Mama’s Family, Golden Girls and It's Always Sunny | 90s TV Babies

They’re BAAAACK!
It’s 2025 and the world-renowned 90s TV Babies have reconvened around the TV screen to gaze upon 80s classic sitcom, Mama’s Family, starring Vicki Lawrence, Dorothy Lyman, Betty White, Rue Mclanahan and Carol Burnett. Do they see what Mama's fuss is all about!?
Serita Fontanesi, Megan Ruble -- and A BRAND NEW 90s TV Baby, Sailor Franklin -- drop in on “Mama” Harper, take a seat on the floral print couch, and weigh in with their thoughts.
 
What did they watch?  What did they think?

THE HOMEWORK:
S1: EP1 -- “Vint and the Kids Move In”
S1: EP4 -- “The Wedding, Part 2”
S1: EP6 -- “Cellmates”
S2: EP3 -- “The Country Club”
S2: EP21 --“Ask Aunt Fran”
 
EXTRA CREDIT: 
S1: EP2 -- “Rashomama”
S3: EP1 -- “Farewell, Frannie”
S3: EP11 -- “Where There’s Smoke”
 
And… the very first “Family” sketch from The Carol Burnett Show!
 
THE CONVERSATION

• ROOKIE MOVE: Sailor did ALL the homework -- AND the Extra Credit!
• EVERYBODY’S AWFUL:  How Mama’s Family is just like… It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia???
• Serita likes how the cast is filled with a variety of female characters who aren’t perfect people: “Women deserve to be bad, too!”
• BIG HIGH SCHOOL WIG: Vicki Lawrence’s “Mama” looks vastly younger than her own children!
• Serita likes that the MEN were most often the butt of the joke.
• SAME AS IT EVER WAS: Megan says: “We really don’t have classic sitcoms anymore where people DON’T grow and change. Mama's Family is comforting!”
• Serita says “these people act a fool” -- and she’s here for it!
• ON CELLMATES - Sailor: “If I had a nickel for every time sitcom characters get locked up together in a jail cell, along with a sex worker, and then get mistaken for being a sex worker… I would have... several nickels.”
• Did Mama’s Family portray sex workers with more equity than most?
• The shockingly honest way Mama’s Family addresses marriage -- and how it’s not always a romantic dream come true.
• Sailor was blown away by “Rashomama”: “’Mama’s Family’ is doing a riff on an Akira Kurosawa movie?? Yes!!” 
• IS IT FEMINIST? PROGRESSIVE?
  • Megan: “‘Mama’s Family’ is feminist -- but not progressive.”
  • Serita: “’Mama’s Family is feminist -- AND progressive.”
  • Sailor: “’Mama’s Family is semi-progressive -- and semi-feminist.”

AND… The Babies challenge Susan and Sharon to watch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia!
 
So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Serita and Megan and Sailor -- as they talk Abbott Elementary, Alan Alda, August babies!, Golden Girls, Coors Light, Die Hard, test boobs, Whoopi Goldberg -- and the “Sailor Franklin SitCom Spectrum”!
 
AUDIO-OGRAPHY
UPDATE: Find all SIX seasons of Mama’s Family free -- on Pluto TV.
Buy the streaming series at Amazon.
Buy the DVD set at Amazon.

Check DontGetPurged.org to make sure your name has not been purged from voter rolls!
Find out more about CREW at CitizensForEthics.org

VITAL READING
Get Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.
Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.
Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.
You can also follow Richardson’s substack.

SUPPORT FOR THE LA FIRES
Online at DisasterAssistance.gov 
On the FEMA App for mobile devices.
More resources at Eaton Canyon Community Relief.
Google List of LA County Resources. 

PLACES TO VOLUNTEER
Google Doc for Wednesday and ongoing.
Volunteer with the Red Cross.

TALK TO SOMEONE
Reach out to friends and family. Take care of yourself:
Pro Bono Therapy for LA Wildfires - Google Doc. 
More mental health resources at LARevive.

DONATING
Master GoFundMe List for LA Fire Victims Google Doc.
Displaced Black families in Altadena Google Doc. 
Gofundme pages for EATON CANYON COMMUNITY RELIEF

CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Join the conversation at Facebook.com/80sTVLadies.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 

In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan’s new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.
 
PLUS -- “80’s TV LADIES” MERCH is available at Fourthwall.