Sherwood starred in a pilot for a ABC sitcom, which was the "back door" pilot
Donna Meets Roberta (1962), called variously "The Roberta Sherwood Show," "Bringing Up Mother," or "Mother's the Most." It featured Sherwood as a widow with three boys, played by her real life sons, who lived with her brother Dudley, played by
Gale Gordon. A typical situation comedy of the era except for the fact that it featured musical performances by Sherwood and her sons. The pilot was directed by
Jeffrey Hayden. The MPI DVD release of this episode in "The Donna Reed Show" season 4 set includes the network presentation segment that followed the Reed show. Sherwood talks about what kind of show it would be and introduces scenes from potential story lines. The series was not picked up by the network.