From Here to Maternity: 17 Beloved TV Moms

The Brady Bunch (1969-1974)

This lovely lady brought up three very lovely girls (and, later, a passel of boys) — and did quite a good job, if we say so ourselves. As the female head of a very large household, Carol managed to remain a positive force during her children's angsty teen conundrums, football-related injuries and trips to Hawaii. Plus, she did so with a contagious smile and an impressively unmovable hairdo.

Arrested Development (2003-2006, 2013)

Just because she's one of our favorite TV moms doesn't mean she's a good one. Not only did Lucille frame her own child in a car wreck, but she also forced her grown son to compete in Motherboy, a disturbing mother-son dress-alike competition. But how can we not love her unabashed honesty, especially when it comes to poor Tobias? In Lucille's words, ''You are a worse psychiatrist than you are a son-in-law, and you will never get work as an actor because you have no talent.'' Now ''Zip me up, Buster!'' doesn't seem quite so bad, huh?

Brothers & Sisters (2006-2011)

We applaud any mother who understands how many bottles of wine it takes to get through a family dinner and plans accordingly. But Nora's greatest gift (besides her apparently hereditary wit) is her unconditional love. She was devoted to her children whether they be divorced, gay, Republican, a recovering addict, or an embezzler. And nobody loves the embezzler.

Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

She's the mom entertainment junkies wish they had (and many hope to become), what with her endless pop culture references, her affinity for movie nights and repeat viewings (''We got us a Pippi virgin''), and her dog named Paul Anka. Lorelai, however, is also our hero because she found the ideal place to raise a child — Stars Hollow. It's a town that hosts a competitive dance marathon, a Festival of Living Art, and an elementary school production of Fiddler on the Roof starring a grown man (or Kirk) as Tevye. It's rare — and refreshing — to see an ''us against the world'' mother-daughter twosome so entrenched in a community. And eat that much.

Golden Girls (1985-1992)

The oldest Golden Girl's sage stories are legendary: They usually begin something like, ''Picture it: Sicily, 1945...'' and offer biting, oddly moralistic advice to her daughter, Dorothy (Bea Arthur), and her roommates Blanche (Rue McClanahan) and Rose (Betty White). Sophia's caustic wit — paired with a when-warranted tender touch — make her one of TV's most beloved matriarchs of all time.

Desperate Housewives (2004-2011)

Of all the moms on Wisteria Lane, Lynette has always been by far the most down-to-earth and real — especially when compared to divalicious Gaby (Eva Longoria), ice-queen Bree (Marcia Cross), and clumsy-silly Susan (Teri Hatcher). We'll always love her for ruling with an iron fist, and representing good, hard-working mothers everywhere.

Roseanne (1988-1997)

Overworked and under-appreciated, no one has the working-mom blues quite like Roseanne Conner, whose candor and humor can't mask her fierce devotion to her family. It may not be sugarcoated — guidance comes wrapped in sarcasm, eye-rolls, and promises of social humiliation — but the love on Roseanne is as real as the rest of the show.

The Cosby Show (1984-1992)

She's the chic '80s mom who taught us we can have it all: A meaningful career, a brood of loving children, a well-appointed home, some suave dance moves, and a devoted, foot-rub-giving husband. She's generally unflappable, doling out punishment for teenage drinking or curfew-breaking with a calm charm, but if you're going to drop out of law school — or eat a forbidden sub sandwich — watch out.

The Simpsons (1989-present)

Who wouldn't want to be Marge's ''special little guy''? She's endlessly patient, eminently forgiving, she can cook a three-eyed fish, and she hasn't aged a day in more than 20 years. She can turn a case of the mumps into domestic bliss, and anyone who can earnestly say ''I don't hate you for failing, I love you for trying'' earns a place on our list.

