Would Rue McClanahan and Betty White have stayed on with MF, or would they have gone auditioned for The Golden Girls? What would have become of TGG, since they were the first two to be cast?

And would Buzz and Sonya be kept on? Would we ever meet Bubba and Iola? History could have been so different!

Nice thread! This could be really entertaining.
I think season 3 would have been much like season 2. Remember, there was an entire year between the cancellation of Mama's Family and the start of the Golden Girls, and almost 2 1/2 between the network cancellation and beginning of the syndicated version.
In a mythical third season, one would think either Buzz or Sonya's high school graduations (or both) would have taken place, and maybe their moving on to college, whether locally or elsewhere. Whether a character like Iola, or Iola herself, would have joined at some point, I don't know. The NBC shows focused on the family itself, with friends and acquaintances decidedly taking a back seat.
Now if the show was cancelled after a third network season, it's plausible that Rue and Betty still would have gone on to star in Golden Girls, especially if the cancellation was announced early. If not, or if the show went on to a fourth season, you're entering an alternate scenario where the TV landscape could have been dramatically different, not only for GG but also for MF syndication. Would syndication have been necessary if the network run reached four seasons? Would there have been a want or need for a syndicated version? I'll let those more in the know about the Golden Girls hypothesize how that show would have been affected, but I don't see how Mama's Family would have been anything like the show we know.

Nice thread! This could be really entertaining.
I think season 3 would have been much like season 2. Remember, there was an entire year between the cancellation of Mama's Family and the start of the Golden Girls, and almost 2 1/2 between the network cancellation and beginning of the syndicated version.
In a mythical third season, one would think either Buzz or Sonya's high school graduations (or both) would have taken place, and maybe their moving on to college, whether locally or elsewhere. Whether a character like Iola, or Iola herself, would have joined at some point, I don't know. The NBC shows focused on the family itself, with friends and acquaintances decidedly taking a back seat.
Now if the show was cancelled after a third network season, it's plausible that Rue and Betty still would have gone on to star in Golden Girls, especially if the cancellation was announced early. If not, or if the show went on to a fourth season, you're entering an alternate scenario where the TV landscape could have been dramatically different, not only for GG but also for MF syndication. Would syndication have been necessary if the network run reached four seasons? Would there have been a want or need for a syndicated version? I'll let those more in the know about the Golden Girls hypothesize how that show would have been affected, but I don't see how Mama's Family would have been anything like the show we know.


This is a little OT but I remember some fanfics someone wrote that picked up after the last NBC episode, so it was like an immagianry 3rd NBC season, they were pretty good, if I remember there was no Iola nor Bubba.

In a lot of ways I think the syndicated episodes were more similar to the Family Sketches from the Carol Burnett Show, in that they were very plot driven, whereas the NBC episodes were character driven.

Betty was only a frequent guest star so she still might have been able to do The Golden Girls. Rue was tied to Mama's Family however.

I wish so much they had let Fran move away instead of die, like maybe getting married and moving off or taking a job somewhere else.

I wish so much they had let Fran move away instead of die, like maybe getting married and moving off or taking a job somewhere else.
Rue was not happy doing the show. She wrote in her autobiography that she didn't really have a handle on who Fran was nor how to play her. She also wrote she didn't get much help from Harvey Korman who was directing the early episodes and that he and Vicki always seemed to be conferring privately off in a corner.

I actually liked the way they killed her off. At least it was inspired and the scene where Mama recounts what happened was pretty funny.

I agree with Kasey. I actually liked the way Fran left. The whole story about her choking on a toothpick in the bathroom at The Bigger Jigger was just plain hilarious! They actually gave closure to her character whereas Buzz and Sonja never got full closure. It could've been stated they went to college or moved away but it never was, it was just assumed.

Btw, Kasey, I too want "It's a Living" to come back in reruns or a DVD release!

I wonder if Carol Burnett would have continued to guest star if the show had been renewed for a third season. Eunice is my favorite character.

I agree with Kasey. I actually liked the way Fran left. The whole story about her choking on a toothpick in the bathroom at The Bigger Jigger was just plain hilarious! They actually gave closure to her character whereas Buzz and Sonja never got full closure. It could've been stated they went to college or moved away but it never was, it was just assumed.

Btw, Kasey, I too want "It's a Living" to come back in reruns or a DVD release!


That's the thing about it, it would have been funny if it weren's so horrific lol

I mean choking to death on a tooth pick would be a terrible way to go, in a way I almost thought that storyline was a little much for Mama's Family.

