{"id":631,"date":"2026-07-28T18:19:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T11:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/?p=631"},"modified":"2026-07-28T18:19:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T11:19:02","slug":"the-five-best-mamas-family-episodes-of-season-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/2026\/07\/28\/the-five-best-mamas-family-episodes-of-season-one\/","title":{"rendered":"The Five Best MAMA\u2019S FAMILY Episodes of Season One"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday!\u00a0Today we\u2019re beginning\u00a0our coverage on the best episodes from\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family\u00a0<\/em>(1983-1984, NBC; 1986-1990, First Run Synd.), the hilarious half-hour extension of the popular \u201cFamily\u201d sketch from\u00a0The Carol Burnett Show\u00a0<\/em>(1967-1978, CBS), which we discussed here several years ago.<\/p>\n

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Widow Thelma Harper (a.k.a. Mama) has a crazy family living under her roof: a\u00a0spinster sister, a\u00a0dimwitted son, a\u00a0horny daughter-in-law, and two\u00a0teenage grandkids.\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family\u00a0<\/i>stars VICKI LAWRENCE as Thelma Harper, KEN BERRY as Vinton Harper, DOROTHY LYMAN as Naomi Harper, ERIC BROWN as Buzz Harper, KARIN ARGOUD as Sonja Harper, and\u00a0RUE McCLANAHAN as Fran Crowley. Recurring guests include BETTY WHITE as Ellen Harper Jackson, HARVEY KORMAN as Alistair Quince (and Ed Higgins), and CAROL BURNETT as Eunice Harper Higgins.<\/p>\n

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Any discussion of\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family\u00a0<\/em>must first begin with the \u201cFamily,\u201d as the idea to center a series around the Mama character had been around for a while. In fact,\u00a0Vicki Lawrence was first approached about doing her own Mama series during the ninth season of\u00a0The Carol Burnett Show<\/em>. The popular \u201cFamily\u201d series of sketches had been introduced near the end of the variety show\u2019s seventh season (1973-74). Written by Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon, the characters were reportedly based on Clair\u2019s own family and the\u00a0initial intention was to have Carol Burnett play Mama (the star of the sketch) while\u00a0Vicki Lawrence would play her daughter Eunice. (Harvey Korman was to be Eunice\u2019s loser husband Ed.) But when Burnett got the script, she found Eunice to be the more emotionally rich character and the one she better understood, opting instead to switch\u00a0parts with Lawrence \u2014 a swap\u00a0that chagrined the writers. (The scribes also weren\u2019t too happy about Burnett\u2019s\u00a0decision to do the scene\u00a0with southern accents.) However, after this debut sketch, it was clear that the \u201cFamily,\u201d with Burnett as Eunice and Lawrence as Mama, was a comedic goldmine, and the characters became a recurring feature during\u00a0the last four years of the series, even after Korman departed. So\u00a0when Lawrence was approached about a Mama spin-off in late 1975, during the run of\u00a0The Carol Burnett Show<\/em>, she\u00a0was apprehensive about leaving the hit show, especially because\u00a0she viewed the success of the sketches as\u00a0dependent on the interplay among\u00a0the regulars\u00a0\u2014 not just Mama.<\/p>\n

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When the variety series ended, Eunice and Mama didn\u2019t disappear, popping up in a single sketch on Burnett\u2019s short-lived\u00a0Carol Burnett & Company<\/em>\u00a0and on a special 1980 week of\u00a0Password\u00a0<\/em>episodes, in which Lawrence and Burnett played the game as\u00a0their characters. Shortly after these appearances, Burnett received the script for a CBS-TV special called\u00a0Eunice<\/em>, a four act play that centered around Eunice and her relationship with Mama, culminating in the former\u2019s grief following the latter\u2019s death. With Harvey Korman and Betty White (as sister Ellen) set to reprise\u00a0their roles from the sketches alongside Burnett and Lawrence, Ken Berry took the role of the successful brother, Phillip, originally played in three sketches by Roddy McDowell. (I\u2019ll be discussing the\u00a0Eunice\u00a0<\/em>special and my thoughts more in depth during\u00a0tomorrow\u2019s Wildcard Wednesday post, so stay tuned\u2026)\u00a0Eunice\u00a0<\/em>was taped in 1981 but held until March of \u201982 due to network dissatisfaction\u00a0with the final product. When the special finally premiered, it got tremendous attention (read: ratings)\u00a0and Burnett (along with her then husband, producer Joe Hamilton) once again implored Lawrence to do a series as Mama. She finally agreed.<\/p>\n

