“The Mom” has been a television archetype going all the way the back to the beginning, and conjuring up images of a devoted parent, spouse, and homemaker à la June Cleaver. But just like society’s definition of a “traditional mother” has changed, so too has television’s depictions of moms. And in many ways, the 1990s marked a turning point.
In the 1990s, TV moms tended to fall on a spectrum. On one end was the more traditional sort, the kind who was wise, kind, supportive, and always put her children ahead of herself - think Amy on Boy Meets World. At the other end is the sort of person who’s fed up with those sort of expectations and refuses to meet them, like Peggy Bundy.
Above all, these 1990s TV moms defined TV motherhood for a wide swath of viewers. Vote for your favorites below.
- 193 VOTES
Kitty Forman, 'That '70s Show'
Photo: FoxWho She Is: Registered nurse at Point Place General Hospital; mother of Eric and Laurie, adopted mother of Hyde, wife of Red, and later grandmother of Leia as of That ‘90s Show.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Kitty is all about balance. She loves both of her children but she’s willing to give no-BS advice when they need it, or to come down hard on them when necessary. She’s sympathetic with her relatively strict and set-in-his ways husband, but she also knows Eric and Laurie need to have fun once in a while. She cares for others as both a nurse and a mother but she also makes time for her own needs.
Memorable Lesson: Even though she enjoys her wine, (to the point that it’s sometimes a problem), Kitty is much less tolerant when she finds out that Eric and his friends have tried cannabis, which is a big plot point early in the third season. At one point she warns the group to “Do crafts, not drugs,” a line that’s so popular it’s become a meme and is available on a variety of forms of merchandise that can easily be found online.
- 281 VOTESPhoto: Fox
Who She Is: Wife of Homer; mother to Bart, Lisa, and Maggie; former Springfield police officer; former owner of a Springfield Pretzel Wagon franchise, among many other jobs.
Why She’s A Great Mom: The Simpsons is a satire of conventional sitcom tropes. Essentially, this means that Marge is the quintessential wife and mother whose devotion is contrasted with Homer’s loutishness. The whole point of Marge is that she’s a decent person.
Memorable Lesson: In the first season episode, “Moaning Lisa,” Marge shows her “Good Mom” bona fides by learning from her mistake and apologizing to Lisa. Early in the episode, Marge encourages Lisa to repress her true self in order to be popular, remembering her own mother's advice. Marge then watches in horror as Lisa’s bandmates take advantage of her. She quickly rectifies the situation, telling Lisa, “Always be yourself. If you want to be sad, honey, be sad. We'll ride it out with you. And when you get finished feeling sad, we'll still be there. From now on, let me do the smiling for both of us.”
- 369 VOTES
Jill Taylor, 'Home Improvement'
Photo: ABCWho She Is: Wife of Tim, mother of Brad, Randy, and Mark. According to actress Patricia Richardson, making the character funny while avoiding the “dim-witted husband, shrew wife” dynamic was one of the main challenges of the series.
Why She’s A Great Mom: As defined by mainstream American sitcoms of the 1990s, a good TV mom keeps the family together, and keeps the house from falling apart. In the Taylors' case, that’s a bit more literal given Tim’s penchant for dangerous and destructive household projects.
Memorable Lesson: Let’s switch it up and go with a lesson that Jill learns rather than a lesson she imparts to her kids. In the episode when Randy gets his driver’s license, he breaks curfew by taking the car without permission, then returning home and accepting his punishment. Jill considers revoking his driving privileges for a month like she did with Brad when he wrecked the car, but a kindly intervention by Wilson convinces her to treat her children’s infractions individually, not to give blanket punishments no matter the circumstances.
- Photo: NBC
Who She Is: English professor; mother of Ashley, Nicky, Carlton, and Hillary Banks; wife of Philip Banks; and aunt of Will Smith.
