View source for Mama's Family

{{Short description|American sitcom (1983–1990)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Mamas Family title screen.jpg
| genre                = [[Sitcom]]
| creator              = [[Dick Clair]]<br/>[[Jenna McMahon]]
| director             = [[Roger Beatty]]<br/>[[Harvey Korman]]<br/>[[Dick Martin (comedian)|Dick Martin]]<br/>[[Dave Powers (director)|Dave Powers]]
| starring             = [[Vicki Lawrence]]<br/>[[Ken Berry]]<br/>[[Dorothy Lyman]]<br/>[[Beverly Archer]]<br/>[[Allan Kayser]]<br/>[[Rue McClanahan]]<br/>Eric Brown<br/>Karin Argoud<br/>[[Betty White]]
| theme_music_composer = Music: [[Peter Matz]]<br/>Lyrics: Vicki Lawrence
| opentheme            = "Bless My Happy Home"
| country              = United States
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 6
| num_episodes         = 130
| list_episodes        = List of Mama's Family episodes
| location             = [[CBS Television City]]<br/>Hollywood, California (1983–84)<br/>[[Metromedia Square]]<br/> Hollywood, California (1986–90)
| executive_producer   = [[Joe Hamilton (producer)|Joe Hamilton]]
| producer             = Jim Evering<br/>Neil Lebowitz<br/>Dave Powers<br/>Fred Rubin<br/>Robert Wright
| camera               = [[Multi-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime              = 24–25 minutes {{small|(NBC episodes)}}<br/>21–22 minutes {{small|(syndicated episodes)}}
| company              = [[Joe Hamilton (producer)|Joe Hamilton Productions]]<br>[[Lorimar-Telepictures]]<br>[[Warner Bros. Television]]
| channel              = [[NBC]] (1983–1984)<br/>[[Broadcast syndication|Syndicated]] (1986–1990)
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1983|01|22}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1990|02|24}}
| related              = ''[[Eunice (film)|Eunice]]''
}}

'''''Mama's Family''''' is an American [[sitcom]] television series starring [[Vicki Lawrence]] as [[Thelma Harper|Mama (Thelma Harper)]]. The series is a spin-off of a recurring series of comedy sketches called "[[The Family (sketch)|The Family]]" featured on ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'' (1967–78) and ''[[Carol Burnett & Company]]'' (1979). The sketches led to the television film ''[[Eunice (film)|Eunice]]'', and finally the television series.

''Mama's Family'' aired for a total of six seasons. It originally aired on [[NBC]] for two seasons, debuting for the 1982-1983 season on January 22, 1983. After several time slot changes and moderate ratings, the network cancelled the series; the final episode of this two-season NBC incarnation of the series aired on April 7, 1984.<ref name="Vicki Lawrence">{{cite web |url=https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/vicki-lawrence |title=Vicki Lawrence |work=[[The Interviews: An Oral History of Television]] |date=22 October 2017 |access-date=March 16, 2019}}</ref> NBC broadcast [[rerun]]s of the show for another year, until September 1985, which performed well in ratings.

Two years after its NBC cancellation, original series producer Joe Hamilton Productions (JHP) revived ''Mama's Family'' for new episodes in [[broadcast syndication|first-run syndication]] on local stations across the United States. The revival,  distributed by [[Lorimar-Telepictures]], premiered on September 27, 1986.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heyreverb.com/blog/2013/10/02/why-so-serious-vicki-lawrence/78488/ |title=Vicki Lawrence on the comedy legacy of "Mama's Family," now on DVD |publisher=Heyreverb.com |access-date=2013-10-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2013/09/seven-questions-with-vicki-lawrence-of.html|title=Seven Questions with Vicki Lawrence of Mama's Family; Charmed Coming to Lifetime to {{sic|Compli|ment|nolink=y|Expected=Complement}} Witches of East End, Project Runway All-Stars with Alyssa Milano – SitcomsOnline.com News Blog|work=sitcomsonline.com|access-date=11 May 2015}}</ref> The revival earned higher ratings than the previous two-year season run on NBC, thus the first-run syndicated version of the series ran for an additional four seasons giving the series a total of a six-season run. ''Mama's Family'' became the highest-rated sitcom in first-run syndication at that time. The series final episode aired on February 24, 1990.

The show's theme song is "Bless My Happy Home", created as an ''[[a cappella]]'' by Lawrence. The show's producers chose to use an [[instrumental]] of Lawrence's song composed by [[Peter Matz]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://findfactsabout.com/p/859427 |title=Interesting facts about Vicki Lawrence |publisher=Findfactsabout.com |access-date=2013-03-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029212448/http://findfactsabout.com/p/859427 |archive-date=2013-10-29 }}</ref> Disclosing the lyrics to the song as part of her ''Vicki and Mama: A Two Woman Show'' (untelevised stand-up comedy routine Lawrence has hosted as herself and Mama since 2001), Lawrence routinely performs the song in its original ''a cappella'' form.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vicki Lawrence - Mama's Family Theme Song With Lyrics - Lorain Palace - 3/11/17|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJawVWkn7WE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/PJawVWkn7WE |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube.com| date=12 March 2017 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> The lyrics were also featured in an advertisement for the show on [[MeTV]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mama Sings the 'Mama's Family' Theme!|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g3c-hhq-xw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/1g3c-hhq-xw |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube.com| date=3 March 2017 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Vicki Lawrence2">{{cite news|url=http://www.vickilawrence.com/2woman2013.html|title=Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show|access-date=December 17, 2021|work=The Broker Company|last=Lawrence|first=Vicki|location=United States}}</ref>

