MovieChat Forums > Mama's Family (1983) Discussion > How do you think a show about Eunice wou...

How do you think a show about Eunice would have gone over?

posted 8 years ago by tinkerbell_jonna
6 replies | jump to latest

What if, like Mama's Family, there had been a show that just centered on Eunice ~and Ed~ with no Mama? Though Mama has appeared MANY times without Eunice, I cannot think of a time Eunice ever appeared without Mama.

I wonder how a show about Eunice and Ed's life in Florida, running parallel to Mama's Family would have been?

For some reason I see Eunice's character evolving into a Lucy type character but maybe a little bit darker.

[–] AdrianLePier 8 years ago

I think it would have tanked. Carol Burnett is too multifaceted and peacockish of a performer to do a series that ties her down to a single character, it would bore her...which is probably why she always did sketch shows. She needs variety. All the time Eunice would have not only drained her energy, but the Eunice character is too OTT (and depressing, under the surface) to work on a all the time basis. It worked perfectly as sketches, and then later as recurring appearances on MF, but a series centered around Eunice wouldn't.

[–] tinkerbell_jonna 8 years ago

I DO agree with you that Carol Burnett would prolly never wanted to do a Eunice show, b/c like you said, she likely wouldn't want to tie herself down to just one character. HOWEVER, I think the show could have done ok, I think it could have gone for maybe 3 or 4 seasons. I think though, just as with Mama's character, Eunice's character would have to be slightly tweaked. As I said, I could see Eunice evolving into a Lucy type character, I could see the show being about a wife ~Eunice~ coming up with wacky schemes to get into show biz.

I think her OTT would be greatly toned down, just as Mama's bitterness was toned down.

[–] kharndt 8 years ago

I love Eunice! But, IMO she's too over the top to be taken in anything but small doses.

[–] tinkerbell_jonna 8 years ago

Of course her character would have to be tweaked a little bit if she was carrying a sitcom herself. Just like Mama's was. The original Mama from the Carol Burnet Family sketches was WAY too dark and gloomy to carry a sitcom on her own, even Harney Korman saw that, and he said something like "We have to make Mama NICER, more relatable and give her redeeming traits!" Korman said, "Mama has to do more than just sit and frown all the time." I think the exact same would have been done for Eunice... Like I said, I could easily see Eunice evolving into a Lucy type character but maybe a little bit darker.

[–] IveGotASecret 8 years ago

I don't think it would have worked. Eunice was too strident and high strung a character to take on a regular basis.

[–] tinkerbell_jonna 8 years ago

Like I said, her character could be tweaked and modified a little bit just as Mama's was. The original Mama from the Family Sketches of the Carol Burnett Show would have never worked in carrying a 30 min. sitcom either.

As I said, I think Eunice's character could have easily evolved into a slightly darker Lucy type character.