My Favorite Television Moms

 

#10 - Samantha Stephens - "Bewitched"

 

She had a firm hand and a soft heart.  Her interactions with Tabitha and Adam were always fun to watch as she seemed to have that fine line of discipline and nurture balanced.  Where her husband Darren might be overanxious at times or lackadaisical at others, she seemed to always be in complete control of the situation.   

#9 - Marge Simpson

She was always the voice of reason, that often went unheard and underappreciated at first, but in the end would prevail.   Whether it was her husbands foolish antics, her son Bart's daredevil schemes or her daughter's well intentioned but often not thought out very well plans to save the world,  Marge was often the hero that came through for her family.   She would go above and beyond for her kids and often did.  Many episodes of her nurturing Lisa as she grew into a woman and helping Bart to find himself as well.   She was a good mom to Maggie too.

 



#8 - Lily Munster - "The Munsters"

 

 

 

She encompassed the word "mother" in about everyway that the word can be encompassed.   She was more than just a mom to her son Eddie.  She was a mother figure to Marilyn, her husband and even her own father.   I don't have a whole heck of a lot more to say about her than that.  She was fun.  



#7 - Claire Huxtable - "The Cosby Show"

What I appreciated most about Claire Huxtable is that she taught her son to be respectful of women and to look at them equals, while at the same time teaching her daughters  to be respectful ladies themselves.  She was the force behind the Huxtable's strong family structure and in making parenting a balanced activity between husband and wife.  She set a very strong example for her children in showing how a woman could have a very successful career and be a mother at the same time.    I feel that the show was unrealistic in its depiction of such a scenario, as I feel that it would have been much more difficult for her to have spent the type of time she did with her family, seeing the type of career she had.  Nevertheless she put to rest  the idea that moms can't have successful careers.

 

#6 - Harriett Winslow - "Family Matters"  

And just to set the record straight before we get started I'm referring to Jo Marie Payton, not the other woman that filled in for her after she left the show.   Harriett Winslow is one of my favorite mothers because she always filled in for Carl when he wasn't sure what to do, and she would always allow Carl to fill in for her when she wasn't sure what to do.   She knew how to be tough on Laura, when Carl would go too easy on her and she knew how to be easier on Eddie when Carl was being too rough on him.  She was the solution, often when there didn't seem like there would be one and I think that's a role mom's often take in their children's lives.  

#5 - Jill Taylor - "Home Improvement"

Jill was madly in love with her husband and with her three boys.   She was similar to Claire Huxtable in many ways, but I think she had more of a challenge as her kids were more diverse, where as Claire's were more similar.   Brad, Randy and Mark, as well as Tim, all presented challenges to Jill as a mother, and she usually  came through in helping each one through their problems.  

#4 - Edith Bunker - "All in the Family"

 

I always felt bad for Edith Bunker.  All she wanted was to make everyone around her happy and her acts of decency and kindness often seemed to go unrewarded.  It was rewarding as well as refreshing anytime she'd stick up for herself.   Archie loved her, that I have no doubt of.  He appreciated her too, that I have no doubt of.  Yet it was her unconditional love that kept the two of them together. Sometimes when I watch "All in the Family" I want to throw a shoe at the screen, hoping to knock some sense into Edith.  She shouldn't have to put up with some of the crap that she does.  Yet other times, a part of me admires her because her undying devotion always shines through.

 

#3 - Sophia Petrillo - "The Golden Girls"

 

She was sarcastic, fun and didn't take any shit from anybody.  She took life's hardships head on with a smart-aleck attitude and a kiss my ass mentality.   I loved that about her.  Makes me wish I was more like that myself.  She never allowed Dorothy to feel sorry for herself, never allowed Blanch to think too much of herself and she wasn't afraid of hurting Rose's feelings.  It's not that she was malicious or insensitive, she just didn't sugarcoat anything.   She told it like it was.   I admired that.

 

 

 

 

 

#2 - Marie Barone - "Everybody Loves Raymond"

If there has ever been a television mother that reflected my mother, it is Marie Barone.   Always has the best intentions, would do anything for you, but can't always see her own faults.   It's hard to ever be all that mad at her, because even when she did hurt Ray or Robert, it was never her intention to.  She was very naïve to how some of the things she said and did could be hurtful to others, because her motivation was always to help and never to hinder.   She often felt underappreciated by others, as she expected more of an enthusiastic gratitude than what they gave.  No one ever left her house with an empty stomach.  In so many ways, more than the ones I've listed,  she reminds me of my own mother.