==Overview==
The show is set in the city of Raytown, which actress [[Vicki Lawrence]] later revealed to be [[Raytown, Missouri]], a suburb of [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Brooks|first=Marla |title=The American Family on Television: A Chronology of 121 shows, 1948–2004|year=2005|publisher=McFarland & Co.|isbn=0-7864-2074-X|page=141}}</ref> (although the script writing suggests the setting was Raytown, Mississippi, given the rural [[Southern United States|Southern]] nature of the series). The television series revolves around the wacky misadventures of the Harper family, extended non-Harper family members and their neighbor friend in later seasons. Always at the center of all the trouble, turmoil and misunderstandings is head of the clan and matriarch [[Thelma Harper|Thelma Harper (Mama)]]—a thickset, gray-haired, purse-lipped, mid-to-late 60s widow who is portrayed as explosively quick tempered, abrasive, and brash.<ref name="hollywoodreporter1">{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/vicki-lawrence-reflects-mamas-family-621006 |title=Vicki Lawrence Reflects on 'Mama's Family' Legacy and Reveals Her Favorite Episodes (Q&A) |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter |date=2013-06-09 |access-date=2013-09-07}}</ref>

Mama's snappy retorts and wisecracks are featured in a [[running gag]] in which the final scene of each episode cuts to an exterior shot of her residence (1027 Montrose Avenue in South Pasadena<ref name="Limelight">{{cite news|url=https://limelightmagazine.com/2020/09/11/filminglocationspotlight-mamasfamily/|title=FILMING LOCATION SPOTLIGHT – "MAMA'S FAMILY"|access-date=January 18, 2022|work=[[Limelight (magazine)|Limelight]]|date=September 11, 2020|location=United States}}</ref>) while Mama's voice is heard making a sharp or witty reply to whoever had previously spoken. This is then followed by audience laughter and [[applause]]. In spite of Thelma's derogatory attitude, regular [[wikt: zinger|zingers]] and [[sarcasm]], she is nurturing and obliging at heart, allowing family members to live off her in her home who would otherwise have no place to live, while also regularly cooking for and cleaning up after them.<ref name="hollywoodreporter1"/>

==Network run (seasons 1–2)==
[[File:Mama's Family sitcom's first life cast.png|200px|left|thumb|Characters of the first incarnation of ''Mama's Family'' (clockwise from bottom left): Buzz, Vinton, Naomi, Ed (recurring character), Ellen (recurring), Fran, Sonja, and Thelma]]

===Beginning the series===
In the ninth season of ''The Carol Burnett Show'', producer [[Joe Hamilton (producer)|Joe Hamilton]] wanted to spin off Mama into her own series, but Lawrence turned him down. She did not wish to wear a "fat suit portraying an old lady every week", and she had misgivings about playing the role without [[Harvey Korman]] (who played Mama's son-in-law, [[Ed Higgins]]) and [[Carol Burnett]] (who played Mama's daughter [[Eunice Higgins]]) regularly by her side as in "The Family" sketches. Burnett and Korman told Lawrence that they would only appear as guest stars on the new series, and that it was Lawrence's time to shine and take what she had learned from ''The Carol Burnett Show'' and make it on her own. Shortly after the highly-rated ''[[Eunice (film)|Eunice]]'' TV movie, with continued urging by Korman and Burnett, Lawrence finally changed her mind and accepted the offer for her character's own sitcom.<ref name="Vicki Lawrence" />

The writers had created Raytown to be its own "cartoon-like" world outside of reality. Although the series was sold to NBC without a pilot, the network had its own requirements, such as having "normal" teenagers as seen in other sitcoms of the time, which is how the Buzz and Sonja characters came about.<ref>{{cite AV media |last=Hawkins |first=Rick |section=Rick Hawkins |title=Mama's Family The Complete 5th Season DVD}}</ref> However, Lawrence had a great deal of creative input and made many important decisions, including bringing in Korman very early on to co-direct the series. Lawrence objected to the original script of the episode "Mama Cries Uncle", in which Thelma's brother-in-law visits and the two supposedly wound up sleeping together:

{{cquote|I went to the writers and I said, "I'm sorry, she is nothing if not [[Bible Belt]]. She would never sleep with her brother-in-law. I don't care how dead her husband is, This is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong". Well, threw everything into a tizzy and Joe [Hamilton] said, "Gotta listen to her," and they re-wrote the second half of the show.<ref name="Vicki Lawrence" />}}

According to her autobiography, Lawrence had a problem with the decision to tape the series on Stage 33 at [[CBS Television City]], where ''The Carol Burnett Show'' was produced.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

===Plot details===
For 1½ seasons from 1983 through 1984, ''Mama's Family'' ran on NBC. In the series' first episode, Thelma Harper lives with her uncomfortable, uptight [[spinster]] sister Fran (Rue McClanahan), a journalist for a local paper. Thelma's son Vinton (whose wife Mitzi had left him to become a cocktail waitress in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]) arrives to inform Thelma that he and his two children, Sonja and Buzz, have been evicted from their home and need a place to stay. Much to Fran's chagrin, Thelma allows the trio to move in.

