Mama’s Family

Mama’s Family is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 22, 1983. It was cancelled in May 1984, but NBC would continue to air reruns until September 1985. In September 1986, Mama’s Family returned in first-run syndication, where it aired for an additional four seasons, ending on February 24, 1990. Mama’s Family is a spin-off of a recurring series of comedy sketches called The Family, which appeared on The Carol Burnett Show in the 1970s.

The show, set in the fictional town of Raytown, revolved around a typical squabbling family, headed by Thelma Harper — a buxom, blue-haired, purse-lipped, 65-year-old widow, who is loudmouthed and outspoken. Living with Thelma originally was only her 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) and his two children, Sonja and Buzz, moved in with her later. While not a huge ratings success, the first season garnered good enough ratings to be renewed for a second season. The first episode, “Mama Does Bellevegas” finished among the Top 30 programs, ranked at #28 for the week, garnering a commendable 18.6/28 rating/share. However, during the second season, the show dropped to 59th place in the yearly ratings due to being forced to compete with CBS’s Top 10 hit Magnum, P.I..

 

© Jumped The Shark. 2012. All rights reserved. View Disclaimer. Website by Website Design Edinburgh.