15 Best TV Mothers Of All Time, Ranked

Television has spent generations giving us fictional moms to celebrate alongside the real ones, and if you haven't called your mom in a while, you may have secured your place as the least favorite child. Though we all have different relationships with our real-life mothers or stepmothers, nearly everyone has a TV mom they feel helped raise them just as much as their actual parents — metaphorically, of course. 

Compared to TV's best father figures, the best TV moms often share similar qualities: unconditional love for their kids, a desire for them to do better, and above all else, an instinct for doing the right thing. Of course, not every great TV mother fits neatly into the wholesome sitcom mold. Some of these mother characters from across TV history may toe the line between being good and bad people, but when it comes to their parenting, they deserve their flowers this Mother's Day. Just as long as you send your actual mother flowers first! 

Starting with a potentially controversial take, Jessica Huang doesn't get enough credit for being a great mother in "Fresh Off the Boat." She embodies a lot of stereotypes of the "Tiger Mom " trope — strict expectations for her children, a competitive drive for them to succeed, and a tendency to become emotionally distant when they disappoint her. However, Jessica also holds herself to those same standards, which motivates her to become an author and continue her education in later seasons of the show.

Jessica does eventually have to come to terms with her own helicopter parenting in the "Fresh Off The Boat" series finale, embracing her son Eddie's decision to go to culinary school rather than attend Harvard like his mom wanted. She's very imperfect, as all people are, but just think about how many people would kill to have a mom this dedicated to making their lives better and pushing them to their fullest potential. 

"Empire" is another unconventional choice for a list like this, considering its matriarch protagonist is an ex-convict who takes control of her husband's hip-hop record label. Taraji P. Henson rose to even greater stardom thanks to her nuanced portrayal of Loretha "Cookie" Lyon. Henson not only perfectly embodies the character's rough exterior as a business mogul but also her softer interior as a mother who's fiercely loyal to her family. Even at her most ruthless, Cookie rarely loses sight of the people she's fighting for.

Beyond all the business deals and crime that Cookie is involved with throughout "Empire," at the core, there's a woman who simply wants to improve her family's status, no matter what it takes. She's fiercely protective of her children and accepting of who they are, as shown by her encouragement of her son Jamal to come out in Season 1 and her willingness to take the fall for her husband's money laundering operation. 

Wendi McLendon-Covey deserves a lot of credit for serving as the grounding force of "The Goldbergs" for 10 seasons, especially after Jeff Garlin's character was written off the show for its final two seasons. The same goes for Beverly Goldberg, the character she plays, who, despite being very overprotective and smothering towards her children, proves to be a genuinely loving mom her kids are lucky to have. 

Beverly definitely inserts herself into the lives of her kids — and later her grandkids — but that tendency occasionally comes in handy when they end up in ridiculous situations, like accidentally joining ROTC or losing a baby doll for health class. By the series finale of "The Goldbergs," Beverly is encouraged by her kids to pursue a new relationship with a former high school boyfriend, which is just the kind of reverse parenting that her kids have become capable of thanks to the way she raised them. 

Some of those who have watched "Gilmore Girls" might scoff at the notion of putting Lorelai Gilmore on this list, given how chaotic her life is across the show's seven seasons. Played by Lauren Graham, Lorelai was a teenager herself when she got pregnant with her daughter, Rory, and ran away from home to get away from her disapproving parents. For a single mother spending most of the lead-up to the series' first episode raising Rory, she did a pretty good job, given that Rory does well enough to go to private school and attend an Ivy League university.

Part of Lorelai's great parenting is the wherewithal to not raise her baby with her wealthy parents but to take Rory to the cozy town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, inspired by an emotional, real-life experience of creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Lorelai can also be self-absorbed and stubborn, which leads to some regrettable decisions — including cutting off contact with Rory after she decides to take a gap year from college. Ultimately, the two care deeply about each other and genuinely want the best for one another, which is all you can really ask for from a mother-daughter relationship. 

Maybe we're just biased from the recent passing of comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, but there's an argument to be made that Moira Rose is a much better mother than she's ever given credit for. Sure, all the members of the Rose family have their issues at the start of "Schitt's Creek," having lost their fortune and been forced to relocate to a shoddy motel in the unfortunately-named titular town. Though humility does not come easy to the Roses, over the course of the series, their growth and connection with one another create some of the best character arcs on television.

