I have been a huge fan of Mama's Family for years. Infact I just put it as one of my favorite shows on my top ten list on another message board. I do however have a question regarding the first two seasons.

What happened where the show changed so dromatically after 1984? I can understand why Betty White and Rue McClanahan left (to do Golden Years) but why did Vint's children no longer appear? And what network did it appear from 1986-1990? THANKS FOR THE HELP.

Mama's Family was aired in first run syndication from 1986-1990. There was no specific explanation as to what happened to Buzz and Sonia. They were referred to in the episode "Farewel Frannie" Thelma was disappointed that Fran was going to have a "No show funeral" She talked about how Buzz and Sonia would not be there. Other than that, that is it.
-----------------------------------

Sonia: What am I? A Slave around here?
Fran:If you were, you would have been sold years ago.

There is an answer to why Buzz and Sonya were written out of the script. The producers of the show were not satisfied with the failing ratings, so they axed the characters of Buzz, Sonya, & Frannie. They only kept on Ellen for special appearances. Their reason for doing this, is that they wanted to add sexual appeal to the show for young viewers to tune in - i.e. Bubba. When Allan Kayser was cast, the shows ratings skyrocketed and that was the reason for the tight jeans and tight shirts he always wore. That is what happened to Buzz and Sonya.

Actaually, that isn't it at all. NBC canceled the show in 84'. It was brought back 2 years later in First Run syndication.Fran(Rue McClanahan)and Betty White were already on the Golden Girls when Mama's Family went back into production. Betty White made only 1 appearance on the show in 1986. The first 2 years were better. The last 4 were funny but done under a low budget form.

Carol Burnett chose not to come back as Eunice. There was talk about her bringing her popular variety show from the 60's and 70's back to TV. She wanted to do Eunice sketches on the show but Vicki committed herself to doing the syndicated version of Mama's Family.

Bubba and Iola were brought in as fill-ins. On the Carol Burnett show, Ed and Eunice refered to their son Bubba but he was never seen. So it seems the writers had a legitamate excuse to add him in to the show. Iola Boylen's family was refered to during the Recent years of the show as well. So they were able to add her in.

As far as Buzz and Sonya go, I guess they weren't that interesting. However, they should have been referred to more and had occasional appearances. I know they had to be out of high school but should have been referenced to more. The show was stil funny so it's cool.

Sonia/Karin Argoud was very sexy.

I figure her & Buzz went back to live with their Mom in Las Vegas (Vint's 1st wife). Also, they were older so they went on to college, Although Sonia's brain was curious.

I was wondering also what happened with Vint's 1st wife after she became a showgirl? Oh well.

I THINK THE SHOW IMPROVED GREATLY WITH THE ADDITION OF BUBBA AND IOLA!

I always wonder if Mamas Family was not cancelled in 1984 its possible Betty and Rue would not have been on Golden Girls since they would have been under contract. Or will they had gotten out of their contracts or delayed Golden Girls a year? I cant imagine Golden Girls without Rue and Betty. And Rue convinced Bea so its possible Bea would not have been on Golden Girls either. The cancellation of Mamas Family in 1984 was so pivotal to Golden Girls.
Mamas Family is a very rare sitcom in that it was given the green light without a pilot. Aunt Fran was supposed to be the nemesis for Mama. They filmed 2 episodes and Vicki said it was odd that there was no pilot to explain the family. She also did not like the dynamic of Mama being so harsh in Alien Marriage and Mamas Silver. They wrote a pilot and brought Naomi the neighbor in to marry Vint. Naomi was now Mama's foil which made the Aunt Fran character almost obsolete. However Rue was under contract so NBC kept the character since they would have to pay her either way. This is why Aunt Fran seems to not quite fit and Rue hated playing a character like that.

I always wonder if Mamas Family was not cancelled in 1984 its possible Betty and Rue would not have been on Golden Girls since they would have been under contract.
Mamas Family is a very rare sitcom in that it was given the green light without a pilot. Aunt Fran was supposed to be the nemesis for Mama. They filmed 2 episodes and Vicki said it was odd that there was no pilot to explain the family. She also did not like the dynamic of Mama being so harsh in Alien Marriage and Mamas Silver. They wrote a pilot and brought Naomi the neighbor in to marry Vint. Naomi was now Mama's foil which made the Aunt Fran character almost obsolete. However Rue was under contract so NBC kept the character since they would have to pay her either way. This is why Aunt Fran seems to not quite fit and Rue hated playing a character like that.

Regarding Betty White, I recall an interview she gave in which she said she didn't want the status of a regular to allow her to guest on other shows besides MF. Whenever she appeared on MF, she was always listed as a "Guest Star". This would seem to suggest that she was not under contract, so she would have been free to go to Golden Girls a year later. As for Rue, it's true she hated the way Aunt Fran had been neutered when the show was retooled. Considering the way her role on the show had been marginalized, had she asked to be released from her contract, it's possible they would have let her leave. As for being Mama's nemesis, I suspect that both she and Vint as originally planned would have both been a source of friction for Mama. In the first few episodes, Vint was anything but a model son so I could see that as being a bigger source of conflict than even Fran as originally planned.

Wow!! Neat how we can pick right back up with a conversation from 2001, over 20 years ago!!! lol

But I wish Fran hadn't died. If she wanted to leave the show, they could have written her as moving away, maybe getting married or working for a big newspaper co. in a bigger city.

Yeah, there was no good reason for killing her off. I think Rue had some disdain for the Frannie character, so--in retaliation for that, kill her off?

It would be interesting to know if Vicki expressed disapproval of that; if so, she lost that one.

And, other than one Thelma line, No Buzz, No Sonya--no explanation.