My Three Sons is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. My Three Sons chronicles the life of widower and aeronautical engineer Steven Douglas as he raises his three sons.
The series originally featured William Frawley as the boys' maternal grandfather and live-in housekeeper, William Michael Francis "Bub" O'Casey. William Demarest, playing Bub's brother, "Uncle Charley", replaced Frawley in 1965 because of Frawley's declining health. In September 1965, eldest son Mike married fiancée Sally Ann Morrison, and his character was written out of the show. To keep the emphasis on "three sons", original youngest son Chip's friend Ernie was adopted. In the program's later years, Steven Douglas married Barbara Harper and adopted her young daughter Dorothy Anne.
The series was a cornerstone of the ABC and CBS lineups in the 1960s. Disney producer Bill Walsh often mused on whether the concept of the show was inspired by the film The Shaggy Dog, as in his view they shared "the same dog, the same kids, and Fred MacMurray".