Couldn’t they have had at least a little more variety in the syndicated years…

[TVLegend]

No Ellen, no Eunice, no Ed, no Fran, no Buzz, no Sonia. I really realized how much that hurt the show. Am I the only one who gets tired to seeing Mama, Vinton, Naomi, Iola, and Bubba, episode after episode after episode? I think I’m gonna start distancing myself from the syndicated years more. Some episodes are so boring I just randomly fall asleep. It calls for more variety and action, like the NBC years had. I much prefer Aunt Fran, Buzz, and Sonia to Iola and Bubba. Just not the same dynamic.

[TheLittleFaerie]

I dunno, as far as MF goes, I PROBABLY prefer the syndicated episodes... Mainly its b/c I dunno really what to MAKE of the NBC episodes, esp. the very early ones. It's almost as if they are keeping with Carol Burnett Show Family sketch dynamic just with NO EUNICE, that just made it seem...weird to me somehow. I probably liked NBC season 2 better than season 1, because at least Mama is becoming her own character, but in season 1 Mama is still basically Family Sketch Mama just on her on without Eunice, and it was just odd... I agree with Vicky when she said if Mama is gonna carry the show, she would have to be revamped and do something other than just sit and frown all the time.

Honestly I think the strongest seasons were seasons 2 and 3. In season 3, we still have some of the NBC dynamic that worked, and we get at least ONE Ellen episode.

But by season 6 Mama is basically Vicky Lawrance in a gray wig lol, her voice is basically Vicky's even half the time.


But yeah there was def. more variety in the NBC years... I notice when the Harpers would eat, they would change around where they sit at the table... but in the synd. years they all have their assigned chairs lol

[BestTVever]

Carol and Vicki had a falling out when the show started back up. Vicki mentions this in her book. Vicki hired Carol's former husband as the director and Carol felt Vicki was taking his side in the divorce. Vicki just wanted to keep similar people with the show. Also Eunice and Ed only agreed to appear in a few episodes to give the show legs as a favor to Vicki. Ellen and Fran went to the Golden Girls.
There were other characters that came in. The Reverend and his wife made frequent appearances. I always thought the one character that could have come in was Iola's mother. She is always mentioned but we never meet her. I also thought Claude Cainmaker was a good character in the first 2 episodes (filmed).

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Carol and Vicki had a falling out when the show started back up. Vicki mentions this in her book. Vicki hired Carol's former husband as the director and Carol felt Vicki was taking his side in the divorce. Vicki just wanted to keep similar people with the show. Also Eunice and Ed only agreed to appear in a few episodes to give the show legs as a favor to Vicki. Ellen and Fran went to the Golden Girls.
There were other characters that came in. The Reverend and his wife made frequent appearances. I always thought the one character that could have come in was Iola's mother. She is always mentioned but we never meet her. I also thought Claude Cainmaker was a good character in the first 2 episodes (filmed).

Iola's mother would have a lot to live up to, based on the outrageous ways she is described lol But I do wish Iola's home was shown at least once.

[TSMIV]

No Eunice was a good thing! I have never liked Carol Burnett. The only character I missed from the NBC years was Fran. I liked Rue much better on Mama's Family than Golden Girls.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

Iola's mother would have a lot to live up to, based on the outrageous ways she is described lol But I do wish Iola's home was shown at least once.

LOL the mythology of Iola's mother would be much to live up to. But towards the end when scripts were thin, it would have been a good episode instead of when her mom went missing

[TVLegend]

I would’ve liked to see Bruce at least in one episode. I think Dick Van Dyke would’ve been great in the role. Also, more Aunt Effie wouldn’t have hurt.

[TVLegend]

Originally Posted by TSMIV

No Eunice was a good thing! I have never liked Carol Burnett. The only character I missed from the NBC years was Fran. I liked Rue much better on Mama's Family than Golden Girls.

Eunice MADE the NBC years LOL

“Peggy…secretary”

[schmave]

Originally Posted by TVLegend

No Ellen, no Eunice, no Ed, no Fran, no Buzz, no Sonia. I really realized how much that hurt the show. Am I the only one who gets tired to seeing Mama, Vinton, Naomi, Iola, and Bubba, episode after episode after episode? I think I’m gonna start distancing myself from the syndicated years more. Some episodes are so boring I just randomly fall asleep. It calls for more variety and action, like the NBC years had. I much prefer Aunt Fran, Buzz, and Sonia to Iola and Bubba. Just not the same dynamic.

Totally agree. I like some things from the NBC years, especially the writing, and some from the syndicated years, including the brighter set and Thelma's personality.
The writing in the syndicated years is great at times, but too often they went for the lazy joke.
As far as the cast, over the years I've come to miss Fran in the syndicated episodes more than anyone else. I've said before and will repeat that the farther along the syndicated seasons progressed, much of the original family and episodes basically were forgotten or ignored.
Fran and Ellen got their proper sendoffs. Eunice didn't come back for obvious reasons, but it definitely would have been nice to get Ed, Buzz and Sonya back at least once.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by schmave

Totally agree. I like some things from the NBC years, especially the writing, and some from the syndicated years, including the brighter set and Thelma's personality.
The writing in the syndicated years is great at times, but too often they went for the lazy joke.
As far as the cast, over the years I've come to miss Fran in the syndicated episodes more than anyone else. I've said before and will repeat that the farther along the syndicated seasons progressed, much of the original family and episodes basically were forgotten or ignored.
Fran and Ellen got their proper sendoffs. Eunice didn't come back for obvious reasons, but it definitely would have been nice to get Ed, Buzz and Sonya back at least once.

