Mama's Family

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NBC (ended 1990)
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Show Summary

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Mama's Family mined humor from a squabbling family in the Midwestern blue collar suburb of Raytown. The noisy clan was headed by Mama, a buxom, gray-haired widow with sharp opinions and a sharper tongue who shared her small house with her high-strung sister Fran, a journalist for a local paper. Mama's lazy, dimwitted son, Vint, a locksmith by trade, moved in at the start of the series with his troublesome teenage children, Buzz and Sonja, after his wife run off to become a Las Vegas show-girl. Much to Mama's disgust, Vint soon took up with the flirtatious neighbor Naomi. The two where married in early 1983, and Naomi moved in too. Further uproar was caused by the periodic visits from Mama's two married daughter's, the foul mouthed Eunice and the snobbish Ellen. Ed was Eunice's Dolt of a husband. In the Fall of 86 Mama's Family returned to TV in first-run syndication. Fran had recently passed (Rue McClanahan was now starring in The Golden Girls) and Ed and Eunice had moved to Florida. They had neglected to mention this to there delinquent son Bubba who, after serving a time in Juvenile Hall for car theft, ended up living with Mama in Fran's old room, much to the consternation of Naomi and Vinton who thought they were getting it. Iola was the prissy neighbor who barely convealed her romantic designs on Vinton. The Biggest event in the run of Mama's Family occured in the Spring of 1990 when Naomi, who had seemingly been pregnant for an eternity, presented Vinton with a bouncing baby girl named after his Mama-Tiffany Thelma. They had moved out of her house but not of her shadow, as they were now living in a trailer on her property.moreless
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Episode Guide

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S 6 :  Ep 20 Aired 2/24/90
S 6 :  Ep 19 Aired 2/17/90
S 6 :  Ep 18 Aired 2/10/90
S 6 :  Ep 17 Aired 2/3/90
S 6 :  Ep 16 Aired 1/27/90

Mama's Family News

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  • TV's Greatest Grandmas 39

    TV's Greatest Grandmas

    By Ilana Diamond, May 07, 2010

    In honor of Mother's Day (it's this Sunday, people!), we've put together an appreciative list of our favorite television grandmothers. 'Cause where would the characters on our favorite shows be without their moms and their mom's moms? (Psst... don't forget… more

  • The Top 10 TV Hangouts 56

    The Top 10 TV Hangouts

    By Ilana Diamond, Mar 25, 2010

    Last week, we listed our favorite TV bars. But not all of the boob tube's fine establishments serve beer. If we could travel through TV-land, here are the ten local haunts we'd most like to visit. 10. Bigger Jigger, Mama's… more

Cast & Crew

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Fan Reviews (38)

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  • Aunt Fran was my favorite character

    4.0
    "Poor"
    By mastercherub, Mar 26, 2009 Report Abuse
    Aunt Fran was my favorite character on Mama's Family. I thought it was wrong to have her die, especially chocking on a toothpick, how unrealistic is that. Plus they take away, not just Fran, but Buzz, Sonja, Ellen (though she makes one last appearance), Ed and Eunice. I wish that the writers could have written the episode where Fran moves away with her male friend, whom she spoke of in an earlier show. I truly believe that would have been a lot better than simply having her die because she was chocking on a toothpick. I did not like the fact that the show continued without Fran.moreless

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  • One of the best shows on TV in the 80s/early 90s. Love love love the show!

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By RockMusicChick, Sep 21, 2008 Report Abuse
    I absolutely love Mama's Family. It was way underappreciated at the time. I wish the show had lasted longer and the cast of seasons 2 and on would of been the cast since the beginning. I rated the show a 9.5 only because I thought that it was the weakest of all the seasons of the show and the cast just didn't have the magic that the rest of the seasons did. I am so upset that only season 1 has been released. I hope the rest of this brillant series will be released in the near future. Miss this show.... I just can't say enough about it but so hard to put into words.moreless

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  • The closest to a real family on television

    9.1
    "Superb"
    By kellygoo72, Mar 17, 2008 Report Abuse
    I adore this show. I think its timeless. we need a show like this right now. A reunion would be AWESOME! I have always been so curious as to what the rest of the cast is up to now and more importantly, what would the characters be up to now?
    Wonder if there are plans to have other seasons on DVD and what about EXTRAS! I myself never purchased the 1st season DVD because i was told there were no extras on the dvd. I still tape the show almost every week nite, I love the episodes with Iola and Bubba.moreless

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  • This show was ahead of its time. Except for a few refrences here and there, I understand every joke.

    9.9
    "Superb"
    By detroitfan17, Nov 03, 2007 Report Abuse
    Thisshow was so cool. NBC had it to begin with and then CBS picked it up and not only revived it, but perfected it. This show was and still is one of my all-time favorite shows. TV shows like this do not come up anywhere anymore. This show was about a widowed old lady and her crazy family. Her son, daughter-inlaw, Grandson & even crazier neighbor. This was a suburban family of the 1980's in a fictional town called: "Raytown". This was in the heart of America, yet the state never was mentioned (not to my knowledge, anyway; Texas would be my guess). VERY good show.moreless

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  • Thelma Harper faces the trials and tribulations of small town life everyday, along with her best friend Iola, son Vint and wife Naomi, and wacky grandson Bubba.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By xoWeBelong, Aug 17, 2007 Report Abuse
    What an amazing show! I'd like to give the person who came up with this show a big pat on the back, because it's absolutely superb.

    Vicki Lawrence plays the kicky Thelma Harper, who, might I add, is freakin' hilarious. Vint and his wife Naomi like to pretend they're classy, but end up acting even stupider in the process. They add nice comedy to the show.

    Bubba's dumb as a doorknob; does that boy know ANYTHING? But, anyway, the stunts he pulls always lead up to some kind of hilarious climax.

    I recommend this show for fans of those classic TV shows that consistently keep you rolling on the floor, laughing your butt off.moreless

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Abrasive Parent, Dysfuntional Families, Ensemble Cast, For The Nostalgic, Grown Up Kids

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