During the first season, Vinton forged a relationship with the Harpers' flirtatious next-door neighbor Naomi Oates, whom Thelma disliked, and soon married her. After selling Naomi's house and losing the money in a bad business deal, Naomi and Vint are forced to move into Thelma's basement, where they remain for most of the show's run. Also seen on a recurring basis were Thelma's two daughters: the snobbish Ellen (Betty White) and the ornery Eunice (Carol Burnett). Korman, who directed many of the earlier episodes, made featured appearances as Eunice's husband, Ed Higgins. (During the eleventh and final season of ''The Carol Burnett Show'', the Ed Higgins character left Eunice and was written out of "The Family" skits.)

===Opening theme discrepancies===
Korman appeared at the beginning of each episode as the stuffed shirt Alistair Quince (a parody of [[Alistair Cooke]]), who would soberly introduce the program in the style of ''[[Masterpiece (TV series)|Masterpiece Theatre]]''.<ref name="Brooks and Marsh">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8KztFy6QYwC&dq=%22Mama's+Family+Situation+Comedy%22&pg=PA843 |first1=Tim |last1=Brooks |author-link1=Tim Brooks (historian) |first2=Earle |last2=Marsh |year=2007 |edition=9 |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present |page=843 |publisher=Random House Publishing |location=New York |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |access-date=2024-06-04 }}</ref> These monologues were cut out of the later syndicated reruns. Korman also performed the voice of Thelma's unseen late husband, Carl, in flashback episodes.

An extended version of the show's opening theme song, with repeated melodies, was used during the original NBC run, but was never used in reruns.

The house and neighborhood shown in the opening credits differed between the original NBC run  and the syndicated run, leading to discrepancies such as in the episode "[[List of Mama's Family episodes|Mama for Mayor]]", in which Mama is shown in front of a house similar to the one used in the original opening theme of the first two seasons, though there are noticeable differences as it is not the same house.

In 2013, [[StarVista Entertainment]] released the original NBC seasons with the Alistair Quince intros and original opening credits intact, except for two episodes in Season 1 ("Cellmates" and "Mama's Boyfriend"), as the masters of those episodes are lost and were replaced by the syndicated version in the re-release.

===Cancellation===
While not a huge ratings success, the first season garnered solid enough numbers to justify being renewed for a second season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iipfAAAAIBAJ&pg=4321,3203050&dq=mama%27s+family+ratings&hl=en|title=A shaky reunion for 'Mama's Family'|last=Lewis|first=Dan|date=1983-04-23|work=Merced Sun-Star|page=12|access-date=2 December 2012}}</ref> For instance, the premiere episode ranked #25 for the week with an 18.6 rating and a 28 share. However, during the second season, the show dropped out of the top 50 shows, losing share to CBS' hit ''[[Magnum, P.I.]]'' As a result, NBC canceled the series in May 1984.

==First-run syndication (seasons 3–6)==
[[File:Mama's Family sitcom's second life cast.png|220px|left|thumb|Characters of the reincarnation of ''Mama's Family'' (clockwise from center left): Iola, Bubba, Vinton, Naomi, and Mama.]]

===Series rebirth===
After ''Mama's Family'' was canceled by NBC in 1984, it was later relaunched in [[Broadcast syndication#First-run syndication|first-run syndication]] in 1986.<ref name="latimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-26-ca-9172-story.html|title=THE FALL TV SEASON: TV REVIEWS|access-date=October 4, 2021|work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|last=Margulies|first=Lee|date=September 26, 1986|location=United States}}</ref> [[Lorimar Television]] had just merged with [[Telepictures]] and was looking for new projects for the then newly-commenced first-run syndication market.<ref name="latimes"/> After observing high ratings for NBC's ''Mama's Family'' in summer reruns, production staff decided that the show deserved a second chance and ordered 100 episodes for syndication.<ref name="Vicki Lawrence" /><ref>{{cite AV media |last=Lyman |first=Dorothy |section=Mama Knows Best: A Mama's Family Cast Reunion |title=Mama's Family The Complete 4th Season DVD}}</ref> Bubba, the son of Ed and Eunice, comes to live with Thelma after his parents move away.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/cast-mamas-family-actors-still-alive/|title=The Cast Of Mama's Family: Which Actors Are Still Alive|last1=Bruce|first1=Amanda|last2=Norman|first2=Dalton|publisher=[[Screen Rant]]|date=December 31, 2023}}</ref>

===Absence of Carol Burnett as the "Eunice" character===
According to Lawrence's autobiography, ''Vicki!: The True-Life Adventures of Miss Fireball'', Burnett resented Lawrence for accepting the role of Mama for first-run syndication with producer [[Joe Hamilton (producer)|Joe Hamilton]] (who owned the ''Mama's Family'' characters). It was during this time that Burnett was involved in an acrimonious divorce from Hamilton, who produced both ''The Carol Burnett Show'' and ''Mama's Family''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123891&page=1 |title=Humor Helps Carol Burnett Cope – ABC News |publisher=Abcnews.go.com |access-date=2013-03-01}}</ref> Burnett felt Lawrence had been disloyal to her and held a grudge against her until Hamilton's death in 1991. Sometime after Hamilton's death, Burnett and Lawrence reconciled. Lawrence's autobiography reads:

