…..in the Mama’s Family universe in the years in between the NBC and syndicated episodes?

Iola and Fran ever converse? Eunice ever make a visit?

We do know two things, Fran and Naomi changed her hairstyle shortly after it.

Oh, and Ed and Eunice moved to Florida.

I remember writing a fanfic, which I am sure was terrible, when I was 13 or 14. (For reference, I'm 45 now.) It took place between the NBC and syndicated years and I included both casts.
No doubt Iola and Fran interacted. The way my brain works, once I have seen the entire run of the show, everyone is retroactively fit into the universe, so yeah even if we didn't see Iola in the NBC years and we know why we didn't see her, she knew the entire family all along.
We do know Fran continued her newspaper career until her sudden death, or at least it can be reasonably assumed that she didn't retire. Buzz and Sonya graduated high school and went off to college at some unknown location. Bubba was sentenced to juvenile hall early in his high school years, and at some point Ed and Eunice suddenly took off to Florida without Bubba's knowledge but presumably with everyone else's. They had to have visited before they decided to move, the reasons for which were never explained.

Mama obviously had her house remodeled in those years in between lol

Even though Iola was obviously friends with Thelma all along, I just can't see season 1 Thelma being friends with Iola and running around with her. Can you imagine Mama and Vint being in the middle of on of their super heated fights like from "Mama's Silver" and Iola coming in with her cheery "Knock-knock!" It would be so out of place lol

In ways I could see Iola being friends with Fran in the NBC episodes more than with Thelma. I could see Iola showing one of her crafts and Fran being like, "Well that is really SOMETHING!" and then looking offscreen giving a "cringe/aghast" look lol

I think even Iola would have the self awareness to stay away during those fights!
Thelma did mellow during the NBC years, so it's easier for me to see Iola fitting in more as the first season went on and definitely during the second season. I long ago convinced myself she skipped Vint and Naomi's wedding because of jealousy!

I agree RE: Iola. Mama and the family were too toxic for her during the NBC years. She also would have been too jealous to attend Vint’s wedding.

Iola not being at Vint's wedding makes sense... I could see Iola having her eye on Vint for years, and we he and Mitzi split up, Iola probably was overjoyed, then when Vint fell for Naomi it shattered her dreams, this could also explain why she stayed away from the Harper family during the NBC epsiodes. Although I've had different theories about the wedding, like maybe Iola was off-screen in the kitchen keeping the refreshments in order... I know my friend noticed a woman in yellow in the background who he thought looked sorta like Iola so he pretends she's supposed to be Iola lol

But yeah I think Iola could have totally fit into season 2.

In the episode where Iola has that really mean boyfriend and says that Iola has a “pretty big nest egg saved,” I always wondered if she had a job during the NBC years. With Gran alive and Vint’s kids around, I could see her staying away.

In the episode where Iola has that really mean boyfriend and says that Iola has a “pretty big nest egg saved,” I always wondered if she had a job during the NBC years. With Gran alive and Vint’s kids around, I could see her staying away.

I never thought of that but that is POSSIBLE and she quit her job when her mother fell ill to be a fulltime caregiver

I used to think MAYBE she had a part time job offscreen in the syndicated episodes, mainly because there were times she stormed out of her mom's house after a fight and there was never any mention of what she planned on doing for money, so I always thought maybe she had SOME form of income aside from what she gets paid for caregiving.

I mean we saw Iola all the time, but really, there was SO MUCH about her life we don't know

I think she worked away from town during the NBC years and returned to take care of her parents when the syndicated years started.

Tommy Boylin ran away
Vint got a lobotomy
The Bigger Jigger swapped talent contest night for arm wrestling contest night
Buzz and Sonya moved in with their mom

There's one episode where Iola gets a new best friend (Arlene?) she spends a lot of time her shop or boutique. Perhaps Arlene paid her a small amount for spending time driving her crazy. I think she asks Mama for advice to get rid of Iola and she's told to insult her, which backfires and makes Mama come out smelling like a rose.

I think she worked away from town during the NBC years and returned to take care of her parents when the syndicated years started.

Plausible theory for sure. I can't see Iola staying away from her parents for any real length of time, but it would be a tidy explanation they could have used if necessary. I personally think she was just not around the house as much for those few years, because she had a difficult time dealing with Vint marrying Naomi.

Plausible theory for sure. I can't see Iola staying away from her parents for any real length of time, but it would be a tidy explanation they could have used if necessary. I personally think she was just not around the house as much for those few years, because she had a difficult time dealing with Vint marrying Naomi.

For some reason I could picture Iola working at the newspaper company with Fran.... I KNOW it didn't happen but I could picture it lol

Are you sure it didn't happen? I don't know that Iola's career path, if any, was ever specified, so anyone's guess as to any job she had is equally plausible. :)

Thelma gained 20 pounds and underwent a voice feminization surgery
Naomi got a perm
Eunice and Ed moved to Florida
Buzz and Sonya moved to Las Vegas with their mother and everybody forgot about them
Iola’s mother Mrs. Boylen gained 100 pounds
The Harpers got their house remodeled
Iola started coming over more
Tommy Boylen moved back in with his father Vern
Naomi and Vint forgot they went to high school together

Thelma gained 20 pounds and underwent a voice feminization surgery
Naomi got a perm
Eunice and Ed moved to Florida
Buzz and Sonya moved to Las Vegas with their mother and everybody forgot about them
Iola’s mother Mrs. Boylen gained 100 pounds
The Harpers got their house remodeled
Iola started coming over more
Tommy Boylen moved back in with his father Vern
Naomi and Vint forgot they went to high school together


I was always an observant child, and when I was little, in the last episode where Thelma has a flashback, retelling how she got to the hospital when she was about to have a baby, I was expecting Thelma's house to look like it did in the NBC episodes with the big window in the living room lol

As far as Vint and Naomi going to highschool together, there are a lot of flaws with that.. In the episode where Vint thinks he's adopted, it was mentioned that Vint was 45 years old. And I can't think of the episode, but I am pretty sure Naomi was mentioned as being 35 once, so there's no way they could have gone to high school together... PLUS even when Vint meets Naomi for the first time in Vint and the Kids Move in, Vint calls her "Naomi Oats!" even though he claimed to not have seen her since high school, Oats was the name of her second husband, so Noami should not have been an Oats when she was in high school, UNLESS of course in the rare case she was an Oats and married an Oats, it happens