The series premiere had decent ratings, but declined steadily during the first season. The show was put on hiatus and retooled. NBC moved it from Saturday nights to Friday nights, which was the original night for Sanford and Son (1972). The characters of Rollo, Winston, Cissy, and Clara were dropped with no explanation. They also brought back the characters of Aunt Esther and Grady from the original series. The ratings continued to be poor and the series was canceled four episodes into the second season. The remaining episodes were burnt off during the summer.
Lamont's absence was explained by having him move to Alaska to work as part of the crew on the pipeline. Demond Wilson was offered the opportunity to return, but he declined.
Redd Foxx returned to NBC after his ABC variety show, Redd Foxx (1977) was canceled. NBC had no top ten shows during the 1979-1980 TV season, and was interested in reviving one of its most popular shows of the 1970's.
Both seasons aired as mid-season replacements.
The name of Aunt Esther's son was changed from Daniel to Cliff.