To me it was funny about Ellen, I mean, she SUPPOSEDLY still lived in Raytown, but never seen nor heard from again lol

[schmave]

At least she still was mentioned regularly though. In hindsight, I feel like "Best Medicine" was probably meant to be Betty White's final appearance given that Golden Girls was such a huge success and she wouldn't be able to come back all that often, if ever.
That also was the final episode that really linked the NBC and syndicated years.
Within the show universe, I feel like they saw Ellen on a regular basis, just always off screen.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by schmave

At least she still was mentioned regularly though. In hindsight, I feel like "Best Medicine" was probably meant to be Betty White's final appearance given that Golden Girls was such a huge success and she wouldn't be able to come back all that often, if ever.
That also was the final episode that really linked the NBC and syndicated years.
Within the show universe, I feel like they saw Ellen on a regular basis, just always off screen.

I'm guessing Ellen was at least at the wedding, they all went to when they had daydreams of married life... "I Do I Don't" I THINK was the episode... Vint tells Mama's teacher, "You got to meet the whole Harper clan" It made me wonder if Eunice was there, since she is part of the Harper family

[stevea]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

I dunno, as far as MF goes, I PROBABLY prefer the syndicated episodes... Mainly its b/c I dunno really what to MAKE of the NBC episodes, esp. the very early ones. It's almost as if they are keeping with Carol Burnett Show Family sketch dynamic just with NO EUNICE, that just made it seem...weird to me somehow. I probably liked NBC season 2 better than season 1, because at least Mama is becoming her own character, but in season 1 Mama is still basically Family Sketch Mama just on her on without Eunice, and it was just odd... I agree with Vicky when she said if Mama is gonna carry the show, she would have to be revamped and do something other than just sit and frown all the time.

Honestly I think the strongest seasons were seasons 2 and 3. In season 3, we still have some of the NBC dynamic that worked, and we get at least ONE Ellen episode.

But by season 6 Mama is basically Vicky Lawrance in a gray wig lol, her voice is basically Vicky's even half the time.


But yeah there was def. more variety in the NBC years... I notice when the Harpers would eat, they would change around where they sit at the table... but in the synd. years they all have their assigned chairs lol

I agree with all of this. There was a lot of great comedy in seasons 2 and 3. Standout episodes from season 2 were the country club episode with Mama's standup routine, the mayor episodes, Mama's car, etc. Season 3 had that love letter episode which was one of the funniest of all seasons, and Mama going to work at the same fast food restaurant as Bubba (that scene where Mama goes ballistic is hilarious, and Dorothy Lyman was clearly having problems keeping a straight face.)

The later we get the harder it is to find standout episodes. Yeah, there is funny stuff...Mama riding the wrecking ball, the Church ladies getting looped on Mama's cold cure, Mama taking over the psychiatrist couch in Vint and Naomi's adoption interview (another scene where Lyman was having trouble not cracking up). But there were episodes that left me cold in the later years.

I also agree about early season 1. Mama had a nastier edge early on, and you're right, it was more like the Burnett sketches continued (this comment might have been in another post). A few of the early scripts were kind of weak, and the running order mixups early on didn't help things.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by stevea

I agree with all of this. There was a lot of great comedy in seasons 2 and 3. Standout episodes from season 2 were the country club episode with Mama's standup routine, the mayor episodes, Mama's car, etc. Season 3 had that love letter episode which was one of the funniest of all seasons, and Mama going to work at the same fast food restaurant as Bubba (that scene where Mama goes ballistic is hilarious, and Dorothy Lyman was clearly having problems keeping a straight face.)

The later we get the harder it is to find standout episodes. Yeah, there is funny stuff...Mama riding the wrecking ball, the Church ladies getting looped on Mama's cold cure, Mama taking over the psychiatrist couch in Vint and Naomi's adoption interview (another scene where Lyman was having trouble not cracking up). But there were episodes that left me cold in the later years.

I also agree about early season 1. Mama had a nastier edge early on, and you're right, it was more like the Burnett sketches continued (this comment might have been in another post). A few of the early scripts were kind of weak, and the running order mixups early on didn't help things.

The later episodes definitely became more "sitcom formula" always an amnesia episode, a burglary episode, and "losing the house" episode, etc...

Though I would have liked to seen the show go at least ONE more season, a season with Naomi's baby would have been good, and maybe closure to some of the past characters would have been good.... Since Carol and Vicky, I THINK, were getting back on speaking terms in the early 90s, maybe we could have gotten an appearance from Eunice and found out what she and Ed had been up to in Florida... maybe an appearance from Ellen as well. I dunno about Buzz and Sonja since many feel they didn't exist any more, but if they did exist, would have been nice to see what they had been up to

[schmave]

Definitely would have been interesting if Vicki Lawrence had been up for one more season. Baby Tiffany would have provided material for a lot of episodes.
But even in an extra season, Carol Burnett wouldn't have come back, not as long as Joe Hamilton was involved. He died in June 1991, and his health might have played a role in the show not continuing as well. That's purely a guess on my part, but I have read his cancer got pretty gruesome toward the end.
Any episode of Mama's Family that would have brought Carol Burnett, Betty White and even Harvey Korman back would had to have been filmed after Golden Girls went off the air, and for that matter maybe after Golden Palace was canceled in 1993.