https://www.metv.com/stories/harvey-korman-saved-mamas-family-from-a-dark-place

Korman really brought the family together — and lead them to success.

Thanks for sharing this. This brings up so many points. Sketch comedy and sitcom comedy are different. I understand when Harvey said the sketch writers were so tied to the characters they developed that they did not want to let go.
Mamas Family started off wrong. It was a sitcom that had no pilot. Most everyone knew who Mama was. But how do you explain Aunt Fran and the kids living there. It would be like jumping in to a sitcom mid-stream. That alone was setting it up for failure.
Having said all that, I love the mean Mama. I also love they showed 2 episodes that were filmed before all these changes: Alien Marriage and Mama's Silver. Those are some of my favorite episodes of all time. But I understand Mama needed more depth to develop a series. Rue hated her character because she was originally supposed to be Mama's foil. But when they reworked the show, they gave that role to Naomi, the daughter in-law. Rue was under contract so they just kept her on the show. But her character was odd to say the least.
I loved the Family sketches and I remember so eager to watch Mamas Family when it debuted. But I remember in 1983 being disappointed the show was nothing like the sketches. Then when it hit syndication I preferred the newer Mama because I was watching them in real time. But then I came to appreciate the NBC years. Today they are all my favorite episodes. I prefer a mean, cranky Mama compared to a clever and smart a** one.