{{cquote|A funny thing happened the day I signed with Lorimar. Carol called and said, 'I think I'd like to put together maybe a little syndicated show with the family characters. I'll do Eunice, you do Mama. Doesn't that sound like fun?' I said, 'It does, but I just signed with Lorimar to do ''Mama's Family'' for Joe.' It became a very abrupt conversation, and Carol hung up. I then went to Al and asked him what he made of the whole thing. He agreed it was really weird. I wondered if I was about to get caught in the middle of yet another struggle between the two of them . . . During her divorce, Carol and I went through a 'cool' period. She 'divorced' everyone and remained distant for a lot of years. She called the house a few years ago. I was standing at the sink peeling carrots, fifteen feet from the phone, but Garrett got to it first and I only heard his half of the following conversation: 'Hello? Oh hi. Yeah, sure, he's in the other room, on the other line. You want me to tell him you're calling? My mom's here, you want to talk to her? No? Okay. Goodbye.' When he hung up I asked him who it was. 'Carol Burnett.' I was shocked. 'What did she say?' 'She didn't want to talk to you. She only wanted to talk to Dad.' Al called her back later that night, made a point of telling her how much we missed and loved her, and she told him, 'I'll be back. It's just going to take a while longer. Give me another year or so."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lawrence|first1=Vicki |last2=Eliot|first2=Marc |title=Vicki!: The True-Life Adventures Of Miss Fireball|year=1995|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=0-684-80286-4|page=164}}</ref>}}

===Series end===
After ''Mama's Family'' was picked up in first-run syndication, ratings for the series improved, becoming the highest-rated first-run program in syndication.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=E4A1AAAAIBAJ&pg=3590,4642751&dq=mama%27s+family+syndication&hl=en|title='Mama's Family' hits top in field in sitcom|date=19 July 1987|work=Eugene Register-Guard|page=8E|access-date=2 December 2012}}</ref> According to Ken Berry, Lawrence had seemingly grown tired of playing the "Mama" role by 1990 and wanted to end the show.<ref name="Mama's Family">{{cite web |url=https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/mamas-family |title=Mama's Family |website=The Interviews: An Oral History of Television |date=22 October 2017 |access-date=16 March 2019}}</ref> According to Lawrence, who would reprise Mama on stage for many years thereafter, the series ended because it had reached the standard threshold of [[100 episodes]], and the syndicator no longer needed to produce anymore, even though she would have wanted the show to continue.<ref name="Vicki Lawrence" />

==Cast==

===Thelma Mae Crowley "Mama" Harper ===
{{Main|Thelma Harper}}
Thelma Harper, better known as Mama, is the [[title character]] of ''Mama's Family'' and the widowed matriarch of a rural [[Southern United States|Southern]] family.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nblCjFuz4zgC&q=Mama%27s+Family+Vicki+Lawrence+rural+southern&pg=PA11 |title=TVtherapy: The Television Guide to Life – Beverly West, Jason Bergund – Google Books |date= 18 December 2007|isbn=978-0-307-42342-9 |access-date=2013-03-09|last1=West |first1=Beverly |last2=Bergund |first2=Jason |publisher=Random House Publishing }}</ref><ref name="hollywoodreporter1"/><ref name="Ret Turner">{{cite web |url=https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/ret-turner |title=Ret Turner |website=The Interviews: An Oral History of Television |date=17 June 2003 |access-date=16 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=758mUmQxV6gC&q=Vicki+Lawrence+Mama%27s+orthopedic+shoes&pg=PA60 |title=Funny Ladies – Michael Karol – Google Books |date= March 2004|isbn=978-0-595-31299-3 |access-date=2013-03-09|last1=Karol |first1=Michael |publisher=iUniverse }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DuoCAAAAMBAJ&q=Mama%27s+Family+Thelma+Harper&pg=PA96 |title=Indianapolis Monthly – Google Books |date= September 2003|access-date=2013-03-09}}</ref> In February 2013, Lawrence stated that "The Family" sketch version of Mama was created by [[Dick Clair]] and [[Jenna McMahon]].<ref name="Vicki Lawrence" /><ref name="sitcomsonline1">{{cite web|author=Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com |url=http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2013/09/seven-questions-with-vicki-lawrence-of.html |title=Seven Questions with Vicki Lawrence of Mama's Family; Charmed Coming to Lifetime to Compliment Witches of East End, Project Runway All-Stars with Alyssa Milano – SitcomsOnline.com News Blog |publisher=Blog.sitcomsonline.com |date=2013-09-30 |access-date=2013-10-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2013/02/16/comedian-vicki-lawrence-talks-about-life-with-mama/DmsQJi117WETSn8gzyslMO/story.html |title=Comedian Vicki Lawrence talks about life with Mama – Theater & art |publisher=The Boston Globe |date=2013-02-16 |access-date=2013-02-27}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
<!-- In first season opening credits order (with new main cast members at the bottom in their first season credits order)-->
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Actor
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Character
! scope="col" colspan="6" | Seasons
|-
! scope="col" | 1
! scope="col" | 2
! scope="col" | 3
! scope="col" | 4
! scope="col" | 5
! scope="col" | 6
|-
| scope="row" | [[Vicki Lawrence]]
| scope="row" | [[Thelma Harper|Thelma "Mama" Harper]]
| colspan="6" {{cMain}}
|-
| scope="row" | [[Ken Berry]]
| scope="row" | Vinton Harper
| colspan="6" {{cMain|Main}}
|-
| scope="row" | [[Dorothy Lyman]]
| scope="row" | Naomi Oates Harper
| colspan="6" {{cMain|Main}}
|-
| scope="row" | Eric Brown
| scope="row" | Vinton "Buzz" Harper Jr.
| colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}}
| colspan="4" {{n/a|}}
|-
| scope="row" | Karin Argoud
| scope="row" | Sonja Harper
| colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}}
| colspan="4" {{n/a|}}
|-
| scope="row" | [[Rue McClanahan]]
| scope="row" | Frances Marie Crowley
| colspan="2" {{cMain|Main}}
| colspan="4" {{n/a|}}
|-
| scope="row" | [[Beverly Archer]]
| scope="row" | Iola Boylan
| colspan="2" {{n/a|}}
| colspan="4" {{cMain|Main}}
|-
| scope="row" | [[Allan Kayser]]
| scope="row" | Bubba Higgins
| colspan="2" {{n/a|}}
| colspan="4" {{cMain|Main}}
|-
| scope="row" | [[Carol Burnett]]
| scope="row" | [[Eunice Harper Higgins]]
| colspan="1" {{cRecurring}}
| colspan="1" {{cGuest}}
| colspan="4" {{n/a|}}
|-
| scope="row" | [[Harvey Korman]]
| scope="row" | Ed Higgins / Alistair Quince
| colspan="2" {{cRecurring|Recurring}}
| colspan="4" {{n/a|}}
|-
| scope="row" | [[Betty White]]
| scope="row" | Ellen Harper-Jackson
| colspan="2" {{cRecurring|Recurring}}
| colspan="1" {{cGuest|Guest}}
| colspan="3" {{n/a|}}
|-
|}

