Would 8 Is Enough have survived if they kept Tom Bradford a widower???

[mstewart]

I personally think the show would not lasted as long if they kept Tom Bradford a widower. Abby was a good counterpart to him and she was not a duplicate of Joan. Abby was a good voice of reason between Tom and the kids. It would had got old very quick to see Tom week after week rant and wave at his kids especially when the majority of them are adults.

I love the chemistry between Dick Van Patten and Betty Buckley. They did not look as though they were many years apart in age. At the time of the show Van Patten was 49 and Betty was 30.

[hawaii five-o]

It may have, but we would have missed out on knowing Abby.

[Mr. Television]

It probably could have but it would have been a different show without Abby.

[Starsky's Chick]

Originally Posted by Nighthawk

It probably could have but it would have been a different show without Abby.

Right on. Without Abby... I don't even want to think about it.

[Already Gone]

I was thrilled when Tom met Abby and eventually married her. The show wouldn't be the same without her.

[Starsky's Chick]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Hutch

I was thrilled when Tom met Abby and eventually married her. The show wouldn't be the same without her.

I was too! Eight Is Enough without Abby. Well, it wouldn't be Eight Is Enough.

[hughpuppies]

She made the show better. It wouldn't have worked if they kept Tom single.

You ever notice if they usually want a single parent character most of the time it is the father that is raising his kids and not the mother.

Only reason I think they make it fathers more often the single parent raising kids is to show real life fathers the responsibility and the importance of being involved in their kids life since there is so many fathers today uninvloved in their kids life.

Some of the ones I listed were single dads in a show but not the main characters. Now wonder if you did that for single women with kids in tv shows would you get as a big of a list as single men with with kids in a tv show?

Diff'rent Strokes single father rasing 3 kids until he got married.

Gimme a Break father rasing 3 daughters, with help of a housekeeper.

Smart Guy father raising 2 boys and a daughter.

Complete Savages father raising 6 sons on his own.

The Family Man raising his 3 sons and small daughter.

Full House father 3 daughter's help of a best friend and a brother-in-law.

Flesh 'n' Blood father raising a son and a daughter.

Blossom father raising a daughter and 3 sons.

American Dreamer father raising 2 sons and a daughter.

Uncle Buck sitcom not movie dad raising 2 daughters and a son(played by Kevin Meaney.)

Coach father raising a daughter(not until she comes back) until he gets remarried.

Dave Rules raising 3 sons.

Drexell's Class raising 2 daughters.

I'll Fly Away father raising 2 sons and a daughter.

Clarissa Explains It All father raising a daughter and a son with a neighbor mother as a stand in mom.

Scorch father raising a daughter.

Top of the Heap fahter with his 20 something son.

Dudley father raising his son Fred.

Crossroads father raising Dylan 16.

Covington Cross with 3 sonds and a daughter.

Cobra fahter with a 20 year old daughter.

It Had To Be You father with 3 sons.

Daddy Dearest father with a son.

Me and the Boys father with 3 boys.

Daddy's Girls with 3 daughters.

Empty Nest fahter with 3 daughters.

Under One Roof father with 3 boys and 2 girls.

The Sinbad Show fahter with a daughter and a son.

Byrds of Paradise a father with a daughter and 2 sons.

Charlie Grace father with a daughter.

Hudson Street a father with a son.

The Nanny a father with a son and a daughter with help of a nanny.

Kirk father with 2 sons and a daughter(starring Kirk Cameron.)

Clueless father with a daughter.

McKenna father with 2 sons and a daughter.

The Pretender father with a daughter.

Soul Man father raising 3 sons and a daughter.

The Gregory Hines Show fahter with a son.

The Tony Danza Show fahter with 2 daughters.

The Tom Show father with 2 dughters.(starring Tom Arnold.)

Two of a Kind father with twin daughters(Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.)

Brother's Keeper father with a son.

2 and a half Men fahter with a son.

Guys Like Us father with a son.

Holding the Baby father with a daughter.

Family Rules father with 4 daughters.

Safe Harbor father with 3 sons and a daughter.

Once and Again father with a son and a daughter.

Popular father with a daughter.

Me & Maxx father with a daughter.

Ladies' Man father with a daughter.

I'm a Big Girl Now father with a 20 something daughter.

Shannon father with a son.

Father Murphy father with 15 oprhans.

Silver Spoons father with a son.

Star of the Family father with a daughter.

Gun Shy father with a son and a daughter.

Double Trouble father with twin daughters.(Patricia Richardson from Home Improvement played on it.)

Down to Earth father with 2 sons and a daughter.

Zorro And Son father with a son.

Who's the Boss father with a daughter(shouldn't count since it wasn't just about him and his daughter most of the time.)

Hometown father with a son.

Wildside father with a son.

Better Days father with a son.

One Big Family (grandfather) with 3 boys and 2 girls.

Starman father with 1 son.

Heart of the City father with a son and a daughter(daughter played by Christina Applegate.)

