I only saw one episode with the daughter, but it was a good show for beginners, and had some good reminders for the rest of us. Most of the other episodes had a guest quilter of some sort, showing different techniques. I have to admit that I prefer the shows with Marianne and Liz, but I agree with jljack -- why wish one of the few on TV away.
I'm glad that there's a positive reason for Liz not being on the show. I was afraid that maybe they had had a falling out. I wish her great times with her grandkids. If I could afford it, I'd be in NC with mine!