==Harper family tree==
{{tree chart/start}}
{{tree chart| | | | |UN1| | | | | | | |UN2|UN1=<span style="color:magenta;">Mama Crowley and Frank Crowley</span>*|UN2=<span style="color:#ff7500;">Mammy and Willie Harper</span>}}
{{tree chart| | | |,|-|^|-|.| | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.}}
{{tree chart| | |FRA| |THE|y|CAR| |EFF||ROY| FRA=<span style="color:magenta;">Frances Crowley</span>|THE=<span style="color:magenta;">Thelma Crowley</span>|CAR=<span style="color:#FF7500;">Carl Harper</span>|EFF=<span style="color:#FF7500;">Effie Harper </span>|ROY=<span style="color:#ff7500;">Roy Harper </span>}}
{{tree chart| | | | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.}}
{{tree chart|BRU|~|ELL| |EUN|y|EDD| |MIT|y|VIN|y|NAO|~|LEO|BRU=<span style="color:red;">Bruce Jackson</span>|ELL=<span style="color:blue;">Ellen Harper</span>|EUN=<span style="color:blue;">Eunice Harper</span>|EDD=<span style="color:red;">Ed Higgins</span>|VIN=<span style="color:blue;">Vinton Harper</span>|MIT=<span style="color:red;">Mitzi</span> (div.)|NAO=<span style="color:red;">Naomi Oates</span>|LEO=<span style="color:red;">Leonard Oates</span> (div.)}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | |!| | | |,|-|-|-|(| | | |!}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | | | | | |BUB| |SON| |BUZ| |TIF|BUB=<span style="color:green;">Bubba Higgins</span>|SON=<span style="color:green;">Sonja Harper</span>|BUZ=<span style="color:green;">Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr.</span>|TIF=<span style="color:green;">Tiffany Thelma Harper</span>}}
{{tree chart/end}}

*<span style="color:magenta;">Magenta</span> = Crowleys
*<span style="color:#ff7500;">Orange</span> = Harpers
*<span style="color:blue;">Blue</span> = Harper children
*<span style="color:red;">Red</span> = Harper in-laws
*<span style="color:green;">Green</span> = Harper grandchildren
<small><nowiki>*Note: Thelma's mother was shown on two occasions on the show (once in a flashback and once as a ghost, played both times by Vicki Lawrence), but her name wasn't revealed. There were at least two Crowley brothers (mentioned in passing in "Double Standard" and "Mama with the Golden Arm"); one was named Clyde ("Pomp and Circumstance"). A cousin named Cora is seen in "There's No Place Like...No Place", and an Uncle Oscar is mentioned in "Mama Gets the Bird", but it is not known if he was from Thelma's side of the family or her husband Carl's. Eunice also mentions having a son named Billy, but Billy's whereabouts are unknown in Mama's Family. </nowiki></small>

==Episodes==
{{main|List of Mama's Family episodes}}
{{:List of Mama's Family episodes}}

Altogether, ''Mama's Family'' had six seasons consisting of 130 episodes. The show's first life consisted of 35 episodes, making for two seasons. The show's second life consisted of 95 episodes, making for four seasons.

