There's been a rich assortment of moms on TV, so we're handing out prizes for the best and worst for the holiday. Chime in with your choices as I reveal my picks for the best and worst TV moms. In no particular order, here's how I'd place six of them:
BEST: Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights
You can't get better than either half of the Taylors, who seem to exist to be absolutely great at everything, from their jobs to their marriage to their parenting (not even just their own kids, often doling out advice to every teenager in Dillon). But Tami in particular is an attentive, supportive, encouraging, yet firm and no nonsense mom at the same time- she's everything you'd want in a role model.
WORST: Skyler White, Breaking Bad
It's not that Skyler doesn't love her kids, and sure, every single audience member wanted her to join up with hubbie Walt's evildoings all along, and she tried to protect Walt Jr. and Holly by sending them away for a short time, but...in the end, choosing to partner up with the meth-making Walt, launder their money, stay quiet about his murders, collaborate in blackmail videos, and turn against her own sister and brother-in-law- well, she's not exactly mother of the year material.
BEST: Clair Huxtable, The Cosby Show
One of TV's most sophisticated moms, Clair got to have it all without breaking a sweat, from the fabulous career as a lawyer to the brownstone in Brooklyn to the five perfect children and wonderful marriage, so she must have been doing something right. Always organized, smart, and above all self-composed, she's the kind of idyllic woman that probably doesn't exist in reality, and that makes her the one you most wish that you yourself could be like.
WORST: Betty Draper/Francis, Mad Men
Of course, Betty had to make it onto my worst moms list. Selfish, childish, manipulative and cold as ice, her own children don't love her and she still doesn't see why. From being at turns jealous of and competitive with her own daughter to moody and sullen like the worst of teens, if Betty was your mom you'd elect to send yourself off to boarding school too, just like Sally did.
BEST: Laura Petrie, The Dick Van Dyke Show
One of the many happy homemakers from TV's golden age, but Laura Petrie was never just a simple housewife, frequently participating in her husband's showbiz activities herself and enjoying such a playful and flirty relationship with her husband Rob that the two often seemed to forget they even had a kid. Indeed, little Richie seemed to appear less and less as the series went on, and no problem he had was ever big or distracting enough that it couldn't be solved in an instant and him shooed off to his room so that Rob and Laura could go back to hanging out with each other. Sigh- if only being a mom was really that easy.
WORST: Irina Derevko, Alias
She may take the cake for the most evil of all TV moms, as the KGB agent who married Jack Bristow under false pretenses, had Sydney and then faked her death and disappeared for most of Sydney's life, only to turn back up and wreak havoc on the family again until her ultimate demise. Always with an unknown ulterior motive, Irina went back and forth so many times it was impossible to ever know whose side she was really on, but one thing she was always doing was certain- and that was betraying daughter Sydney, which makes her one of TV's worst moms.
Honorable mentions: Oh there are so many, but maybe we'll get to these next year, as there is certainly room on the list for Carmela Soprano (The Sopranos, right), Lorelai Gilmore (Gilmore Girls), Samantha Stephens (Bewitched), Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development), Carol Brady (The Brady Bunch), Julia Baker (Julia), Ruth Fisher (Six Feet Under), Roseanne Conner (Roseanne), Jillian Darmody (Boardwalk Empire), Lucy Ricardo (I Love Lucy) and many more. You decide under which category these various women belong, as some are kind of ambiguous and you can make arguments for why they might be one of TV's best and worst moms. Happy Mother's Day everybody!