Dads two single fathers one had a son the other had a daughter.

My 2 Dads 2 guys sharing custody of a daughter.

Lime Street a father with 2 daughters.

Amen a father with a grown up daughter still living at home.(should not count since the show was not just about him and his daughter.)

The Cavanaughs 2 single fathers one had 1 son 1 daughter the other had 3 sons and a daughter.

Buck James father with a son and a daughter.

The Hogan Family father with 3 sons after mother dies in accident.

Sea Hunt father with a daughter.

Rags To Riches a father with 5 daughters 2 are twins.

First Impressions father with a daughter(Brad Garrett from Everyone Loves Raymond starred in it.)

Raising Miranda father with a daughter.

The Redd Foxx Show father with a daughter.

The Robert Guillaume Show father with a son and a daughter.

You Again father(Jack Klugman) with his 20 something son(John Stamos).

Punky Brewster father with an adopted daughter.

Paradise father with 3 sons and a daughter.

Free Spirit father with 2 sons and a daughter.

Hey Dude! father with a son.

High Mountain Rangers father with 2 sons.

Jesse Hawkes(same show as High Mountain Ranger but different name.)

Dolphin Cove father with a daughter and a son.

Island Son a father with a son.

Gideon Oliver father with a son.

Land of the Lost father with a son and a duaghter.

Nanny & The Professor father with a son and a daughter(with the help of a nanny.)

Sanford & Son father and his grown up son.

Paper Moon father with a daughter(Jodie Foster played the daughter.)

The Texas Wheelers father with 3 boys and a girl(Garey Bussey played the oldest son.)

Joe & Sons father with 2 sons(Jimmy Baio played youngest son.)

The Cop and the Kid father with a son.

Sunshine father with a daughter.

Bronk father with a daughter.

Three for the Road father with 2 sons.

Mr. T and Tina father with a son and a daughter.

Popi father with 2 sons.

The Tony Randall Show father with a son and a daughter.

Nancy Drew Mysteries father with a daughter Nancy Drew.

The Hardy Boys Mysteries father with 2 sons.

The Oregon Trail father with 2 boys and a girl.

How the West Was Won father with 2 boys and 2 girls.

Battlestar Galactica 2 fathers 1 had a son and a daughter other had a son.

Dukes of Hazzard father had 4 sons and a daughter (Bo, Luke, Coy and Vance.) and a daughter Daisy.

Big Hawaii father with 1 son.

Hello, Larry! father with 2 daughters.

Operation:Runaway! father with a son and a daughter.(Robert Reed played the father.)

The Mackenzies of Paradise Cove father had 3 sons and a daughter (until he drowned like his wife did.)

Big Shamus, Little Shamus father with 1 son.

Archie Bunker's Place father with a niece(since edith died.)

Benson a father with a daughter.

My 3 sons a father with 3 sons(Mike, Robbie, Chip.) and a adopted son Ernie.

My Little Margie father with a daughter.

Life with Luigi father with a daughter.

Bonino father with 3 daughters and a son.

My Son Jeep a father with a son and a daughter.

Wonderful John Acton father with a daughter and a son.

Fury father with a son.

The Adventures of Champion father with a son.

Brave Eagle father with a foster son.

The Great Gildersleeve father with his niece and nephew.

Circus Boy father with his son.

Bachelor Father father with a daughter.

Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion father with a son.

The Rifleman father with a son.

The Ed Wynn Show father with 2 daughters.

Jefferson Drum father with a son.

Bonanza father with his 3 grown-up sons.

The Dennis O'Keefe Show father with a son.

The Andy Griffith Show a father with a son.

Stagecoach West father with a son.

Ichabod and Me a father with a son.

The Beverly Hillbillies a father with a daughter.

The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters father with a son(son played by Kurt Russell.)

The Baileys of Balboa father with a son.

Flipper father with 2 sons.

Kentucky Jones father with a son.

O.K. Crackerby! father with a daughter and a son.

Hank father with a 5 year old daughter.

Thunderbirds father with 5 boys.

Gidget father with 2 daughters.

The Farmer's Daughter father with 2 sons.

Family Affair fahter(uncle) with 3 kids 2 twins a boy and a girl Buffy and Jodie.

The Guns of Will Sonnett grandfather of a grandson.

Accidental Family father with a daughter(father played by Jerry Van Dyke.)

The Courtship of Eddie's Father father of a son.

Mayberry R.F.D. father with a son.(father played by Ken Berry.)

Lancer father with 2 sons and a daughter.

Governor & J.J. father with a 20 something daughter.

Daktari father with a 19 year old daughter.

To Rome With Love father with 3 daughters.

Normal, Ohio father with a son.

24 father with a daughter.

Karen Cisco father with a 20 something daughter.

Titus father with a son.

Resurrection Blvd. father with 3 sons and 2 daughters.

Gilmore Girls father with a daughter(show really doesn't count since it really isn't about the father and daughter.)