Why She’s A Great Mom: For starters, “Aunt Viv” is as much of a mother to Will as she is her own children. But Aunt Viv also helps Will bridge the gap between his two worlds. Like Will, and unlike her husband and children, she didn’t have a privileged upbringing, having cleaned hotel rooms to put herself through school. Not only does this keep her grounded, it helps her keep Uncle Phil and the kids grounded, too.
Memorable Lesson: Aunt Viv’s breakout episode came in Season 2, “The Big Four Oh,” when she turns 40 and struggles with the realization that she never pursued her dream of becoming a professional dancer. She then faces down ridicule from much younger dancers to take up dancing again. It’s a moment of personal growth for her but it also sets a good example for everyone.
- Photo: Fox
Who She Is: Wife of Al, mother of Kelly and Bud. Peggy is a cheerfully inept homemaker who enjoys spending Al’s money on the finer things in life. If other TV moms on this list are the platonic ideal of TV motherhood, Peg is their antithesis.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Is she? Obviously, Peggy Bundy isn’t a particularly devoted or outwardly loving mother, and especially isn’t those things as a wife. That’s the entire point of the character. She’s designed to puncture the audience’s expectations of how a TV mother should act, and thus allow them to laugh. So in that sense, she is a great mom, even if she’s not the kind you’d want to be your own mother.
Memorable Lesson: Even though Peggy doesn’t adhere to conventional ideas of wives and mothers, that doesn’t mean she’s unhappy. She lives life on her own terms and is unashamed to enjoy herself. As Katey Sagal described the character, “She makes the most of what’s going on and has a thrilling time.”
- 657 VOTES
Hilda And Zelda Spellman, 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch'
Photo: The WBWho They Are: Aunts and mother figures to Sabrina. Hilda is the younger of the two sisters, both centuries old European witches. She’s played by Caroline Rhea while Zelda is played by Beth Broderick.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Zelda and Hilda are the yin and yang when it comes to being positive role models for Sabrina. Zelda is the more responsible of the two and helps Sabrina control her magical powers, help she definitely needs. Hilda, meanwhile, is much more permissive and actually lets her act like the teenager she is.
Memorable Lesson: How about the time when Sabrina wanted to get her belly button pierced, and both aunts argued against it, under the logic that Sabrina will get tired of it. When Sabrina persisted, Zelda magically pierced her nose with a bone just as she was heading out the door to go to school.
- 781 VOTESPhoto: NBC
Who She Is: Attorney at Bradley, Greentree, and Dexter; wife of Cliff Huxtable, mother of Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Clair usually plays the straight man to Cliff’s jokester on the show and often serves as the family disciplinarian, but her heart is in the right place. A successful career woman who always does the right thing in both her professional and personal lives, she’s a role model both to her own children and to a generation of people who grew up watching her on TV.
Memorable Lesson: At the end of the Season 2 episode “Cliff in Love,” Clair delivers a memorable speech on marriage, feminism, and equality that’s still circulated online today. She directs it at Sondra’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Elvin, who’s surprised when she offers him and Cliff a cup of coffee, thinking she’s being subservient. She quickly sets him straight that she and Cliff take turns bringing each other coffee. As she tells Elvin, marriage “is give-and-take, fifty-fifty. And if you don't get it together, and drop these macho attitudes, you are never gonna have anybody bringing you anything anywhere any place any time EVER.“
- 865 VOTESPhoto: ABC
Who She Is: Former police academy graduate, employee of The Chicago Chronicle, and a department store executive by the end of the series; she’s also wife to Carl and mother to Eddie, Laura, and Judy.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Harriette checks off many boxes on the “good TV Mom archetype” checklist. She’s tough and strict with each of her kids, but it’s always well-intentioned. She and Carl also obviously love each other and provide both their kids and the audience with a good model of a healthy marriage. Finally, she’s stopped Carl from killing Steve Urkel numerous times, which you’d think would cost CarL his police officer’s job at the very least.