#1 - Roseanne Connor - "Roseanne"

As I said when I evaluated Dan from "Roseanne" minus the last two seasons of the series, there will never be a more realistic representation of a real life mother than Roseanne.  She was a mother that loved her family very much, but she didn't always do the right thing.  She didn't always have the right answers and she didn't always know what to do.   Real life isn't solved in a three act structure and for the television show to have the courage to depict that on screen was extremely courageous.  Roseanne was and in my opinion always will be the greatest television Mom of all time.  While other television mom's were often presented in a rather patronizing manner saying, "this is who you ought to be", Roseanne instead said, "This is who you are and you know what, that's ok.  You're doing your best"

 

 

My favorite Television Fathers

 

 

#10 - Don Wrigley - "The Adventures of Pete and Pete"

As a former TV-aholic, one of the many shows I watched religiously as a kid was "The Adventures of Pete and Pete".   My favorite character on the show without a doubt was Pete and Pete's Dad.   He was fascinated by the smallest things and often overly excited about things that the rest of us find mundane and boring.   He often made mistakes, but he meant well.  He always had good intentions.  

 

#9 - Carl Winslow - "Family Matters"

 

"Family Matters" was a long running, successful show and many of the episodes centered around Carl's relationships with his own children Eddie and Laura (Judy mysteriously left the show) and with the annoying next door neighbor Steve Urkel.  During the time "Family Matters" ran on primetime it often competed with television shows like "Full House" which was completely unrealistic, painting a picture perfect scenario of life.  I suppose by today's standards,  "Family Matters" is still pretty tame and unrealistic itself, but back in the late 80's and early 90's before the show got too ridiculous, it dealt with some very real and very tough issues.   We got to see how Carl reacted to Laura cheating on a test,  Eddie getting drunk,  Eddie wanting to skip college to be a basketball superstar, Eddie being offered drugs, a school shooting, Eddie moving out of the house, Eddie dealing with racial profiling and an assortment of the many problems Steve Urkel had.  I loved the relationship that Carl had with Steve.   He always put on the image that he couldn't stand Steve and wished that he wouldn't come over, but on the same hand,  you knew that he cared for Steve as if Steve were his own son.  

 

#8 - Fred Sanford- "Sanford and Son"

 

How can you not love Fred Sanford?  His relationship with Lamont was rather unique as it was often the son that was the teacher and the father that was the learner in many of the episodes.  You always got the impression that it was Fred that needed Lamont more than it was Lamont that needed Fred.  That's one of the things I suppose I appreciated most about the show.  It illustrated how parent's need their children as much as children need their parents.

 

 

#7 - Cliff Huxtable- "The Cosby Show"

 It was relaxed, laid back, with the kind of problems that were often easily solved.  I think it's the type of life that most men, when they fantasize about being married with kids, picture.  I think the people in life who want to be Dads often picture life with their children much like it was for Cliff Huxtable and his kids.  They dealt with problems and issues, but there was always solutions that never seemed too far away.   It was an interesting juxtaposition of realism and fantasy mixed together in one.  I feel that the problems that they addressed on the show were often realistic, but solutions seemed more than bit stretched.  I think he's the kind of father that many men would like to be, but often can't because of extenuating circumstances.

#6- Tim Taylor - "Home Improvement"

Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor never had a clue what to do, but you always knew that even if he wasn't sure how to solve a problem, he was going to do his best to solve it anyway.    He wasn't a intellectual man with the know how of how to deal with every problem that entered his kid's lives, but he was a very involved and caring father who made up for a lack of knowledge with a passion, heart and commitment for his kids.  

#5 - Homer Simpson - "The Simpsons"

 

Homer Simpson has to be one of the dumbest, idiotic and careless characters to have ever been on television.  Yet, in spite of his many flaws, you'll find few as loyal, committed and loving towards his family.  He messes up constantly and mistakes are made every second, but he'll do anything for Bart, Lisa and Maggie.   I think he is a character that would otherwise be unlikable or good for laughs at best, but because of his redeeming quality to honestly and truthfully love his family, we can't help but admire him a bit too.  

 

 

 

#4- Andy Taylor-"The Andy Griffith Show"

I have a special connection with Andy Taylor from the "Andy Griffith" show because I often saw a bit of Andy in the way my Dad fathered me.  I think you can learn a lot from television and that's why I wish that we had better programming on today.  The show wasn't spoon fed or pretentious or condescending or patronizing in any way.  It simply showed different scenarios between a father and son and different ways in which it was handled.   Andy was human,  he didn't always do the right thing.  He made mistakes sometimes and really I think that's why the show resonates so well with such a large demographic of people.   It's not just loved by the people who grew up on it.  It's loved by people that were born 20, 30 even 40 years after the last episode ended.   Times have changed, people have changed, but there is still a lot a person can pick up from watching the show, especially the interactions between Andy and his son Opie. 

