Donna was looking for a way out, as she had very little time for her family and personal life, but what Donna really liked about the new contract was the fact that she needed to provide fewer episodes per year. Her first contract demanded most of her time and frankly, she was left exhausted.
So in 1963, Fabares left the show, as her character went off to college. But instead of ending the show then, they continued by introducing Paul Petersen’s younger sister, Patty Petersen, as an adopted daughter Trisha. “The Donna Reed Show” went on and remained as successful as it was before.
Writer's Block
"The Donna Reed Show" was always praised for its fresh new take on the family-themed sitcom genre, constantly pushing the envelope and introducing unpopular opinions in its plots and characters, which greatly contributed to its success. This can be attributed to Donna Reed herself, her husband, and their team of writers.
However, in 1962, the whole team of writers for the show admitted that they had run out of new ideas for new episodes. They even considered ending the show at that time because they did not want to ruin the show's reputation by airing too many poor-quality episodes and knew that even their die-hard fans would get tired of the show if it continued that way.
An Attractive New Deal
Since "The Donna Reed Show" has become so popular and was still in high demand, its TV network, ABC, did not want to see the show end just yet. They have offered Donna Reed a new deal — a new contract for 3 more seasons with higher pay, and less number of episodes per season. Sweet deal!
They also added a lot of other minor incentives to convince Donna to continue with the show. As a producer, this was definitely a step in the right direction and Donna accepted the offer, meaning the show continued to air for 4 more years until its final episode on March 19, 1966.
Exploring New Ground
In the 1950s and 1960s, the topic of adoption was something that had rarely been explored on television shows, especially not on sitcoms. But "The Donna Reed Show" was a trendsetter and even during its first airing, it became one of the first television series that touched on this theme.
Fabares' regular character, Mary, had to go off to college, as was logical for someone her age, but that didn't been Donna wouldn't do something about that emptying nest. The family then adopted Trisha the orphan, played by actress Patty Petersen. With Trisha, they were able to bring in new storylines that involved her adoption. Trisha stayed on the show for the remainder of its run.
Discussing the Sensitive Topics
The plot of "The Donna Reed Show" usually revolved around the dynamics of the middle-class American family. This was not extraordinary at that time — it was the '60s after all, and the show had a rather revolutionizing approach to introducing new takes on varied subjects and specific characteristics of the family members.
The episodes included controversial and sensitive topics as well, subjects no other mainstream media outlet dared to touch. Some of these issues included freedom of the press and women’s rights. Because of this, the show is seen as one that helps bring these important issues into the living rooms of Americans and people around the world.