Memorable Lesson: “Stand up for what's right, even if it costs you.” Even though Family Matters essentially became “The Steve Urkel Show,” Harriette was supposed to be the main character of the series - she originated as a character on the series Perfect Strangers and Family Matters was originally a Harriette-Carl vehicle. The show did still offer up several Harriette-centric stories, often about her having to resist an unjust authority figure at work and paying the price for it. Harriette and Carl both had to fight for their principles at work multiple times, and it’s hard not to admire them even if they’re fictional.
- 945 VOTES
Amy Matthews, 'Boy Meets World'
Photo: ABCWho She Is: Wife of Alan; mother of Cory, Eric, and Morgan, and later Joshua.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Given that most of the storylines on Boy Meets World revolved around Cory and his various run-ins with the world, Amy and her husband Alan were often relegated to supporting roles in stories. Usually this meant Amy served as the voice of reason for her son as he tried to figure out life. Everyone needs a voice of reason.
Memorable Lesson: In the Season 5 episode “How to Succeed in Business,” Amy joined Eric’s creative writing class at college and proved to be better at it than he was. Even though Eric had previously shown no aptitude or interest in creative writing, Amy willingly drops the class so her son can feel more comfortable. In the end, Eric feels guilty and learns that Amy is more than just his mother. It’s a lesson that’s mostly for Eric’s benefit, but a much needed one.
- 1055 VOTES
Becky Donaldson-Katsopolis, 'Full House'
Photo: ABCWho She Is: Morning talk show host on Wake Up, San Francisco. Wife of Uncle Jesse, mother of Nicky and Alex, mother figure to D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Becky is the closest thing the Tanner-Gladstone-Katsopolis household has to a mother figure, and while another sort of person might either alienate Danny’s daughters or be too permissive with them, Becky handles the situation perfectly. She’s an authority figure, confidante, friend, ally, and mom depending on what the situation calls for. As mother to Nicky and Alex she’s a little more strict but obviously loves them too.
Memorable Lesson: Take the Season 7 episode “Michelle a la Cart,” when a neighborhood bully named Kenny goads Michelle into entering a downhill soapbox derby by suggesting boys are better than girls. At the inevitable second act crisis moment, Aunt Becky steps in to encourage Michelle that she can be great at anything she sets her mind to. Does this lift Michelle’s spirits enough that she goes on to win? This is Full House. Of course it does.
- 1162 VOTES
Lisa Landry - 'Sister, Sister'
Photo: ABCWho She Is: Adopted mother to Tia Landry and adopted stepmother to Tamera Campbell who, as you’ll remember from the pilot, are twins separated at birth. Tia and Tamera are reunited when Lisa marries Tamera’s adopted father, Ray Campbell.
Why She’s A Great Mom: The Landry-Campbell family obviously comes from unusual circumstances, but it’s clear from day one that Lisa loves both her daughters equally. While she can sometimes express tough love, there’s no doubt she wants to mold her daughters into successful young women.
Memorable Lesson: "When you take on the world, dress to impress.” A seamstress, Lisa puts her skills to good use by furnishing Tia and Tamera with a wardrobe of homemade '90s-cool outfits.
- 1259 VOTES
Debra Barone, 'Everybody Loves Raymond'
Photo: CBSWho She Is: Former sports PR professional; wife of Ray; mother of Ally, Michael, and Geoffrey; daughter-in-law of Frank and Marie; and sister-in-law to Robert.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Admittedly, Everybody Loves Raymond focused more on the dynamics between Ray and Debra, and Ray’s family’s effects on said dynamic, than on the parents’ relationship with the kids - in the first season’s opening credits, Ray Romano openly says the show isn’t really about the kids, who are four years old and younger. Debra keeps the kids fed, clothed, housed, and entertained, sometimes even with Ray’s help, so she must be doing something right.
