The TV mom has long been a cultural icon. Whether it’s June Cleaver in all her housewifely perfection or Carol Brady with her effervescence and warmth, we look to our favorite moms on TV for laughs, for inspiration and to provide those intangible qualities that make sitcom families feel as familiar to us as our own. This year, we were lucky enough to bear witness to some of the hardest-working, smartest, funniest and most diverse moms ever seen on TV. Here are 10 primetime moms who stole the spotlight in 2016.
Jessica Huang from ‘Fresh Off the Boat’
Fresh Off the Boat‘s Jessica Huang is by far one of the funniest moms on television, but that’s not all her character has to offer. Jessica is one of those rare parents who knows exactly how to balance being strict and pushing your kids toward success with maintaining a loving and supportive parent-child relationship. She’s hard on her kids, but she’s also the first person they can go to whenever they need someone in their corner. There’s not another mom on TV who can be equal parts authoritarian and ally and still keep the audience laughing through every single episode.
Rainbow Johnson from ‘Black-ish’
Rainbow “Bow” Johnson is the working mom we’ve always wanted to see on TV. She encourages her kids to be themselves and to make mistakes. Most important, she understands that she doesn’t always have the right answers. Black-ish has tackled tough issues like racism and police brutality, and Bow always handles even the hardest subjects with openness and love. She’s the kind of mom each of us strives to be.
Jane Villanueva from ‘Jane the Virgin’
Jane the Virgin‘s Jane Villanueva shatters all the usual tropes about TV moms. While she embraced motherhood and is totally devoted to her son, she’s also not willing to compromise her dreams in order to be the perfect mom. She struggles to find balance like every parent does, and she’s not afraid to screw up or admit when she needs help. Jane never pretends everything in her life is perfect, and we’re addicted to her honesty and realness.
Beth Pearson from ‘This Is Us’
Beth is one of the fiercest and most stable characters on This Is Us. She’s married to Randall, who is one of the series’ main characters, and time and time again, she proves that she’d do anything to protect her family. She helps Randall navigate family problems, work issues and anything else life throws his way, and she does it all while still maintaining her own identity and her own ideas about how she wants her life to go. Beth is funny and playful, but it’s her strength of mind and her integrity that make her one of the best parents and people on This Is Us.
Lorelai from ‘Gilmore Girls’
Most of us watched Gilmore Girls for the first time when we were young and childless, so we related to Rory Gilmore. But now that we have kids, Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life had us seeing Rory’s mom, Lorelai, in a whole new light. In the Gilmore Girls revival, we saw Lorelai work through her father’s death and grapple with the future of her relationship with her longtime love, Luke Danes. She’s one of the top TV moms of 2016 because we can all relate to her struggle to find herself and figure out her next steps as her daughter grows up and her role as a mom evolves.
Mindy Lahiri from ‘The Mindy Project’
Mindy Lahiri is a successful OB-GYN who runs her own fertility clinic and also happens to be a brand new mom. Most fans weren’t expecting The Mindy Project to take on motherhood, but the role has provided an even deeper level of humor and relatability to Mindy’s character. She is all of us, hustling and fumbling her way through new motherhood while trying to retain a sense of herself and her ambition. It’s not easy, and there’s nothing like a show that gets real about what it’s like to adjust to new motherhood.
Gloria Pritchett from ‘Modern Family’
Gloria Pritchett is often a source of comic relief on Modern Family, but she’s also a terrific example of a tender, supportive mom who knows it’s OK to put herself first sometimes. Her son Manny is smart and sophisticated, but doesn’t always fit in with the crowd, and Gloria doesn’t give a damn about what anyone else thinks. She loves Manny unconditionally, and she shows him by example that it’s OK to stay true to yourself and refuse to compromise who you are in order to please anyone else.
Christy Plunkett from ‘Mom’
On NBC’s Mom, Christy Plunkett is a recovering alcoholic struggling to raise two kids and repair her relationship with her once-estranged mom. Unlike a lot of TV moms, Christy has real issues, and she never tries to hide from them. She proves time and time again that it’s possible to confront your issues, fix your mistakes and try to make each day a little bit better than the one that came before it.
Cookie Lyon from ‘Empire’
If there’s one TV mom who fully embodies strength and determination, it’s Cookie Lyon. Cookie spent 17 years in prison paying for her husband’s mistakes, but now she’s making up for lost time with her three sons. She’s trying to repair her relationships with them while also building a lucrative business. Empire is heavy on the drama, and Cookie is usually at the center of it, but no matter what, she will do anything to get what she wants and protect the people she cares about, and that makes her one of the fiercest and most dynamic TV moms.
Lena and Stef from ‘The Fosters’
The Fostersare one of the most unique families on TV. Lena and Stef are a same-sex couple with a blended family of five amazing kids. Together, they not only kick ass at managing the ups and downs of parenting and adoption, but they also potray the realities of being in a committed relationship with refreshing honesty. The Fosters is one of those rare shows that makes you laugh, cry and nod your head in recognition week after week, and it’s mostly because of the powerhouse duo of Lena and Stef.
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