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Forget Donna Reed. Today's TV mothers - though still caring and nurturing - are bolder, smarter and tougher.
By ERIC DEGGANS, Times TV Critic
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 9, 2002
Everybody has their list of favorite TV moms, those on-screen paragons of nurturing and love that seemed so together you couldn't help wondering why your own family couldn't measure up.
But this critic isn't interested in the Donna Reeds and Florence Hendersons of yesteryear. My list of fave TV moms focuses more on the stuff that makes a great modern-day matriarch -- which includes equal helpings of chutzpah and tough love with all the sentiment and caring.
So step aside, Carol Brady and Shirley Partridge: Here are the 10 best TV moms for the new millennium.
10. Carmela Soprano (The Sopranos) -- Okay, she lets her mafioso husband cheat on her and hasn't handled son A.J.'s delinquency much better. But Edie Falco's Carmela is a steely realist who can twist New Jersey's biggest mob boss around her finger whenever she needs to.
9. Lily Sammler (Once and Again) -- Open and caring, even when her new husband's ex gets in her face, Sela Ward's Lily handled merging her two kids with her new hubby's two children without even mussing her mascara.
8. Edith Bunker (All in the Family) -- Surprisingly perceptive underneath her dingbat exterior, Jean Stapleton's Edith brought a big heart to counter bigoted husband Archie's blustery insults.
7. Claire Huxtable (The Cosby Show) -- Beautiful, nurturing and no-nonsense, Phylicia Rashad's Claire was a down-to-earth counterpoint to hubby Cliff Huxtable's loveable nonsense.
6. Debra Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond) -- More than just the typical sitcom "hot mom," Patricia Heaton's Debra Barone can go toe to toe with husband Raymond's overbearing mother and spare enough compassion to help her daughter get over losing a pet hamster.
5. Roseanne Conner (Roseanne) -- Roseanne Barr's working-class mom was the undisputed ruler of her household -- taming unruly kids, a burly husband, her unhinged sister and abrasive mom with heaps of sarcasm hiding an expansive heart.
4. Lois (Malcolm in the Middle) -- Surly, vindictive, bullying and aggressive, Jane Kaczmarek's Lois would be the worst mother in the world -- if she wasn't such a perfect match for her equally dysfunctional family.
3. Florida Evans (Good Times) -- Strong enough to raise a family of three kids in Chicago's toughest housing project, Esther Rolle's Florida still shone brightest when standing beside her proud, hardworking husband, James.
2. Marge Simpson (The Simpsons) -- Don't let the gravelly voice and blue hair fool you; this animated mom is strong enough to wear down bratty son Bart, out-think brainy daughter Lisa and corral her excitably moronic husband, Homer.
1. Sharon Osbourne (The Osbournes) -- This mom and rock star manager may let her kids cuss up a storm and wear more piercings than a sideshow geek, but watch five minutes of MTV's reality hit and you'll have no doubt who runs the show in this family, on or off stage. How else do you think the Prince of Darkness avoided the career obscurity that has swallowed so many of his former bandmates?