Memorable Lesson: Since Everybody Loves Raymond is a sitcom that aired primarily in the '90s, that means character dynamics don’t really ever change. Which means, for Debra, life is more about accepting Ray for who he is rather than trying to change him - even if Ray can be a bit of a man-child. In the 16th episode of Season 2, “The Checkbook,” Debra sums up her attitude succinctly when she takes back control of the family finances after Ray briefly screwed them up, remarking that “When you’re on the Titanic, you load the lifeboats. You don’t stop and yell at the iceberg.” Comparing Ray to an unfeeling object that’s still dangerous enough to destroy an ocean liner can be considered a high point for these two.
- Photo: 20th Television
Who She Is: Art gallery manager; mother of Buffy and Dawn; ex-wife of Hank.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Unlike most of the other mothers and mother-figures on this list, Joyce has the unenviable task of being a mother to a teen who also happens to be involved with the supernatural. It’s one thing to worry about whom your daughter is dating. It’s another thing entirely when your daughter chooses to be with a soul-stricken vampire like Angel - even if he does turn out to be a decent guy. Throughout it all, Joyce manages to be a devoted and loyal mother to Buffy while also trying her best to help her daughter navigate life’s ups and downs, both normal and extraordinary.
Memorable Lesson: Learning the truth that your biological child is actually a manifestation of a sentient form of energy that can traverse the boundary between worlds would floor any parent, but Joyce accepts Dawn as her daughter anyway.
- 1450 VOTESPhoto: ABC
Who She Is: Holder of various blue collar jobs, wife of Dan, mother of Becky, Darlene, D.J., and eventually Jerry.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Like the title suggests, Roseanne is a show about Roseanne, and as such is told through her perspective. This gives us a much more well-rounded portrayal of a parent and spouse than on some of the other shows on this list, which mainly filters those characters though their kids' points of view. This isn’t the sort of show where the parents drop in with a piece of perfect wisdom to get their kids through the situation of the week. Roseanne and Dan are allowed to be imperfect people, but they always try to learn from both their own mistakes as well as those of their own parents. They're just doing their best.
Memorable Lesson: Once, D.J. asks his mother to justify her frequent swearing. She admits that swearing isn’t always okay, but then points out that she doesn’t swear nearly as often as she wants to, which means she shows restraint. It’s the perfect example of Roseanne logic.
- 1530 VOTES
Cindy Walsh, 'Beverly Hills 90210'
Photo: FoxWho She Is: Wife of Jim, mother of Brandon and Brenda. She would have been the primary breadwinner after the Walshes moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, but Fox nixed it because this didn’t conform with its idea of traditional gender roles.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Admittedly, 90210 sets the parenting bar pretty low, but Cindy still clears it. A midwestern transplant to Los Angeles, she offers a refreshingly honest and down-to-earth perspective to counter LA’s wild goings-on, to the point that she becomes a surrogate mother to many of Brandon and Brenda’s friends.
Memorable Lesson: Early in the series, Cindy considers rekindling a romance with an ex-boyfriend as she flounders through a rough patch in her marriage to Jim - proving that not even the parents on this show are immune from racy plot developments. In the end Cindy stays true to Jim. Even if her kids never learn about the almost-tryst, it serves as an example to the audience that there’s something to be said for stability.
- 1626 VOTES
Janet Darling, 'Clarissa Explains It All'
Photo: NickelodeonWho She Is: Teacher at a children’s museum; wife of Marshall; mother of Clarissa and Ferguson.
Why She’s A Great Mom: Like Boy Meets World, this is yet another series that focuses on an adolescent character and their worldview, while relegating their parents to a supporting role. While Janet does have her quirks, she’s a fundamentally stable and healthy person who meets most of her children’s needs. Were she unstable and messy, it would make for a far different vibe, albeit probably funnier.
Memorable Lesson: The time when Janet got a substitute teaching job at Clarissa’s high school but opted not to turn it into a permanent position, both because she loves teaching younger children and because she respects Clarissa’s boundaries.
