Eight Is Enough

The death of Diana Hyland during the production of the spring 1977 episodes forced major changes on the show. She had completed only four episodes as the mother of the family and was written out of the remainder as being "away." When the series returned with new episodes that fall, Tom Bradford had become a widower, his wife having died about "a year ago."

Originally, Diana Hyland was credited for appearing in ALL 9 shows from season 1. She missed half of them, due to her illness, which eventually claimed her life. In half of those shows, there were originally scenes where they explained her absence, and even voice-overs from Hyland as Joan on the phone with Tom Bradford. During the summer reruns, Lorimar aired only the shows she did not appear in. Lorimar decided to go back and reedit the shows she did not appear in, remove her credit, and all scenes featuring said phone calls and voice-overs. These are the versions of those season 1 shows that have been in use ever since.

Featured in America's Teenagers Growing Up on Television (1998)