Friday Night Lights (2006-2011)

If there is such a thing as a perfect parent, Tami Taylor was it. She was not only mother to Julie and Gracie Bell, she was also a sort of pseudo-parent to half the students at the high school. She took fledgling town flirt Tyra Collette under her wing and guided her toward a brighter future, while rescuing her from an abusive rodeo hunk. She opened her home to both Tim Riggins and Lyla Garrity. But her finest moments came from her endless struggle to both protect and nurture her own teenage daughter — even when it means being the enemy. There have been few mother-daughter moments on the small screen more honest and heart-wrenching than when an emotional Tami confronts 15-year-old Julie about her plans to have sex with her boyfriend. We dare you to watch it without crying.

Family Ties (1982-1989)

She's a folk-singing, peace-lovin', former hippie. Her oldest son, Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox), is a Reagan-loving Young Republican who wears a tie every day. Oldest daughter Mallory (Justine Bateman) is a ditzy, boy-crazy fashionista. But a mother's love knows no bounds. And so, throughout the series' seven seasons, she supported Alex through a truly harrowing speed addiction; learned to accept Mallory's motorcycle-riding, boneheaded boyfriend; punched out a teacher; and went into labor on public television — while singing a folk song, no less. And she's an architect to boot. Was there anything this former flower child couldn't do? Most impressive, however, was her miraculous ability to birth a child who ages from an infant to a four-year-old practically overnight. What other TV mom can claim that?

The O.C. (2003-2007)

A beacon of level-headedness in a sea of cookie-cutter Orange County socialites, The O.C.'s Kirsten Cohen manages to keep it under control while taking in a troubled teen and raising him as her own, running a successful real estate business, and not sleeping with her children's boyfriends (unlike some of her neighbors). There was that whole alcoholism thing, but not to worry — she worked it out.

Six Feet Under (2001-2005)

The widowed matriarch of the Fisher clan, mild-mannered Ruth helps her children — Nate (Peter Krause), David (Michael C. Hall), and Claire (Lauren Ambrose) — keep the family funeral home business afloat, all while dealing with their frequently traumatic goings-on. Granted, the soft-spoken and sincere Ruth isn't always so sure of herself — how else could one explain her choice in men, from happy camper Hiram (Ed Begley Jr.) to the mentally unstable George (James Cromwell)? But it's the fact that she always has her kids' best interest at heart that made us want to give her a big hug every week.

Married with Children (1987-1997)

With a cigarette dangling from one hand and the remote control in the other, Sagal's sex-obsessed Peggy rules the suburban middle-class wasteland that is the Bundy household. It was the actress' own idea to outfit her character in '60s- and '70s-style TV-housewife garb — a hilarious move, as it further highlighted the divide between those women's devotion to homemaking and Peg's refusal to lift a finger, lest she chip a fake nail.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2001)

A vampire and a former demon mourned her death, along with millions of viewers who still tear up at the very mention of ''The Body.'' Everyone loved Joyce. And not just because she once struck Spike in the head with an axe and told him to stay the hell away from her daughter. Or because she once hooked up with ''Ripper.'' It's because she always saw the best in people and knew what mattered most, particularly when it came to Buffy: ''Principal Snyder said you're a troublemaker, and I could care less. I have a daughter who can take care of herself, who's brave and resourceful and thinks of others in a crisis. No matter who you hang out with or what dumb teenage stuff you think you need to do, I'm gonna sleep better knowing all that.'' Tissue. Now, please.

Happy Days (1974-1984)

She may not be the most mod mom on our list, but Mrs. C was just right for her place and time: 1950s Milwaukee, to be exact. With her tidy upswept 'do, crisp white apron, and prim strand of pearls, she comes from the Donna Reed school of mothering; but when the situation calls for it, she finds her edge: Who else would dare tell Fonzie to ''Sit on it''?

Various '80s sitcoms

Disney doesn't have a monopoly on missing maternal figures: For a while there, family sitcoms were obsessed with absent mommies. Diff'rent Strokes, Punky Brewster, Full House, My Two Dads, Blossom, The Nanny — mamas, don't let your children grow up to be TV clichés. You know, without you.