Violet Bridgerton, Barbara Howard & More TV Moms We Love
This Mother’s Day, raise a glass to your mama — and all the onscreen matriarchs who keep us entertained with their wit, wisdom, and one-liners.
Scroll down for five TV mothers we love, from Bridgerton, Abbott Elementary, The Golbergs, and more.
Lady Violet Bridgerton (Bridgerton)
While Lady Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) may not always get everything right all of the time — like when she doesn’t fully inform her daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) about the birds and the bees, or forces Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) to step up as the head of their home due to the resulting grief following her husband’s death — Violet does try awfully hard and clearly cares a lot. She’s also extremely intuitive, oftentimes dropping little truth bombs when her children need to hear it most, especially when it comes to love. Who wouldn’t want that in a mother figure? Key episode: “The Viscount Who Loved Me,” Season 2, Episode 8 — Meaghan Darwish
Barbara Howard (Abbott Elementary)
Abbott Elementary may focus more on the school dynamic, but it’s clear from the very first episode that Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) is the unofficial mom of the group, in addition to being a mother outside of her educating position. Despite her initial hesitancy toward taking eager teacher Janine (Quinta Brunson) under her wing, Barbara takes her “school mom” classification in stride. Key episode: “Mom,” Season 2, Episode 21 — Meaghan Darwish
Beverly Goldberg (The Goldbergs)
The ultimate “Smother,” Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) may not have had boundaries when it came to caring for her children, but that’s what made it so fun to watch the show. By the end of each half-hour episode, Adam (Sean Giambrone), Erica (Hayley Orrantia), and Barry (Troy Gentile) always knew who had their back, making our love for their TV mom Bev undeniable. Key episode: “Smother’s Day,” Season 3, Episode 22 — Meaghan Darwish
Sharona Fleming (Monk)
Single mom Sharona (Bitty Schram) has just one son, Benjy (Kane Ritchotte), but she may as well have two, since she often has her hands full dealing with her boss, OCD-afflicted private detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), on USA’s 2002–09 comedic crime procedural. Key episode: “Mr. Monk Goes to the Ballgame,” Season 2, Episode 3 — Linda Maleh
Joan Short (Life in Pieces)
“How about we have a weekly brunch and we lure everyone here with plates of free food?” Joan (Dianne Wiest) muses to her husband (James Brolin) on this 2015–19 CBS comedy. The savvy therapist knows how to keep her adult kids’ lives hilariously inextricable. Key episode: “#TBT: Y2K Sophia Honeymoon Critter,” Season 2, Episode 9 — Linda Maleh
Midge Maisel (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
As far as 1950s and ’60s moms go, Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is as unconventional as they come. And while the fast-talking character has caught some flack for missing her two kids’ bath time or breakfast, she’s showing the young ones how to forge their own paths by launching a career as a single woman. Now that’s marvelous. Key episode: “The Disappointment of the Dionne Quintuplets,” Season 1, Episode 4 — Linda Maleh
Louisa Durrell (The Durrells in Corfu)
Talk about a take-charge woman: Struggling British widow Louisa (Keeley Hawes) has her hands full supporting four kids, so she uproots everyone and relocates to the Greek island of Corfu to start fresh on the 1930s-set series, which ran on PBS from 2016 to 2019. Each day is an adventure, as Louisa tries to make a better life for her family. Key episode: Season 1, Episode 1 — Linda Maleh
Jules Cobb (Cougar Town)
Dealing with a divorce and a teen (Dan Byrd) isn’t easy, but on this 2009–15 ABC/TBS sitcom, real estate agent Jules (Courteney Cox) gets by with a little help from her friends, a goofy ex-husband (Brian Van Holt)…and some generous pours of red wine. Key episode: “When a Kid Goes Bad,” Season 1, Episode 15 — Linda Maleh
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