Madigan Men father with a son.

The Geena Davis Show father with a son and a daughter

Gideon's Crossing father with 2 sons and a daughter.(really doesn't count since it wasn't about him and his kids most of time.)

As Told By Ginger father of a son.(really doesn't count either since it is not about the father and son most of time.)

The Fighting Fitzgeralds father with 3 sons.

One on One father with a son.

The Ponderosa father with 4 sons.

The Education of Max Bickford father of a son and a daughter.

Raising Dad father with 2 daughters(Bob Saget played the father.)

Citizen Baines father with 3 daughters.

Danny father with 2 kids.

Everwood father with a son and a daughter.

Bram & Alice father with a 20 something daughter.

Veritas: The Quest father with a son.

Regular Joe father with a son and a daughter.

Las Vegas father with a 20 something son.

It's All Relative 2 fathers first has a son second father has a daughter.

All About the Andersons a father with a son with the help of his dad(kids grandfather.)

Romeo! father with a son.

Veronica Mars a father with a daughter.

[ckrtom]

I don't think it would have lasted as long. Abby really helped make the show memorable and heart-warming. Her presence really added to my feeling an emotional connection with the show

[catlover79]

Good question. I think it would've been interesting seeing a single dad trying to raise a large family alone. True, some of the kids WERE grown, but it still would've been interesting to see. That said, I think a mother figure was necessary and Betty Buckley was the woman for the job.

I also wonder how things would've worked out had Diana Hyland lived and finished the series. How different the dynamics would have been.

[Ireneparalegal]

There was an episode where Tom was set up on a date with a great lady. She helped Nancy when she was in a dilemna regarding a dress she was making for a beauty pageant, when Nicolas and the lady's son tore up her room and inadvertently destroyed the dress design. I really liked her (sans her son). Her character was suitable for Tom had they decided to have him date her awhile. If Abby was not the one they would have chosen, then this character would have been just as suitable. I think they should have done a few more episodes of Tom dating a few times before having him marry.

[Kristen]

I agree with everyone else. It would've been interesting, but not as good. Abby is one of my fave characters. I love that she tried to be a friend to the kids, not a mother (except perhaps with Tommy and Nicholas, of course). I actually think the show got a lot better when she came along.

[AB]

I think it would have lasted too. There were so many characters that they could have found endless plots for them. Also episodes of Tom on the dating scene would have been good to watch. I liked Abby better than Joan but thats probably because she was in more episodes.

[TV Guy]

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

There was an episode where Tom was set up on a date with a great lady. She helped Nancy when she was in a dilemna regarding a dress she was making for a beauty pageant, when Nicolas and the lady's son tore up her room and inadvertently destroyed the dress design. I really liked her (sans her son). Her character was suitable for Tom had they decided to have him date her awhile. If Abby was not the one they would have chosen, then this character would have been just as suitable. I think they should have done a few more episodes of Tom dating a few times before having him marry.

In real life, the actors playing the Bradford kids were hoping that the woman you mentioned above would end up being the stepmother (apparently, they weren't all that fond of Betty Buckley).

[mstewart]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

In real life, the actors playing the Bradford kids were hoping that the woman you mentioned above would end up being the stepmother (apparently, they weren't all that fond of Betty Buckley).

The epiosode was:
13. Double Trouble (edit)
Community Score7.4
Good
First aired: 10/5/1977 Production Code: 188379
Tom and Abby break up, so the children set Tom up with another woman. The idea is to make Abby jealous of Tom, but naturally this backfires. Meanwhile, Nancy enters the Miss Sacramento beauty contest.

Writer: Joyce Perry
Guest star: Virginia Vincent (Daisy Maxwell), Michael Thoma (Dr. Maxwell) , Joey Forman (M.C.), Tricia O'Neil (Ellen)

The problem with the whole thing with Betty Buckley and her casting on the show was this was her first TV series and she had no idea of what it's like to do a series. She was approaching it as she would the theatre and it caused problems between her and the cast as well as the producers. She was nearly dumped the first season. I am glad there was patience and grace because Betty brought a lot into the show and her performances were powerful especially in her emotional scenes. I cry everytime she hits that emotional level and shed those real tears. She was one of the best actresses who can cry and do it naturally without being overdramatizing.

I don't think Tom Bradford dating around would not work and it would had got old fast. It was good that they marry him off. BTW Tom and Abby's wedding was the best TV wedding I saw.

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

In real life, the actors playing the Bradford kids were hoping that the woman you mentioned above would end up being the stepmother (apparently, they weren't all that fond of Betty Buckley).

I did not know this. Very interesting. That actress who played that lady is a fine actress. She has done a lot of television work. Like I said, had Betty not been the one to fill this role, then, this lady would be my choice. I really liked her.

I really loved the Abby character and the realism she brought forth to the show was excellent. I cried when she cried and she was a good example of a step-mother. Trying to fit in without overly doing it.