 

 

#3- Jack Arnold - "The Wonder Years"

 

Jack Arnold is  a very symbolic representation of what many of us never had the intention of ending up like, but did anyway because of the circumstances life dealt us.   When I think of myself as ever having kids, I picture myself becoming Jack Arnold.    A man hardened by life, who in spite of his greatest efforts, can never get ahead.   He seemed like he was often grumpy and in a bad mood, much like I remember my father being when I was little.   Yet, as the show progressed and Kevin, Wayne and Karen got older, they began to understand how and why there father was the way he was.   It's a shame that Dan Lauria never really did a whole heck of a lot after being Jack Arnold.  He played the role so well, that it is how you pictured him to actually be.  In reality he's the type of guy that smiles and jokes around quite often.  Yet he was able to play the part of the often bitter and depressed Jack Arnold extremely well.   Jack was a man that loved his family and wanted the best for his children, but often felt that he had came short on providing them the life that he thought they deserved.   He wanted more out of life for his family than life was willing to ever give him.   He was extremely hard on himself, but yet often easier on his kids.   The episode where Kevin gets a C on his test, and Jack's proud of him for doing his best in particularly sticks out in my head. 

#2- Dan Connor - "Roseanne"

 

I don't know if there ever has been or there ever will be again a more realistic television Dad than Dan Connor.   Granted yes, the last 2 years of the show were bizarre but the rest of the series was very realistic.   He's just a simple man, trying to do the best he could for his family.   Not every problem had a solution.  Sometimes he didn't know what to do and he just threw his hands up in the air and screamed.   That's reality, that's  life.  Life doesn't come with instructions and the difficulty is often set on expert whether we're ready for it or not.   The character of Dan Connor is who a majority of us either are or would be if we became Dad's.   Moments where we feel like a God, as we have solved our kid's problem or moments when we feel like a complete failure.   Television for years often painted a very unrealistic picture of what life ought to be as a father.  When "Roseanne" came on the air, it instead reflected what life actually was and it came in the form of Dan Connor.

 

 

 

#1 - Philip Banks - "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air"

 The balance of being loving and nurturing, yet affirmative and disciplinary is not an easy one to find.   That's why "Uncle Phil" is and always will be my favorite television father.  He wouldn't let Will or his children get away with anything.  He held them accountable for their actions, yet he also taught them to stick up for themselves as well.  A lot of people are rather praiseful of Will Smith and the character he created on the show, but I think that James Avery really stole the show with his performance as Philip Banks.  

Blacks I feel should have been, could have been and would have been WWE World's Champion

 

I recently read an article written by an author who feels that the world of professional wrestling, in particularly the World Wrestling Entertainment is racist towards the black community and has always been racist towards the black community.  You can visit my facebook page to read my comments on the author's article.

While the author did make some really good points, what he failed to do is mention the black wrestlers that he feels should have been crowned champion and why.   Since he didn't do that,  I'll do that.  

Here is a list black wrestlers that I feel either should have been, could have been or would have been WWE World's champion and why I feel that way.

Ahmed Johnson

Would Have Been Champion:  Ahmed Johnson -  I honestly believe that if it hadn't been for an amplitude of unfortunate injuries,  Ahmed Johnson would have eventually been crowned WWE champion.   Before his injuries,  he had been experiencing a great deal of success. He had easily defeated Goldust for the Intercontinental championship, making minced meat out of flamboyant one who had up until that point defended the title against a long list of top superstars and he had everything that a WWE champion needed.  He was a huge, monstrous wrestler with an incredible muscular physique, he was immensely popular with the fans and he had a ton of charisma.    What killed Johnson's career was his inability to stay healthy.    Had he not had to battle injuries so severely throughout his career, I believe the WWE would have gave him a stint as world's champion.

Rufus R Jones

 

Could have been champion: Rufus R Jones - A man with attitude, a man with spunk, a man with the markings of a champion.   Rufus R Jones wasn't champion probably for a number of reasons.  First off, he was never in the WWE.   Even if he had been in the WWE,  he would have been in it during a time when WWE centered around Bruno Sammartino, centered around Bob Backlund or when it was beginning to center around Hulk Hogan.   Do I believe that Rufus R Jones could have made a good world's champion?  Yes, I do.  Truth is, he would have been much like The Iron Sheik or Sgt. Slaughter in that he would have been a transitional champion, but I think he could have filled the role rather well.