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Hamilton reportedly sold the series directly to Grant Tinker at NBC, who made a 13-episode commitment for the 1982-83 season. Burnett and Korman agreed to drop\u00a0in a few times as Eunice and Ed, Betty White signed to\u00a0appear in approximately half the episodes, and Ken Berry was retained not as Phillip, but now a new son (not introduced on the sketches). Meanwhile, Rue McClanahan was cast as Mama\u2019s spinster sister and Dorothy Lyman (currently starring on\u00a0All My Children<\/em>) was to be Mama\u2019s next door neighbor and occasional confidant. Also, the executives at NBC (not knowing how to handle a rural sitcom) wanted to brand\u00a0the show as family friendly fare, so they added a pair of teenage kids to the regular cast. With hindsight, we know that this was their first mistake, but\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family<\/em>\u00a0was always treated unfairly by the network, which simply wasn\u2019t producing shows of this ilk and didn\u2019t appreciate the sketch-like origins of the comedy. However, to Lawrence\u2019s pleasure, Clair and McMahon were engaged as show runners \u2014 but they had to make major alterations\u00a0to the Mama character, both to make her NBC friendly\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>to legitimize her position as a likable series anchor.\u00a0In other words, Mama couldn\u2019t be as nasty as she was in the sketches; audiences needed to want to \u201cspend time\u201d with her every week. It was a struggle for both Lawrence and the writers, who attempted to navigate the necessary shift, crafting a Mama who was a little more wise and folksy \u2014 still mouthy and obstinate to be sure \u2014 but not so emotionally cold and embittered.<\/p>\n

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Lawrence panicked after the\u00a0first two episodes were shot in the summer of \u201982: this wasn\u2019t the Mama she was used to playing. She felt the writing had weakened her character \u2014 making her\u00a0uncomical. Production was halted as changes were made. Harvey Korman was brought on, at Lawrence\u2019s insistence, to co-direct the series and serve in a weekly capacity as Alistair Quince, a take-off on Alistair Cooke, who would introduce each episode like it was a piece of\u00a0Masterpiece Theatre.\u00a0<\/em>Korman also assuaged Lawrence\u2019s doubts about Mama\u2019s evolution by insisting that she\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>Mama and could therefore do anything she wanted with her, giving the actress\u00a0license to morph the character at a pace that felt natural to her. Granting\u00a0agency of the Mama character to Lawrence\u00a0was key to the series\u2019 ability to move forward, and with some narrative re-formatting that established an actual conflict \u2014 over the course of four episodes Naomi the neighbor would have a quick courtship with Vinton and become his live-in bride, not to mention a thorn in Mama\u2019s side \u2014 production was now ready to continue.\u00a0But the creative delays, along with NBC\u2019s internal struggle\u00a0with the show\u2019s very existence, had\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family<\/em>\u00a0pushed from the Fall schedule (where it would have premiered on Thursdays behind\u00a0Cheers<\/em>) to Saturdays in January \u201983. The two episodes shot before the aforementioned retooling would air later in the season, following\u00a0an introduction by Alistair Quince that explained them off as \u201cflashbacks.\u201d Even up against\u00a0<\/i>ABC\u2019s\u00a0The Love Boat\u00a0<\/em>in the spring, the series was able to place at #22 for the season, earning it a definite full season renewal. But could\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family<\/i>\u00a0survive NBC\u2019s continued attempts to kill it? That\u2019s for next week.<\/p>\n

