The BEST Episodes of Sanford and Son
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Mar 1, 2020
Network: NBC
The misadventures of a cantankerous old man and his son, partners in the family junk business in Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood.
#1 - The Party Crasher
Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired Feb 8, 1974
Lamont and Rollo set up a rendezvous at Rollo's place with two girls that doesn't go as planned, but Fred stops by and saves the day.
8.90 
#2 - Rated X
Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired Mar 16, 1973
After Lamont, Rollo and Fred unwittingly show up at an adult movie shoot, a police raid lands them all in jail.
8.75 
#3 - Here Today, Gone Today
Season 6 - Episode 14 - Aired Jan 7, 1977
To reupholster Fred's furniture as a gift, Lamont and Esther convince him the furniture was stolen, but Fred buys tacky new pieces with the insurance money.
8.62 
#4 - Fred's Treasure Garden
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired Nov 29, 1974
With Fred in St. Louis, Grady unwittingly serves a salad to Smitty and Hoppy that may contain marijuana leaves.
8.56 
#5 - A Little Extra Security
Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired Dec 13, 1974
After Grady receives an extra Social Security check, he gambles the money away in Las Vegas.
8.52 
#6 - The Blind Mellow Jelly Collection
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired Nov 16, 1973
Fred donates a collection of Blind Mellow Jelly records to a library for a tax deduction, but after learning of the records' monetary value, he cooks up a scheme to get them back.
8.45 
#7 - Hello, Cousin Emma...Goodbye, Cousin Emma
Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired Mar 29, 1974
Grady's cousin Emma comes to visit and tries to take advantage of his hospitality.
8.32 
#8 - The Stakeout
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired Oct 15, 1976
The new tenant at the Sanford Arms is a wanted fence disguised in drag.
8.25 
#9 - Have Gun, Will Sell
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired Nov 3, 1972
When Fred, Lamont and Rollo try to sell a gun at a pawn shop, they are mistaken for stickup bandits.
8.24 
#10 - Fred's Cheating Heart
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired Feb 1, 1974
Fed up with all of Fred's fake heart attacks, Lamont forces his father to check into the hospital for tests.
8.22 
#11 - The Light Housekeeper
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired Dec 22, 1972
Lamont and Fred hire a maid who'd rather relax than work.
8.21 
#12 - Tyranny, Thy Name Is Grady
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired Mar 1, 1974
With Fred away in St. Louis, Grady rules the house with an iron fist.
8.20 
#13 - Golden Boy
Season 4 - Episode 19 - Aired Feb 7, 1975
Fred takes on the mismanagement of a dim-witted prizefighter.
8.18 
#14 - Fred Sanford, Legal Eagle
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired Jan 11, 1974
When Lamont tries to contest a traffic ticket, Fred creates disorder in the court.
8.16 
#15 - Will the Real Fred Sanford Please Do Something?
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired Feb 22, 1974
A confused woman visits the house, insisting that Grady is Fred, the man with whom she had spent a drunken evening.
8.14 
#16 - Donna Pops the Question
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired Nov 7, 1975
With another marriage proposal in hand, Donna gives Fred an ultimatum.
8.13 
#17 - Matchmaker, Matchmaker
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired Sep 20, 1974
After a relative leaves Lamont $7,000 if he weds and has a child, Fred visits a dating service to find Lamont a mate.
8.11 
#18 - My Fair Esther
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired Nov 14, 1975
With a $1,000 prize on the line, Fred tries to groom Esther to win a beauty contest.
8.11 
#19 - Fred, the Reluctant Fingerman
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired Sep 28, 1973
After Fred witnesses a burglary at Julio's place but refuses to identify the culprits, Lamont and Julio turn the tables to show Fred the value of being a good neighbor.
8.06 
#20 - The Return of the Barracuda
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired Apr 7, 1972
With Fred and Donna once again planning marriage, Lamont cooks up a scheme to drive them apart.
8.06 
#21 - I Dream of Choo Choo Rabinowitz
Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired Oct 22, 1976
Fred tries to set the world record for continuous hours without sleep.
8.05 
#22 - A Matter of Life and Breath
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired Feb 11, 1972
Lamont forces Fred to quit smoking and visit the doctor, but Fred becomes convinced he has tuberculosis.
8.04 
#23 - The Surprise Party
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired Sep 13, 1974
Fred returns from his extended trip to St. Louis but feels unwanted because Grady took better care of the house and Lamont.
8.03 
#24 - Wine, Women and Aunt Esther
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired Dec 14, 1973
After the death of a friend, Fred and his buddies throw a party to feel young again but run out of gas long before they can make time with a group of younger women.
8.02 
#25 - The Stand-Ins
Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired Jan 17, 1975
When Fred's friend Bowlegs finds himself a man short for a nightclub engagement, Fred and Lamont must take the stage to help him out.
8.00