Mama's Family
Mama's Family was a 1980s American television which was a spinoff of a series of comedy sketchs which appeared on The Carol Burnett Show which were roughly based on her childhood.After the cancellation of The Carol Burnett Show, a situation comedy based on the sketches permitted Burnett's costar, Vicki Lawrence, to continue to play Thelma Harper, the sardonic matriarch of her family. Initial seasons featured Betty White and Rue McClanahan as Thelma's sisters, Ellen Jackson and Fran Crowley. The show also let Carol Burnett occasionally guest star as daughter Eunice, wife of Ed Higgins, parents of Bubba Higgins, who lived with Thelma. Also in the household were Vinton Harper, his children by his first wife, namely Sonja and Buzz, and his second wife, Naomi Oates. (They later have a daughter Tiffani Themla). A nosy neighbor, Iola Boylen, rounded out the regulars
After the show was cancelled on NBC it continued to film for syndication, the cast other than Laurence was changed, (gone were Betty White, and Rue Mcclanahan, the latter killed off by choking on a fish bone), and Vinton's kids Sonja and Buzz were never spoken of again. Carol Burnett never appeared after the first season. New relatives and neighbors were brought in to to evoke comedic situations.
Series Finale
In the series finale, all the different family members went their separate ways. Vince and Naomi moved out. Bubba goes to college. Thelma gives in to community pressure and sells her house to a developing company and moves to a more Beverly Hills-like residence.