===Favorites of Vicki Lawrence===
On September 30, 2013, Vicki Lawrence was asked what her favorite episodes of the series are:

* Lawrence answered that among the early seasons, her favorite is the episode "[[List of Mama's Family episodes#Season 1 (1983)|The Wedding (Part 2)]]." Her reason for favoring this episode is the big names featured in it. She listed Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Betty White, Ken Berry and Dorothy Lyman. In admiration, Lawrence remarked, "How much help does one girl get?" and "It's just an amazing supporting cast. Dear God, Carol was funny in that show!"<ref name="sitcomsonline1" />
* Lawrence has described another favorite from the early seasons as the episode "[[List of Mama's Family episodes#Season 2 (1983–84)|Rashomama]]," which is a takeoff on the Japanese film ''[[Rashomon]]''. The episode is about Mama getting hit with a kettle in the kitchen and it is her, Betty, Dorothy, and Carol. At the emergency room, the three of them all have different versions of what happened to Mama. Lawrence explained, "We redo the scene three different ways, and it's pretty funny."<ref name="sitcomsonline1"/>
* As other episode favorites, Lawrence has named "[[List of Mama's Family episodes#Season 1 (1983)|Family Feud]]" and "[[List of Mama's Family episodes#Season 4 (1987–88)|Mama on Jeopardy!]]" Lawrence stated she loved having this dysfunctional family sent out into the real world. In particular, she enjoyed the inclusion of game shows because "people know the format of these shows so perfectly, and to watch this crazy family get stuck in that format was really fun to me. Probably because I also love game shows so much."<ref name="sitcomsonline1"/>
* As another episode favorite, Lawrence named "[[List of Mama's Family episodes#Season 3 (1986–87)|The Love Letter]]." Stated Lawrence, "It was a great episode, a record-holder actually. I think Bubba writes a love letter for Vint, who is having some problems with Naomi. In the course of the 22-minute episode, everybody thinks that the love letter is meant for them. Mama thinks it is for her from the repair guy who is there. Iola is sure Vint has written it to her. The show actually ran 22 minutes with no costume changes or anything. I remember the night that we did it. We did it in 22 minutes and were out at 7:25, and our director said, 'Good night, you're done!'" Lawrence added, "Honestly, I have to say, by the time we finished the show, we had it down to a four-day workweek, so I kind of felt like we got paid to play dress up really."<ref name="sitcomsonline1"/>

==Ratings==
* Season 1: #59
* Season 2: #66

==Home media==
[[File:Mama's Family.jpg|thumb|190px|DVD Cover Art]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!align="left"|DVD information
|- style="background:#f0f8ff;"
|align="left"|'''Mama's Family—The Complete First Season'''
* Release date: September 26, 2006
* Studio: [[Warner Home Video]]
|}

On September 26, 2006, [[Warner Bros. Television]] released season 1 of ''Mama's Family'' on DVD. The DVD release features the syndicated versions of the episodes, which edits roughly three minutes from what originally aired. Warner Bros. claimed to only own the rights to the syndicated form.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hometheaterforum.com/chat/wbtv07.txt |title=Chat transcripts with Warner Home Video TV and Animation |access-date=2007-10-18 }}</ref>

Due to issues relating to [[ownership]] rights between the show's production companies, ''Mama's Family'' for a long time had difficulties coming out on DVD, with only its first season available for many years.

However, in May 2013, it was announced that StarVista Entertainment would release all 6 seasons of the sitcom to DVD, as well as a complete series box set, which was available only through the StarVista website. Most of the original unedited versions, dubbed "The Joe Hamilton Cuts," were presented on DVD. Included with the package were extras of over 10 hours of bonus material, as well as a new cast reunion with Vicki Lawrence and the show's syndicated cast members. In addition, StarVista offered a "Signature" collection of the entire series, autographed by Vicki Lawrence, which was limited to 500 copies.<ref name="tvshowsondvd1">{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-DVD-Plans/18520 |title=Mama's Family DVD news: DVD Plans for Mama's Family |publisher=TVShowsOnDVD.com |date=2007-05-25 |access-date=2013-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607170644/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-DVD-Plans/18520 |archive-date=2013-06-07 }}</ref>

In the fall of 2013, Star Vista began releasing individual season sets, Seasons 1 & 2 were released on September 10, 2013,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Seasons-1-and-2/18869|title=Mama's Family DVD news: Press Release for The Complete 1st Season and The Complete 2nd Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com|work=tvshowsondvd.com|access-date=11 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207151925/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Seasons-1-and-2/18869|archive-date=7 February 2015}}</ref> followed by season 3 on February 25, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Season-3/19054|title=Mama's Family DVD news: Release Date for Mama's Family - The Complete 3rd Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com|work=tvshowsondvd.com|access-date=11 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207152035/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Season-3/19054|archive-date=7 February 2015}}</ref> Season 4 was released on June 24, 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Season-4/19444|title=Mama's Family DVD news: Press Release for Mama's Family - The Complete 4th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com|work=tvshowsondvd.com|access-date=11 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207152504/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Season-4/19444|archive-date=7 February 2015}}</ref> Season 5 on September 23, 2014<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Season-5-and-The-Complete-Collection/19885|title=Mama's Family DVD news: Release Date for The Complete 5th Season and The Complete Collection - TVShowsOnDVD.com|work=tvshowsondvd.com|access-date=11 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207152307/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Season-5-and-The-Complete-Collection/19885|archive-date=7 February 2015}}</ref> and the sixth and final season was released on February 10, 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Season-6-Press-Release/20591|title=Mama's Family DVD news: Press Release for Mama's Family - The Complete 6th Season - TVShowsOnDVD.com|work=tvshowsondvd.com|access-date=11 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230230318/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Mamas-Family-Season-6-Press-Release/20591|archive-date=30 December 2014}}</ref>
In conjunction with the complete seasons, Star Vista released a "best-of" single-disc unit for each season. Selected by Vicki Lawrence, each release has 6 (season 1 has 7) of her personal favorite episodes from each season.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Release
!Ep #
!DVD release date
!Bonus features
|-
| The Complete 1st Season
| 13
| September 26, 2006<br/>(re-released September 10, 2013)
| Featurette: Mama's Family Tree: The Branches (All About Eunice and Ellen)<br />
Family History: A Classic "Family" Sketch from The Carol Burnett Show, featuring Betty White<br />
|-
| The Complete 2nd Season
| 22
| September 10, 2013<br/>
| The original TV movie Eunice<br />
Featurette: Mama's Family Tree: The Roots (all about Mama and Fran)<br />
Interviews: Vicki Lawrence interviews Mama; Vicki Lawrence and Carol Burnett; Betty White<br />
|-
| The Complete 3rd Season
| 25
| February 25, 2014<br/>
| Family History: A Classic "Family" Sketch from The Carol Burnett Show, featuring Maggie Smith<br />
Featurette: Mama's Family Tree: The Sprouts (All about Bubba)<br /> 
Mama Knows Best: A Mama's Family Cast Reunion<br />
Interview: Allan Kayser (Bubba)<br />
|-
| The Complete 4th Season
| 25
| June 24, 2014<br/>
| Featurette: Mama's Family Tree: The Neighbors (All about Iola)<br />
Interview: Beverly Archer (Iola Boylen)<br />
Under One Roof: A Mama's Family Cast Reunion<br />
|-
| The Complete 5th Season
| 25
| September 23, 2014
| Interviews:<br />
Vicki Lawrence<br />
Dorothy Lyman<br />
Ken Berry<br />
Rick Hawkins<br />
|-
| The Complete 6th Season
| 20
| February 10, 2015
| Interviews:<br />
Jim Evering<br />
Manny Basanese<br />
Vicki Lawrence and Rick Hawkins<br />
Bob Mackie and Ret Turner