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In the meantime, these first 13 episodes see the series still attempting to figure out its identity. In addition to the two pre-Korman episodes (which, to the credit of Lawrence\u2019s discerning eye, don\u2019t really\u00a0work), there are several episodes that suffer from the simple fact that the show isn\u2019t yet well-developed. That is, there are fundamental problems with the premise, specifically the combination of characters. The kids are unfunny and only work when their prime function is to annoy Mama (because they\u2019re\u00a0generally good at annoying anyway). Furthermore, the character of Fran is sorely lacking in\u00a0definition, changing personalities with each episode. Sometimes she\u2019s a good friend to Mama, other times she\u2019s a rotten nuisance. Even worse, most times she isn\u2019t allowed to be comedic. And that\u2019s a big problem for a character who\u00a0should\u00a0<\/em>be driving more of the material. But on the other hand, there are a lot of things that are automatically firing\u00a0on all cylinders \u2014 namely the conflict that develops between Mama and the newlyweds, whose courtship and marriage over the first four episodes make for some of the funniest and most memorable moments of the NBC years. These three characters, obviously, work well and work well immediately. Meanwhile, Eunice, Ed, and Ellen (the latter of whom\u00a0appears in six of the 13 scripts) are peppered throughout the year to a generally strong effect. The only problem with this trio, particularly Eunice and Ed, is that they distract from the new ensemble, and when they overtake the script (as Burnett naturally does in each appearance), the show ends up losing its balance, making us miss the more emotionally potent sketches from the variety series.<\/p>\n

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This is an interesting dichotomy. For although the sketches reached a level of brilliance unmatched by this new series \u2014 the kind of excellence predicated on the bittersweet blend of humor and pain \u2014\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family<\/em>\u00a0really can\u2019t\u00a0<\/em>be that. And we wouldn\u2019t want it to be. As a result, the best moments here generally exist when the show defines itself as a separate entity. (Although, you\u2019ll notice that my\u00a0MVE is an important exception to this rule. Find out why below\u2026) And while I do agree with Lawrence that the Mama of the sketches was more comedically sharp, the changes that are\u00a0made here (and will continue to be made) do seem necessary, and surprisingly, the first two seasons do a great job of reconciling the Mama of the sketches with the Mama of the series. (Most of the praise\u00a0belongs with\u00a0Lawrence\u2019s mastery in gradually morphing Mama into a character with viable longevity \u2014 and in a way that wouldn\u2019t have been noticeable to viewers watching on a weekly basis.) Yet, if there\u2019s any reason for preferring the NBC years over the syndicated ones, it would be for the portrayal of Mama \u2014 who is still crotchety and sarcastic, but with a newfound sense of humor, which makes her much more likable WITHOUT stripping her of the darker, nastier edge that made\u00a0her so humorous. As a result of Lawrence\u2019s performance, this is\u00a0always\u00a0a very funny series. And this season, for all of NBC\u2019s mistakes, is often\u00a0great \u2014 really funny. In general,\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family\u00a0<\/em>is\u00a0not a show that I enjoy for the quality of its scripting (like\u00a0Cheers<\/em>), but rather for\u00a0its simple laugh-out-loud hilarity. And, for a sitcom, that\u2019s pretty much all I want. So\u00a0I have picked five\u00a0episodes that I think exemplify this season\u2019s strongest installments. For new fans, this list will give you a place to start. For seasoned fans, there might be a few surprises.<\/p>\n

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Here are my picks for the five\u00a0best episodes of Season One. (They are in AIRING ORDER.) Note that every episode this season is directed by both Harvey Korman and Roger Beatty, unless otherwise noted.<\/p>\n

01) Episode 1: \u201cVint And The Kids Move In\u201d (Aired: 01\/22\/83)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vint and his two kids move into Mama\u2019s house \u2014 without Fran\u2019s knowledge.<\/p>\n