I wonder if Carol Burnett would have continued to guest star if the show had been renewed for a third season. Eunice is my favorite character.


Probably not, B/c the whole divorce thing was still going on and Vickie staying on with Mama's Family which was being producded by Carol's ex was the thing that started the riff between Carol and Vickie, plus I heard Carol was wanting to bring back her show again at that time and wanted Vickie to come back so they could do more Eunice sketches, but Vickie had already dedicated to MF, so that conflice would have still been going on.

Though I think had the conflict not been going on, Carol would have continued to make guest appearances as Eunice. Which I think would have been great to looking forward to seeing a Eunice episode maybe once every 10 eppisodes or so.

If the show had been renewed by NBC for a third season, Vicki and all the others in the regular cast would have been contractually obligated to continue with the show, regardless of the divorce situation. Carol might not have returned but she certainly couldn't be angry with Vicki since she was under contract. Carol beef was that two years after the shows cancellation, Vicki went back to work for Joe Hamilton (which also killed off Carol's attempt to revive the show for CBS).

I would guess that in a NBC third season, Rue might have been allowed to leave the show; she was not happy playing Fran (who would be) and didn't really add much to the comedy. If Fran did leave, that would open the door for a new character like Iola for Mama to pal around with and they could have a Lucy and Ethel thing going, which was probably the best change in the syndicated seasons. As for the kids, I think one or maybe both might have been sent off to college or whatever and only make occasional guest appearances.

If the show had been renewed by NBC for a third season, Vicki and all the others in the regular cast would have been contractually obligated to continue with the show, regardless of the divorce situation. Carol might not have returned but she certainly couldn't be angry with Vicki since she was under contract. Carol beef was that two years after the shows cancellation, Vicki went back to work for Joe Hamilton (which also killed off Carol's attempt to revive the show for CBS).

I would guess that in a NBC third season, Rue might have been allowed to leave the show; she was not happy playing Fran (who would be) and didn't really add much to the comedy. If Fran did leave, that would open the door for a new character like Iola for Mama to pal around with and they could have a Lucy and Ethel thing going, which was probably the best change in the syndicated seasons. As for the kids, I think one or maybe both might have been sent off to college or whatever and only make occasional guest appearances.


It's hard to say whether Iola would have joined or not. I just cannot see Iola fitting into the atmosphere of the NBC episode, nor can I see NBC Mama EVER being friends with someone like Iola.

I mean can you immagine Mama and Vint being in one of their heated dramatic fights like they were frequently in the NBC episode and Iola popping in with her cheerful "Knock Knock", LOL

I mean I know they fought in the syndicated episodes, but it was portrayed in a much more light hearted way, in the NBC episodes it was much more like a real life dysfunctional family.

If Iola did appear on the NBC episodes I think her character would have been played out as much more depressing and less cheerful, I'm pretty sure the spinster aspect would be really exaggerated.

It's hard to say whether Iola would have joined or not. I just cannot see Iola fitting into the atmosphere of the NBC episode, nor can I see NBC Mama EVER being friends with someone like Iola.

I mean can you immagine Mama and Vint being in one of their heated dramatic fights like they were frequently in the NBC episode and Iola popping in with her cheerful "Knock Knock", LOL

I mean I know they fought in the syndicated episodes, but it was portrayed in a much more light hearted way, in the NBC episodes it was much more like a real life dysfunctional family.

If Iola did appear on the NBC episodes I think her character would have been played out as much more depressing and less cheerful, I'm pretty sure the spinster aspect would be really exaggerated.

The heated fights between Mama and Vint occur mostly in the first season. By the second season, the show had already begun to lighten up somewhat. With Eunice missing most of the second season, most of the fights in the show were between Mama and Naomi and they were pretty hilarious. I think they were gradually finding the right tone for the show that would make it successful, which they did when the show came back in syndication. But I think if the show had come back for a third season on NBC, you would have seen even less of the melodrama that was present in the early episodes and an Iola-type character would not be so out of place.

The heated fights between Mama and Vint occur mostly in the first season. By the second season, the show had already begun to lighten up somewhat. With Eunice missing most of the second season, most of the fights in the show were between Mama and Naomi and they were pretty hilarious. I think they were gradually finding the right tone for the show that would make it successful, which they did when the show came back in syndication. But I think if the show had come back for a third season on NBC, you would have seen even less of the melodrama that was present in the early episodes and an Iola-type character would not be so out of place.


It would be interesting to see, I'd also like to see Eunice on a syndicated episode, I could see Eunice evolving into a Lucy Ricardo type character, but maybe a darker Lucy type.