Who Is America’s Favorite TV Mom?
Celebrate Mother’s Day by taking a look at TV viewers’ favorite fictional mothers
Photo: Fox
Since quarantine has left us little to do but cross off days on our calendars, hopefully you’ve noticed that we’re nearing Mother’s Day! Every year, we do something to show the moms in our lives how much we appreciate them, whether it’s serving them breakfast in bed, sending them flowers, or just calling them to wish them a Happy Mother’s Day. As for the moms who aren’t in our actual lives, but on the screens of our televisions, we show our appreciation by voting on Ranker’s list of Favorite TV Moms of All Time.
This list has been voted on by over 6,416 people across the country, which has given us all the information we need to determine the country’s Top TV Mom. While That 70s Show’s Kitty Forman may be #1 overall, our data shows that voters’ choices vary greatly across gender, age, and location. Here’s everything we know about the fictional moms America loves most.
Age 29 and Under:
Photo: NBC
Young people (anyone below 30) have The Cosby Show’s Clair Huxtable at the top of their list of TV moms. A full-time lawyer who balances home and work life, this groundbreaking TV mom played by Phylicia Rashad is exactly the right model of motherhood for younger people with a progressive outlook on family.
Age 30 to 49:
Photo: ABC
Those who are a little older, between 30 and 49, ranked Carol Brady as their #1 pick. Though most people in this age group are a little young to have grown up around The Brady Bunch, the lasting influence of this sitcom explains why Florence Henderson’s character remains so fixed in the minds of TV fans.
Age 50 and Over:
Photo: CBS
Voters 50 and up picked a mom who’s actually a little later in TV history than Brady Bunch, Marion Cunningham of Happy Days. Maybe older voters feel that the show captured the experience of growing up in the 50s accurately — or maybe it’s just the charm of Marion Ross’s character.
Women
Photo: CBS
Women had Clair Huxtable at #1, but they were more likely than men to pick fictional moms from drama shows like Miss Ellie Ewing (Dallas) and Annie Camden (7th Heaven).
Men
Photo: Netflix
Overall, our male voters ended up picking Marion Cunningham as their #1 TV mom. That being said, they were also more likely than their female counterparts to pick some moms that aren’t best known for being domestic or nurturing — take Arrested Development’s Lucille Bluth and Peggy Bundy of Married...With Children for instance.
The West Coast
Photo: ABC
Sitting at the top of the list for those in California, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska is Angela Bower of Who’s The Boss? — that being said, the individual states in this region are split in different directions, with California preferring Carol Brady and Alaska loving Kitty Forman.
The Mountain West
Photo: NBC
The vast mountain west, stretching from Nevada to Kansas, from Idaho to North Dakota, has Kitty Forman at #1. North Dakota voters in particular have The Partridge Family matriarch Shirley ranked as their favorite, while Utah prefers Caroline Ingalls of Little House on the Prairie.
The Southwest
Photo: ABC
Morticia Addams of The Addams Family is the #1 mom of the Southwestern US, though Oklahoma dissents, favoring Home Improvement’s Jill Taylor.
The Midwest
Photo: ABC
Carol Brady is the Midwest’s most beloved mother, but states within the region have plenty of differing opinions. For example, Ohio loves Edith Bunker of All in the Family and Wisconsin loves Wilma Flintstone, making it one of only three states to vote up an animated character to the top of their list of TV moms.
The South
Photo: Fox
The South’s overall pick for Best Mom on Television is Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball’s timeless character on I Love Lucy. But it’s also a region with a soft spot for cartoon mothers: Virginia put Wilma Flintstone above everyone else, while North Carolina has Marge Simpson at #1.
The Northeast
Photo: NBC
Mother’s Day belongs to Happy Days for voters in the Northeast, who put Marion Cunningham at #1. Delaware, by contrast, has picked Deborah Zbornak of Golden Girls over Cunningham and others. Massachusetts has a love for TV classics, apparently, selecting Laura Petrie of the Dick Van Dyke show as their Top Mom.
Outside the US
Photo: The WB