My Blog

It was one of the defining series of the 1980s, but some fans wonder who died from Mama’s Family. Devised as a spinoff of the recurring sketch “The Family” on The Carol Burnett Show, Mama’s Family further explored the world of “Mama” Harper (Vicki Lawrence) and her wacky kinfolk. Picking up right where the characters left off from their sketch origins, Mama’s Family introduced more of the Harper clan and even saw the return of cast members from The Carol Burnett Show. Mama’s Family had an impressive six-season run and was an even bigger hit in syndication.

Lawrence, the sketch’s original star, was on hand for all six seasons of the sitcom’s run, and she was the glue that held the cast together. Though Mama’s Family ended up canceled after two seasons, it found popularity in syndication and ended up revived for four more seasons. As is usually the case with the most rewatchable sitcoms, Mama’s Family featured a mix of full-time cast members and one-off guest stars who helped to spice up each episode. In the end, the misadventures of the Harper family kept viewers tuning in for more.

Related

The 15 Best Sketch Comedy Series Ever (That Aren’t Saturday Night Live)

Saturday Night Live might be the most well-known sketch series, but others have proven that they can do it just as well or better!

Vicki Lawrence

Born On March 26, 1949

The titular “Mama” of the show’s title, Vicki Lawrence, reprised her role from The Carol Burnett Show as the sassy and wisecracking Thelma “Mama” Harper. Lawrence’s big break came as a member of TheCarol Burnett Show, and her years as a part of the cast of Mama’s Family was an extension of the earlier show’s popularity. She also occasionally played alongside another character — Eunice Higgins (Carol Burnett) — on the show. Lawrence reprised Mama on stage for Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show.

After Mama’s Family, Lawrence made sporadic guest appearances in other sitcoms and even had a recurring role as “Mamaw” Stewart on Hannah Montana. Vicki Lawrence is still alive and working on television today. Lawrence has continued to work into the 2020s on shows like Call Me Kat, and The Really Loud House, both in 2023.

Beverly Archer

Born On July 19, 1948

Starting from season 3 on, Beverly Archer played Iola Lucille Boylen, the Harper’s kind but annoying neighbor who was always involved in the family’s business. She plays Mama’s best friend, replacing the original character of Aunt Fran after the show killed off Rue McClanahan’s character when she choked on a toothpick. Just like Fran, Beverly has never been married, and is someone who is as opinionated as a person can get.

Following her nearly 100 episodes of Mama’s Family, Archer continued to find steady work in various TV series throughout the ’80s and ’90s. Archer was most recognizable for her co-starring role on the TV series Major Dad, in which she played the no-nonsense Sgt. Alva Bricker. The actress worked in the industry until 2002, when she quietly retired from performing. Other roles in her career include parts in TV shows Clueless, Jumanji, and Married… with Children.

Dorothy Lyman

Born On April 18, 1947

Brought to life by Dorothy Lyman, Naomi Oates Harper was Vinton’s second wife who often clashed with Thelma over her “gaudy” lifestyle choices. Naomi and Mama clash all the time, but Vinton loves her and nicknames her Skeeter. She fights with both Mama and Eunice and causes most of the conflict throughout the series. After Mama’s Family ended, Lyman worked as a producer and director, including producing and directing 75 episodes of Fran Drescher’s The Nanny during its run.

Lyman didn’t miss a beat after the cancelation of Mama’s Family, and she continued to land TV roles throughout the ’90s and into the 2020s. Besides appearing in myriad TV shows, Lyman also landed a cameo role in the 2006 Martin Scorsese film The Departed. Lyman has continued to work in the 2020s, guest-starring in The Girl from Plainville.

Allan Kayser

Born On December 18, 1963

For the final four seasons of the show, Allan Kayser played Bubba Higgins, the rambunctious teenage son of Ed and Eunice Higgins. After his parents moved away, Bubba was left to stay with Thelma. He is a rebellious and trouble-making teenager who makes Mama’s life harder than it ever needs to be. He also has a juvenile criminal record, and Mama helps him get his life back in order throughout the series.

Besides his starring role in the 1986 horror film Night of the Creeps, Kayser’s biggest role came as a member of the cast of Mama’s Family. He continued to work sporadically in the decades following the show’s cancelation and even appeared as Nicky’s Dad in the Disney Channel original movie Double Teamed in 2002. Kayser’s last roles came in 2013 when he appeared in two horror movies, House of Forbidden Secrets and House of the Witch Doctor.

Related

15 Sitcoms From The ’80s Everyone Forgot About

These sitcoms from the 1980s may have been widely forgotten by now, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t awesome.

Eric Brown

Born On December 17, 1964

Eric Brown played Vinton “Buzz” Harper Jr., Vinton’s son from a previous marriage who was often the most patient and accommodating member of the family. He had a great relationship with Mama and was often the most accommodating and well-behaved youngster in the entire series. After departing the series after its first cancelation in 1984, Brown ended up cast in a few parts in films and TV throughout the ’80s and ’90s.

His biggest role came as James in the cult classic horror film Waxwork in 1988. He also appeared in Video Murders (1988) and Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy (1989), and his last acting credit came in 1999 when he had a cameo role as an English teacher in the film Outside Providence. He also worked as an assistant director on some horror movies he appeared in and also acted in television commercials.