Written by Jenna McMahon & Dick Clair<\/p>\n

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The fourth episode shot for the series, this was designed to serve as the official premiere (following the creative redevelopment discussed above). The story\u2019s inciting incident finds\u00a0the recently divorced Vinton moving into Mama\u2019s house with his two kids. The conflict, aside from the general inconvenience to all involved, is that Fran will have to give up her workspace \u2014 something which she is not prepared to lose. Aside from all the perfunctory exposition, McMahon and Clair\u2019s script makes time for a lot of big laughs, including slapstick moments for Berry and some of the best scenes of the series between Lawrence and the generally underserved McClanahan. One of the highlights of the offering, however, is the re-meeting of Vinton and Naomi, who share an immediate chemistry \u2014 to Mama\u2019s evident displeasure.<\/p>\n

02) Episode 2: \u201cFor Better Or Worse\u201d (Aired: 01\/29\/83)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vint and Naomi spend a night together and then make plans to marry.<\/p>\n

Written by Liz Sage & Rick Hawkins<\/p>\n

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Following the reunion between Vinton and Naomi in the series premiere, this episode takes things to the logical next step, as the former classmates wind up in the basement bed together. Berry and Lyman get some of their longest uninterrupted scenes of the series in this offering, and because both the performers and characters are already so strong, this amount of exposure helps to ingratiate them with the audience, establishing them as the show\u2019s best characters \u2014 second only to Mama. Lawrence, not surprisingly, gets the episode\u2019s best moment with her reaction to seeing Naomi sneak out from\u00a0the basement to the backdoor. (She\u2019s clearly learned a lot at the Burnett-Korman school of comedy.) Also, credit must be given to the writers for the final scene\u2019s\u00a0manipulative, but not distractingly obvious, set-up for next week\u2019s\u00a0wedding.<\/p>\n

03) Episode 4: \u201cThe Wedding (II)\u201d (Aired: 02\/12\/83)<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the day of Vint and Naomi\u2019s wedding, Eunice has a meltdown.<\/p>\n

Written by Dorothy Van & Jim Evering<\/p>\n

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As usual with two-part installments,\u00a0one half is\u00a0comedically sharper than the other. (However, choosing only one half of an episode that\u2019s designed to be paired with another basically gives me the opportunity to highlight two episodes for the \u201cprice\u201d of one, because naturally, if you watch Part II, you\u2019ll want to watch Part I first.) This is a fan favorite, but it\u2019s also a BIG EVENT episode. That is, the show has a function that overrides the comedy: getting Vint and Naomi married. Also, this is the second appearance of Burnett as Eunice, and she runs roughshod over the entire 24 minutes. For fans of the sketches, this is a benefit. But in terms of\u00a0the series\u2019 own new identity, well . . . let\u2019s just say the episode is\u00a0saved by its ability to comedically deliver and by\u00a0the interactions among\u00a0the entire ensemble (with Burnett and Korman in support of them).<\/p>\n

04) Episode 6: \u201cCellmates\u201d (Aired: 02\/26\/83)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mama and Eunice are arrested after getting into a barroom brawl.<\/p>\n

