunt Ethel and Bubba needing quick cash.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Terry Ryan

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  12. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 2 - Whiplash
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #12 - Whiplash

    S2:E2

    After getting in an accident with the truck, Fred thinks that he might have whiplash and Fred's friend Bubba convinces him that he can make big money off of the situation. Lamont is against the whole idea but Fred insists on going through with a lawsuit, but first Fred must identify the person the hit him.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 3 - The Dowry
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #13 - The Dowry

    S2:E3

    Fred's cousin arrives with his new wife and his not-so-attractive stepdaughter, Betty Jean. When Fred finds out that she will inherit $10,000 if she marries, he tries to fix it so that Lamont will marry her. However, Fred's plan backfires when Lamont catches on to his scheme.

    Director:Jack Shea
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 4 - Jealousy
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #14 - Jealousy

    S2:E4

    Donna, Fred's fiancee, brings a patient, Osgood Wilcox over for dinner at the Sanford residence and it becomes apparent that Osgood is interested in more than just medical care from Donna. Meanwhile, Lamont encourages Fred to believe there is something going on between Osgood and Donna resulting in a confrontation.

    Director:Jack Shea
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 5 - Tooth or Consequences
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #15 - Tooth or Consequences

    S2:E5

    Fred's toothache becomes an exercise in patience for Lamont when Fred refuses to see a dentist and instead tries Bubba's home remedy and a hypnotist. Finally, Fred decides to throw in the towel and visits a dentist but insists on a white dentist.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 7 - Have Gun, Will Sell
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #16 - Have Gun, Will Sell

    S2:E7

    One evening, Lamont and his friend Rollo go out. When they return they interrupt a robber trying to flee from the scene. Later they discover the crook dropped his gun and in an attempt to get some quick cash, decide to pawn it. However, once at the pawn shop, the broker mistakes Fred wanting money for the gun for a stickup.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 9 - The Shootout
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #17 - The Shootout

    S2:E9

    Lamont pays $50 for an antique gun and brings it home to show Fred. Fred begins re-enacting war stories and accidentally pulls the trigger not knowing it's loaded. The blast shoots through the next door neighbor's window, who suddenly drops from site just after having a heated argument with Fred. Fred jumps to the conclusion that he killed him.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 10 - Blood is Thicker Than Junk
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #18 - Blood is Thicker Than Junk

    S2:E10

    Lamont is fed up working with Fred and quits the partnership. He soon finds a job down the street at a rival junk collector's business. Meanwhile, Fred looks for another partner and finds one in Norman, whose first contribution is a stuffed bear.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 11 - Sanford and Son and Sister Makes Three
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #19 - Sanford and Son and Sister Makes Three

    S2:E11

    Fred's old girlfriend Juanita stops by for dinner with her daughter, Alice. Lamont falls for Alice and thinks of asking for her hand in marriage. However, Juanita tells Fred that Alice is his daughter and Lamont is wining and dining his sister.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 12 - A Guest in the Yard
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #20 - A Guest in the Yard

    S2:E12

    Fred and Lamont find a homeless bum sleeping in a bathtub in their yard. After trying to get him to move on, he pretends that he gets hurt on their property and threatens to sue. Fred and Lamont try everything in their power to persuade him not to sue and Fred does his best to try to prove the bum is not really injured.

    Director:Jack Shea
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 13 - Fred & Carol & Fred & Donna
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #21 - Fred & Carol & Fred & Donna

    S2:E13

    Fred and Donna's on again off again relationship is back on and he invites her to dinner. Later, Fred gets a visit from a saleslady who peaks his interest and he blindly invites her to dinner, forgetting all about Donna. Thanks to Lamont's manipulations, he makes sure Fred has to juggle the dates around, keeping up appearances.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 14 - The Light Housekeeper
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #22 - The Light Housekeeper

    S2:E14

    After Fred gets a minor injury from a car accident, Lamont and Fred seek to find a maid to help out around the house. After looking, they get what the agency has at the bottom of the barrel. However, the erratic white woman does nothing but add to Fred's pain.

    Director:Peter Baldwin
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 15 - The Big Party
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #23 - The Big Party

    S2:E15

    Fred and Lamont have bills coming out of their ears and consider going on welfare, something Fred refuses to do. Fred comes up with a plan to throw a "big party" in the Sanford home and charge admission. That's when two hoods show wanting a part of the action. Meanwhile, Aunt Esther is trying to find a place to hold her weekly church group meetings.

    Director:Jack Shea
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 17 - Lamont Goes African
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #24 - Lamont Goes African

    S2:E17

    Lamont goes totally African. He starts to wear African clothing, and yearns to learn more about the culture. At the same time, Fred thinks that the whole thing is ridiculous, that is until a woman from Nigeria visits and explains to Lamont how sacred listening to your father is in African culture and how you should respect him.

    Director:Jack Shea
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Sanford and Son Season 2 Episode 20 - Pops 'n' Pals
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #25 - Pops 'n' Pals

    S2:E20

    Next door neighbor, Julio, has become a very good friend of Lamont's. With Lamont, spending so much free time with Julio, Fred begins to feel left out and decides to try to be more like one of the guys. However, Fred quickly learns the advantages of having so much free time and no one to hoard in on it.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Piano Movers" is the best rated episode of "Sanford and Son". It scored 9/10 based on 2 votes. Directed by Bruce Bilson and written by Unknown, it aired on 4/14/1972. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Card Sharps".