Moira, especially, has a difficult adjustment as she transitions from a life of soap opera stardom to becoming involved in local politics. As eccentric and overdramatic as she is, the experience of living in Schitt's Creek not only strengthens her relationship with her husband Johnny, but also finds her becoming a true maternal figure for both Alexis and David, her children. By the end of "Schitt's Creek," being a loving and supportive mother no longer feels like just another role Moira is playing, but a genuine part of who she is. 

A lot of Kitty Forman's maternal instincts come naturally to her as a working nurse, though if any kids test her resilient patience, it's the cast of "That '70s Show." Since much of the negativity in the Forman household comes from Red, Kitty's gruff and misanthropic husband, she's left to counter it with a cheery disposition and radical acceptance. However, that doesn't prevent Kitty from having the occasional angry outburst when circumstances become too overwhelming, or from relying a bit too heavily on alcohol to numb her emotions.

Little has changed in Kitty's personality by the time of the cancelled "That '90s Show," in which Debra Jo Rupp reprises a similar caretaker role for her grandchildren. However, "That '70s Show" is probably the best showcase of how her caretaker nature extends not only to her children, Eric and Laurie, but also to Eric's adoptive brother Hyde, as well as his friends Kelso, Jackie, Donna, and Fez. 

As the title of the series suggests, the many matriarchal figures in "Modern Family" cover a wide spectrum of American family dynamics. Aside from Julie Bowen's controlling and paranoid Claire Dunphy, "Modern Family" fans also marveled at Sofia Vergara's portrayal of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, the much-younger second wife of Ed O'Neill's Jay. Though she's initially ostracized by the wider family because of her age-gap relationship with Jay, her bubbly personality and devotion to her children quickly endear her to the rest of the family. 

Although Gloria is known to have a bit of a mysterious past before marrying Jay, none of that takes away from her deep love for the family, especially her son Manny from her previous marriage. She's far from a perfect parent, having made it very clear to Manny that she wanted a girl, but she's also fiercely protective of her son's Colombian identity, even if that protectiveness stretches into nearly every aspect of Manny's life. 

Susan Bennett is a far cry from the other mother figures in Seth MacFarlane's TV shows, who are often — as animated characters tend to be — horribly toxic and abusive toward their family members. However, for a TV show following the teenage years of Mark Wahlberg's Johnny from MacFarlane's "Ted" movies, Susan is surprisingly wholesome and loving as a mother. Compared to her extremely racist husband Matty, or her mischievous son and his foul-mouthed teddy bear, she can also come off as extremely naive. 

If anything, Susan's kindness and motherly behavior are impressive given how little they're warranted by the rest of the Bennett family. Take, for instance, her insistence on housing Johnny's cousin Blaire to keep her away from Susan's misfit brother-in-law, or joining Johnny and Ted's "Dungeons & Dragons" game out of a vested interest in keeping her children on the right track, though she's unaware that the "D&D" game is being played in exchange for weed. If "Ted" Season 3 is not on the horizon, hopefully we can see more of Susan in Peacock's upcoming animated "Ted" sequel series at Peacock. 

"Family Ties" was a sitcom exploring the dynamics of a family during a politically peculiar time in America. Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter play Steven and Elyse, a married couple who met as hippies in the 1960s. In the then-present-day 1980s, they grapple with their eldest son, Alex Keaton (played by a pre-"Back to the Future" Michael J. Fox), joining the Young Republicans under the influence of President Ronald Reagan-era conservatism. In spite of this still topical premise, Baxter's Elyse is the glue holding this politically opposed family together.

Though their loving natures often come off as appropriately hippy-dippy, it's this acceptance and progressivism that make Elyse and Steven one of the best sitcom couples of all time. As the series progresses, their parenting of Alex counteracts his more conservative views, molding him into a much better person as a result. It's hard to imagine Alex fumbling his Princeton University interview in favor of taking care of his little sister Mallory if it weren't for the lessons taught to him by a caring and ultimately forgiving mother like Elyse. 

A single mom who works two jobs, who loves her kids and never stops, with gentle hands and the heart of a fighter — Reba Hart is a survivor. The country music star transitioned to television with the titular sitcom "Reba" in 2000, airing on The WB, the network now known as The CW. Reba, simply put, does a heck of a great job parenting her three kids: eldest daughter Cheyenne, middle child Kyra, and youngest son Jake. All the while, she grapples with major crises when her dentist husband leaves her for a dental hygienist, and Cheyenne learns she's pregnant, all within the very first episode. 