 

 

Junk Yard Dog

 

Should Have Been Champion: Junk Yard Dog - Out of all of the wrestlers on this list,  I feel the strongest about JYD.  He was incredibly popular and over with the fans.  Everyone loved him.  I can remember when I first started watching professional wrestling and one of the first times I ever went to a large gathering where there were a bunch of people watching it on TV.   I was at a friend of my Dad's house, and there were about 35-40 people at this party gathered around a big screen TV watching wrestling.   They were sort of loud for the most part, but no where near as deafening as they were when JYD came out.   He was to them, what Hulk Hogan was to me.   Studying professional wrestling's history,  I honestly think that JYD could have been the black version of Hulk Hogan.   He was just that over and that beloved.   If the WWE would have utilized him correctly, he could have been not only the biggest black professional wrestling superstar of all time, but one of the biggest professional wrestling superstars of all time.   Was it racism? Was it simply a matter of timing? Was it because WWE already had their top star?  Not sure of the exact reason but I feel WWE missed the boat on not using JYD to his full potential.

 

 

 

Kamala

 

Should have been Champion: Kamala - During Hulk Hogan's 10 year heyday in the WWE, I think the WWE would have benefited taking the title off of Hogan and having him chase it a few more times.  One of the people that he could have dropped the title to would have been the mighty Kamala.   I never understood why the WWE took a character that could have been one of Hogan's ultimate foes, and practically made him into a joke.   His feud with the Undertaker and later the funny vignettes with Reverend Slick were quite entertaining, but I feel that Kamala could have been used better.   Here was a cannibal, a monster from the deep jungles of Uganda.   WWE was consistently looking for frightening heels that would pose an actual threat to the immortal Hulk Hogan and yet they let the opportunity with Kamala slip right past them.    I don't feel as strongly about Kamala as I do JYD, but he is someone I feel could have had a great feud with Hulk Hogan and spent at least a short amount of time as champion.  

 

 

 

Bobby Lashley

 

Would Have Been Champion: Bobby Lashley - You want to know why Bobby Lashley was never WWE champion? Bobby Lashley.   That's right, the only reason Bobby Lashley was never WWE champion, is because of Bobby Lashley.  It is his own damn fault he was never crowned the king.  He has no one to blame but himself for why he never got his moment on top of the highest point of the mountain.  He had only been in professional wrestling for a very, very short amount of time and he had already been given practically everything that the professional wrestling world had to offer him.  If he wouldn't have picked up his bags and skedaddled out the door for a career in MMA so God damned fast, no doubt he would have been crowned champion.   He's Brock Lesnar with darker skin and we've seen the God like status that WWE has granted Lesnar.  Things would've been no different for Lashley had he stuck around in the WWE.  The only reasoning why he isn't in the record books as a multiple time WWE world's champion is simply because he didn't want to be.  

 

 

Viscera/Mable

 

Could've Been Champion: Viscera/Mable - The timing would have had to have been perfect, but I think that Viscera/Mable could have been a great champion.  It's unfortunate that his time in the WWE was during the time when Shawn Michael's and his clique controlled everything.   The heel turn, along with being crowned King of the Ring, and his feud with Diesel already proved that he would have been a great opponent to take the belt off of Big Daddy Cool Diesel, and have Diesel chase him back for it.  I wouldn't call it racism, as much as I would call it simply a matter of Shawn Michaels wanting all of his buddies to share the limelight and Viscera/Mable simply wasn't one of them.   They guy was a great heel, easy for the fans to hate and someone that could have carried the title with prestige. 

 

 

 

"The Natural" Butch Reed

Would've/Could've/Should've Been Champion: Butch Reed -  It's hard to say the exact reason why Butch Reed never carried the WWE World's Title.   I suppose the easy answer is that he never stayed around long enough to have had the world's title put on him.   Then again,  I'm not so sure that would have ever happened even if he had stayed around longer.    From what I gather from those that knew him,  Reed's biggest problem was himself.   Not that too many others in the professional wrestling world have a lot of room to talk.   Reed was entertaining, had the huge, muscular body that McMahon seemed to always push and the guy was phenomenal in promos and interviews.    Would he have been crowned champion during Hogan's 10 year tenure?  I don't know.  Could he have at least made a great opponent for the Hulkster to have feuded with?  Absolutely.    I think though that the two things that killed his chances the most at being champion were simply that he didn't stick around long enough and that he was in the Federation during a time when it was centered heavily around Hogan and his more than human opponents. 



There you have it.  That is my list of black superstars that could have, should have, or would have been WWE heavyweight world's champion.

Do you agree with my list?  Would you add anyone too it? 

Let's hear your opinions.