Karin Argoud

Born On November 8, 1960

Throughout the show’s first two seasons, Karin Argoud appeared in the cast of Mama’s Family as Sonja Harper, Vinton’s teenage daughter from a previous marriage, who was generally oblivious to the world around her. She was also Buzz’s sister, and the two shared a combative relationship throughout the series, as is often expected from siblings in sitcoms. She ended up named Miss Rayteen and then left with her brother at the end of her time in the series.

Mama’s Family was Argoud’s biggest role by far, though she did appear in single-episode stints on shows like Nash Bridges and had a cameo appearance in the irreverent 2001 comedy film Bartleby. In 2022, Karin Argoud appeared as Maria in the Hallmark original movie Love in the Limelight. She continued her comeback in 2024 with a role in the new audio series, A Mother’s Battle.

Carol Burnett

Born On April 26, 1933

With Mama’s Family spinning out of The Carol Burnett Show, it makes sense that Burnett would have a role in the series. Burnett played Eunice Harper-Jackson, Thelma’s antagonistic middle child, in the cast of Mama’s Family. A comedy legend, Burnett is, of course, famous for her self-titled The Carol Burnett Show. Following Mama’s Family, Burnett has worked steadily across film and TV, winning an Emmy for her role as Theresa Stemple in Mad About You.

In recent years, Burnett has done voice work for franchises like Toy Story and Trolls. Not limited to comedy, in 2022, Burnett appeared in four episodes of Better Call Saul. In 2019, the Golden Globes awarded her with the first Carol Burnett Lifetime Achievement Award for her legacy in television. In 2024, Burnett had her biggest role in years in the Apple TV+ series Palm Royale.

Ken Berry

November 3, 1933 – December 1, 2018

Throughout the show’s entire run, Ken Berry was part of the cast of Mama’s Family as Vinton Harper, Thelma’s youngest child, who was immature for his age and somewhat goofy. He had two kids in Buzz and Sonja, and he ended up marrying Naomi, someone who ended up as his mother’s greatest nemesis in the series. Ken Berry was a TV veteran when he landed his role on Mama’s Family. He had major roles in other top sitcoms in F Troop and Mayberry R.F.D.

However, after Mama’s Family, he only made a few on-screen appearances after the show went off the air. Berry starred in an episode of The Golden Girls in 1992 and played his final role in the TV series Maggie Winters in 1999. He stepped away from acting after that at the age of 66. Ken Berry passed away in 2018 at the age of 85 from heart complications.

Related

Every Show Set In The Golden Girls Universe

The Golden Girls is one of the most iconic sitcoms in television— but did you know there were many more shows within the Golden Girls universe?

Harvey Korman

February 15, 1927 – May 29, 2008

Also reprising his role from The Carol Burnett Show, Harvey Korman played Ed Higgins, Eunice’s exasperated husband who kept quiet despite his numerous disagreements with the family. Ed and Eunice Higgins left the series very early, as they were just there to connect it to the original skits. The only thing that remained was their son Bubba, who stayed with his grandmother. Besides his award-winning work with Burnett, Korman was also famous for his appearance in the hilarious Mel Brooks filmBlazing Saddles in 1974.

After departing the cast of Mama’s Family in 1984, Korman mostly transitioned to vocal work and lent his voice to the 1994 live-action adaptation of The Flintstones. Korman continued to work into the early 2000s in various voice-over roles, and the former Mama’s Family cast member passed away at the age of 81 in 2008 from complications from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Rue McClanahan

February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010

Rue McClanahan played Frances Marie Crowley, the younger sister of Thelma whose uptight attitude often clashed with her sister’s brazenness. McClanahan departed the show after her character’s death in 1984, which was because she choked on a toothpick she accidentally swallowed. After leaving the series, she immediately landed her signature role as Blanche Devereaux in the wildly popular sitcom The Golden Girls in 1985.

She also appeared in family shows like Boy Meets World and Safe Harbor in the ’90s and early 2000s. McClanahan also reprised the role of Blanche in other comedy shows Empty Nest, Nurses, and The Golden Palace. McClanahan also worked sporadically in television and movies until her death in 2010 at the age of 76 following a brain hemorrhage. She appeared in the 2003 movie The Fighting Temptations and had a late TV role in Law & Order in 2009, one year before her passing.

Betty White

January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021

Joining the cast of Mama’s Family sporadically throughout its run, Betty White played Ellen Harper-Jackson, Thelma’s elitist sister who avoided her working-class family as much as possible. A television legend, White was already in her fifth decade in show business by the time she was cast in Mama’s Family, and in 1985, she landed the role of Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, the part she would be most famous for. Ironically, she played Rue McClanahan’s sister on Mama’s Family and roommate in Golden Girls.

Betty White’s movie and TV roles continued up until 2019. The actress earned a whole new generation of fans thanks to movies like Lake Placid, where she shocked fans who grew up watching her on Golden Girls. She ended up as one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars as she remained in the public eye into her 90s. The Mama’s Family star passed away in 2021 at the age of 99, less than three weeks before her 100th birthday.

Mama’s Family

Mama’s Family is a sitcom centered around the abrasive, opinionated matriarch Thelma Harper, played by Vicki Lawrence, who lives with her quirky and dysfunctional family. Set in the fictional small town of Raytown, the show explores Thelma’s interactions and conflicts with her relatives, neighbors, and friends, often resulting in humorous situations. The series originally premiered in 1983 and is based on a recurring sketch from The Carol Burnett Show.