Even when her life is crumbling around her, Reba is the type of mom you want: she's fierce, demanding, loving, and resilient. Of course, she makes plenty of mistakes as a parent throughout the series, but the fact that she never gives up on her family in spite of all the chaos and heartbreak earns her a spot on this list. If only the "Reba" reboot at The CW wasn't scrapped, because we still wonder how Reba Hart is doing decades later. 

Whether Lois from "Malcolm in the Middle" is a good person, or even one that's well-liked by her neighbors, has little bearing on whether or not she's a good mother to Malcolm, Francis, Reese, and Dewey. The central family of "Malcolm in the Middle" was designed to be an every-family, down to their surname never being confirmed in the series. Likewise, many aspects of Lois feel true to an ordinary mom: She's hard-working, nurturing, and strict, with her fits of rage often sparking fear in both her sons and her husband, Hal.  

However, as overbearing and obnoxious as Malcolm's parents are, even the "Malcolm in the Middle" reunion on Hulu reminds us that, at her best, Lois was the type of mother who expected more from her children. At her worst, though, those expectations could become wholly unrealistic. That being said, knowing how poorly behaved those four kids are, Lois earns her volcanic eruptions now and then, as it's the only way they ever seem to learn what not to do. 

"All in the Family" isn't just one of the best sitcoms ever made, but Archie Bunker and his wife Edith may be among the best TV parents in television history. Despite being an incredibly bigoted misanthrope, Archie Bunker somehow won over TV audiences, and much of that is thanks to Jean Stapleton's performance as Edith, the naive but sweet mother of Gloria, who is far more accepting of her son-in-law, Meathead, than Archie is.

Not only is Edith the moral center of the series, but without her empathetic wisdom in every episode, who knows how viciously miserable Archie would be? There's perhaps no greater proof of this than the character's death, which changed the show so dramatically that Norman Lear renamed it "Archie Bunker's Place." In many ways, Edith functioned as the emotional glue holding both the family and the series together. Obviously, losing such an integral figure is painful for any family unit, but given Edith's positivity and kindness, it was an especially devastating loss. 

The fact that Morticia Addams is such a great mother feels strange, given that the Addams Family are notoriously terrible people. Whether it's in the original "The Addams Family" series from the 1960s or Netflix's more teen-than-scream series "Wednesday," Morticia is the more serious member of the family compared to her doting husband, Gomez. Nevertheless, her love for her family, especially her kids, Pugsley and Wednesday, puts her well above some of the more grounded TV mothers on this list. 

If anything, as established by the original series, Morticia's love for her family can often go too far. Her protectiveness over her children often puts her at odds with the outside world, such as in one episode where she fears something is deeply wrong with Pugsley after he starts showing an interest in being a normal boy. Despite everything spooky and kooky about the Addams Family, Morticia still teaches her children some valuable lessons about modesty and being a giving person — just maybe not for the right reasons. 

For a show called "How I Met Your Mother," introducing the titular mother was always going to be a big moment for the writers. However, in this particular instance, they knocked it out of the park when finally introducing Cristin Milioti as Tracy, the eventual wife and mother of Ted Mosby's children, whose love story is told throughout the final season of the series. Although many fans believe the series finale completely ruined the show, the love for Tracy is unanimous. 

There aren't many moments depicting Ted and Tracy as parents together, but the life they build in the series seems almost too idyllic to be true. Given that Ted becomes overcome with emotion at the prospect of Tracy missing her own daughter's wedding, it's clear they were one happy family for at least a few years before Tracy sadly died from an unknown illness — or not, if you choose to believe the alternate ending is canon. 

Even though the mere mention of "The Cosby Show" brings to mind a series whose legacy has been tarnished by scandal, it'd be difficult to name a TV mother more influential to an entire generation than Phylicia Rashad's Clair Huxtable. Not only is Clair the most grounded member of the Huxtable family, but she's also something of a model mother: a hard-working lawyer, a loving provider for her family, and the perfect balance of warmth and discipline that her other half famously lacks.

As a feminist icon, it's hard to think of a better role model for what motherhood can or should look like than Clair. Before "The Cosby Show," it was rare to find a mother on TV who wasn't a stay-at-home mom, let alone one who was also a strong, independent, working woman in her own right. Although the legacy of "The Cosby Show" is forever tainted by its creator's personal life, many viewers will always have a soft spot for the woman who proved that motherhood is far more complex than television had often portrayed it in the past.