http://www.cracked.com/blog/why-every-80s-sitcom-decided-to-kill-off-mom/

From "Who's the Boss?" to "Full House," what was up with the dead mom trend of the '80s?

The first show I remember seeing, which had this setup was My Three Sons back in 1960. I am trying to think how many shows had a absent father?

Diff'rent Strokes did and The Brady Bunch kinda of.

The Courtship of Eddie's Father
I Married Dora
Blossom

Never thought about that but it's true. Maybe it was just a different trend since earlier sitcoms had both parents. I guess they were trying to keep up with the times, although I can't even think of a sitcom off the top of my head that had a single mom in it with no father.

Family Affair and Bachelor Father had a uncle type father situation. No female helping out in the home.

On Punky Brewster, Cherie's mom (and Dad) were dead although she was being raised by her grandmother, and Punky's mom abandoned her. So there's two moms that weren't there.

Never thought about that but it's true. Maybe it was just a different trend since earlier sitcoms had both parents. I guess they were trying to keep up with the times, although I can't even think of a sitcom off the top of my head that had a single mom in it with no father.Kate and Allie, Angela on Who's the Boss, Millicent on The Torkelsons. They all had ex-husbands. The only one I can think of right now who was a widow was Cate on Eight Simple Rules after John Ritter died.

There was a show, I never saw it, in early spring of 1979 that Darlene Carr, called "Miss Winslow and Son: that had her as a single mother of a son. It was new for the networks for she wasn't married. The networks put a show on with a woman with a son out of wedlock. Which hadn't been seen in primetime.
. I looked it up and it was on for 6 episodes. One of those one hit wonders but it never really hit with the public. Don't know if the father of the child was seen.

Silly Lilly, nice job, you came up with a few mothers with children and the fathers not that present. All though I do remember on Kate and Allie, Allie's husband Charles coming occasionally to see the children. But the father wasn't in the show that much.

Petticoat Junction: Kate was a widow
The Beverly Hillbillies: Jed was a widower
The Dennis O'Keefe Show: widower

Also, as My Three Sons was mentioned, Barbara was a widow who married Steve. And it was implied at one time that Charley was a widower, but that was later changed to his never having been married.

In the late 60's there was a show called "Julia" that featured a single mother who also happened to be Black.

Now, we are cooking. We have a few series with woman/kids without husbands. Oh The Lucy show. Lucille Carmichael and Vivian Bagley. Their husbands weren't seen. Viv I think was the first divorced woman on Tv.

"Gidget "had no Mom

"Alice" was a widow
"
"One Day At A Time"- Ann Romano was divorced but her ex husband did appear from time to time.

"Mama's Family"- Bubba's parents abandoned him and moved away. Vint's ex wife never made an appearance.His 2 kids were motherless.

The Hogan Family"- After their mother's(Valerie Harper) death the aunt( Sandy Duncan ) moved in.

Now Which one of these families could live with?
I always thought being Gidget would be cool. She had a lot of friends, went to the beach, and her sister was near by. But knowing I didn't have a mother and others girls did might bother me after all. But I guess you cope.

Single TV Moms:
New Adventures of Old Christine (Christine)
The Lucy Show (Vivian/Lucy)
One Day At A Time
The Partridge Family
Murphey Brown
Roseanne in the later season
Grace Under Fire


No mom on the show:
My Two Dads
Full House
Blossom
My Three Sons