Written by Jenna McMahon & Dick Clair<\/p>\n

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My choice for the best episode of the year, this installment is the exception to the \u201cnew identity\u201d rule mentioned above. This offering\u00a0makes absolutely no attempt to use the storytelling of the sitcom\u00a0and its new cast, opting instead to play with the characters and relationships that were introduced way back in the variety series. (In fact, the long running gag of Duke Reeves is brought up again as a major part of the story.) It would seem that this wouldn\u2019t be a good fit for a show that desperately needs to lock in a separate mode of operation. However, this is clearly the best script of the season, helmed by the duo\u00a0that first introduced Mama in 1974, meaning that there\u2019s a welcome sense of authenticity in her presentation. Meanwhile, this script also sees a\u00a0brilliant resolution to the antagonistic relationship shared by Mama and Eunice, as the pair has\u00a0a genuine heart-to-heart on the porch swing (following a bar fight that lands\u00a0them in prison alongside a hooker, played by Yvonne Wilder, whom we\u2019ve seen here before on\u00a0Archie Bunker\u2019s Place<\/em>), that not only mines big humor and works for the story, but also serves as an ideal end for the Eunice character. (Perhaps unfortunately, Burnett\u00a0appears twice more \u2014 unnecessarily.) So because of its value to the characters that we first met almost a decade before and its importance to Mama\u2019s evolution in particular (she needs this episode to be able to move forward), the episode\u2019s\u00a0atypicality is justified, making this absolutely\u00a0the season\u2019s most valuable. A must watch for Burnett fans, \u201cFamily\u201d fans, and comedy fans in general.\u00a0(If anyone has the original unedited network broadcast, please let me know; it\u2019s edited on the DVD!)<\/p>\n

05) Episode 7: \u201cMama Gets A Job\u201d (Aired: 03\/05\/83)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mama takes a job at the Raytown Travel Agency.<\/p>\n

Written by Don Emerson King<\/p>\n

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This episode makes today\u2019s list for the expert clowning of Vicki Lawrence as Mama, whose comedic turn manning the reception desk of Raytown\u2019s Travel Agency is Lucy-esque in its loony allowance for a seldom employed (by this character) physicality, especially in the NBC era. In fact, unlike some of the other offerings highlighted in today\u2019s post, which are included for the way the other characters are introduced and positioned in relation to Mama, this one is all about her, and that\u2019s a\u00a0first<\/em>\u00a0for the character, who\u2019s\u00a0always been defined by the way she interacts with others. As a result, this installment gives us pleasures\u00a0that the other offerings from the\u00a0year don\u2019t: a straight look at Lawrence\u2019s performance and the ability to recognize, fully, her growing genius as this character. She\u00a0is ultimately why this show exists \u2014 and why it\u2019s worthwhile.<\/p>\n

Other notable episodes that narrowly missed the list above include:\u00a0\u201cThe Wedding (I),\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>in which Mama, Ellen, Naomi, and Fran get drunk while preparing for Vint and Naomi\u2019s wedding (naturally worthwhile to those seeking\u00a0out the second part of this installment), and\u00a0\u201cFamily Feud,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>a fan favorite offering\u00a0in which the clan\u00a0goes on\u00a0Family Feud<\/em>\u00a0and screws things up in a predictable but perhaps illogical manner (although a funny, albeit gimmicky episode, the above\u00a0installments simply employ better motivated\u00a0comedy). Nevertheless, they\u00a0were both\u00a0serious contenders for the above list. Meanwhile,\u00a0\u201cPositive Thinking,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>while not close to making the list due to\u00a0the inappropriate\u00a0focus thrown to Eunice instead of Mama and the other characters, is still worth mentioning for fans of the sketches and\/or her character.<\/p>\n

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*** The MVE Award for the Best Episode from Season One\u00a0of\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family<\/em>\u00a0<\/i>goes to\u2026..<\/p>\n

\u201cCellmates\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Come back next Tuesday for the best from the second\u00a0season! And tune in tomorrow for a new Wildcard Wednesday post!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to a new Sitcom Tuesday!\u00a0Today we\u2019re beginning\u00a0our coverage on the best episodes from\u00a0Mama\u2019s Family\u00a0(1983-1984, NBC; 1986-1990, First Run Synd.), the hilarious half-hour extension of the popular \u201cFamily\u201d sketch from\u00a0The Carol Burnett Show\u00a0(1967-1978, CBS), which we discussed here several years ago. Widow Thelma Harper (a.k.a. Mama) has a crazy family living under her roof: a\u00a0spinster […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chua-phan-loai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":632,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631\/revisions\/632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}