|-
| Mama's Family: Mama's Favorites (Season 1)
| 7
| September 10, 2013
| "Vint and the Kids Move In", "The Wedding, pt. 1",  "The Wedding, pt. 2"; "Cellmates", "Family Feud", "Positive Thinking", "Mama's Boyfriend"

|-
| Mama's Family: Mama's Favorites (Season 2)
| 6
| September 10, 2013 
| "Country Club", "Rashomama", "Aunt Gert Rides Again", "Mama Learns to Drive", "Mama Buys a Car", "Dear Aunt Fran"

|-
| Mama's Family: Mama's Favorites (Season 3)
| 6 
| September 9, 2014
| "Soup to Nuts", "Cat's Meow",  "Steal One, Pearl Two", "Where There's Smoke", "Birthright", "It Takes Two to Watusi"

|-
|Mama's Family: Mama's Favorites (Season 4)
| 6 
| January 27, 2015
| "Zirconia's are a Girl's Best Friend", "Educating Mama", "The Sins of the Mother", "Mama on Jeopardy!", "Mama Goes Hawaiian, pt. 1", "Mama Goes Hawaiian, pt. 2"

|-
|Mama's Family: Mama's Favorites (Season 5)
| 6
| April 28, 2015 
| "Naomi's New Position"; "The Really Loud Family", "Found Money", "Mama's Layaway Plan", "Mama in One", "Dependence Day"

|-
|Mama's Family: Mama's Favorites (Season 6)
| 6
| July 28, 2015 
| "Mama Fights Back", "Bubba's House Band", "The Big Nap", "Pinup Mama", "Look Who's Breathing", "Bye-Bye Baby!"

|-
| The Complete Series
| 130
| September 10, 2013 <br/> '''(online exclusive)''' <br/> September 23, 2014 ''' <br/>(retail release)'''
|
|}

==Awards and nominations==

===[[Primetime Emmy Awards]]===

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:center" width=85%
|-
! scope="col" width="5%" | Year
! scope="col" width="30%" | Category
! scope="col" width="35%" | Nominee(s)
! scope="col" width="15%" | Episodes(s)
! scope="col" width="10%" | Result
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1983
| rowspan=3| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Series]] 
| colspan="1"| [[Bob Mackie]] and [[Ret Turner]] || {{small|for ""The Wedding: Part 2"}}
| {{nom}} 
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1984
| colspan="1"| [[Bob Mackie]] and [[Ret Turner]] || {{small|for "Mama's Birthday"}}
| {{won}} 
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1987
| colspan="1"| [[Bob Mackie]] and [[Ret Turner]] || {{small|for "The Love Letter"}}
| {{nom}} 
|}

===TV Land Awards===

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:center" width=85%
|-
! scope="col" width="5%" | Year
! scope="col" width="30%" | Category
! scope="col" width="35%" | Nominee(s)
! scope="col" width="15%" | Episodes(s)
! scope="col" width="10%" | Result
|-
| rowspan="1"| [[TV Land Award#Recipients|2004]]
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|Favorite "Big, Bad Momma" 
| colspan="1"| [[Vicki Lawrence]] || N/A
| {{won}} 
|}

===Young Artist Awards===

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="font-size: 90%; text-align:center" width=85%
|-
! scope="col" width="5%" | Year
! scope="col" width="30%" | Category
! scope="col" width="35%" | Nominee(s)
! scope="col" width="15%" | Episodes(s)
! scope="col" width="10%" | Result
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[5th Youth in Film Awards|1984]]
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series 
| colspan="1"| [[Karin Argoud]] || N/A
| {{nom}} 
|-
| rowspan="1"| Best Young Actor in a Comedy Series 
| colspan="1"| Eric Brown || N/A
| {{nom}} 
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[6th Youth in Film Awards|1985]]
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|Best Young Actress – Guest in a Television Series 
| colspan="1"| Tanya Fenmore || {{small|for "Mama's Birthday"}}
| {{nom}} 
|-
| rowspan="1"| Best Young Actor – Guest in a Television Series
| colspan="1"| [[David Friedman (actor)|David Friedman]] || {{small|for "Mama's Birthday"}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[10th Youth in Film Awards|1989]]
! scope="row" style="text-align:center"|Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Syndicated Comedy, Drama or Special 
| colspan="1"| [[Ryan Bollman]] || {{small|for "Child's Play"}}
| {{nom}} 
|-
| rowspan="1"| Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Drama or Comedy Series
| colspan="1"| [[Allan Kayser]] || N/A
| {{nom}}
|}

==Syndication==
After the series finale in 1990, the entire series (including the NBC episodes) was placed in off-network syndication, airing in most cities every weekday.  ''Mama's Family'' also ran on [[TBS (TV network)|TBS]] from January 1997 until August 2006 premiering weekday mornings.  In October 1998, TBS aired a full hour of ''Mama's Family'' weekday afternoons at 6:05 pm/et and then moved the show to 4:05pm/et in November 1998.<ref name=mamasfamilytv>[http://www.televisionhits.com/mamasfamily/schedule.html Televisionhits.com: ''Mama's Family'' Schedule]</ref> That same month, [[ION Television]] (formerly the PAX network) began airing reruns of the series. The show aired Monday through Friday at 8:00 to 9:00 pm from 2006 to 2008. [[Eastern Time Zone (North America)|ET]].<ref name=mamasfamilytv />

In December 2006, [[Country Music Television|CMT]] began re-airing the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmtpress.com/pressreleases/details.cfm?PressReleaseID=1000135|title=CMT's PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS FOR 12/25-12/31|date=2006-12-25|publisher=cmtpress.com|access-date=2 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206155824/http://cmtpress.com/pressreleases/details.cfm?PressReleaseID=1000135|archive-date=2011-12-06}}</ref>

On November 1, 2023, the free streaming service [[Pluto TV]] added all of the seasons of ''Mama's Family'' on their On Demand service, however as of January 3, 2024, it only offers the last three seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://pluto.tv/en/on-demand/series/65415e288026ff001afa75d7/details/season/1|date=2024-01-03|access-date=4 January 2024 |title=Mama's Family on Pluto TV &#124; Season 1 &#124; TV-PG }}</ref> It also airs on the Pluto TV classic TV channel. The show also airs on [[MeTV]] Sundays at 4:00pm ET,<ref>{{cite web | title=Watch Mama's Family on MeTV | url=https://www.metv.com/shows/mamas-family }}</ref> [[Catchy Comedy]] weeknights at 5:00pm ET<ref>{{cite web | title=Watch Mama's Family on Catchy Comedy | url=https://www.catchycomedy.com/shows/mamas-family }}</ref> and [[Logo TV|Logo]] on various parts of the week.

==International versions==
An Italian version called ''[[:it:La mamma è sempre la mamma|La mamma è sempre la mamma]]'' (''Mom is always mom'') aired on [[Odeon 24|Odeon TV]] in 1988.

==Post-television show appearances of Thelma Harper/Mama==
[[File:Thelma Harper.jpg|215px|right|thumb|Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper, 2009]]
* Vicki Lawrence has been reprising her role of Mama in her untelevised touring stage show, entitled ''Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show''. In the show, Lawrence first performs stand-up comedy as herself, then comes out in character as Mama, giving her opinions on modern-day topics. During the break between the two acts, the audience is shown [[blooper]]s from the syndicated seasons of the series. Lawrence also sings the lyrics she wrote for "Bless My Happy Home," the show's theme song, which were omitted from the version used on air.
* Lawrence has also appeared in her Mama role on several Halloween-themed episodes of the 1998–2004 run of ''[[Hollywood Squares]]'' with [[Tom Bergeron]] at the helm.
* Lawrence appeared on ''[[RuPaul's Drag Race]]'' in the "All-Stars" season as Mama in the skit "RuPaul's Gaff-In".
* Lawrence appeared on ''[[The Queen Latifah Show]]'' as Mama the Monday after [[Mother's Day]] 2014 in a comic skit that aired prior to each commercial break. Lawrence also appeared on the show eight days later alongside two other well-known actresses to speak about her role of Mama and her personal life.
* Lawrence appeared as the character in promos for reruns of ''Mama's Family'' on the [[Me-TV|MeTV]] channel in 2015–2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=METV Promos BTS|url=http://metv.com/videos/mama-s-family-weeknights-at-6pm-5c|website=MeTV|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610094858/http://metv.com/videos/mama-s-family-weeknights-at-6pm-5c|archive-date=2016-06-10}}</ref>
* Lawrence appeared as the character during the 2015 and 2016 TV seasons of ''The Doctors'', where she talked about health-related issues.

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* ''Mama for President: Good Lord, Why Not?'', by Thelma Harper, as told to Vicki Lawrence and Monty Aidem, Thomas Nelson, 2008. {{ISBN|978-1-4016-0409-7}}
* ''"Mama's Family": The Unofficial Episode Viewing Guide'', by Andrew Whitenack, ANDDAR Publications, 2011. {{ISBN|1-4662-9210-5}}

==External links==
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* {{IMDb title|0085050}}
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{{The Carol Burnett Show}}

[[Category:1983 American television series debuts]]
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