Joe Hamilton wore many hats throughout his career: He was Carol Burnett’s husband, a television producer, an Emmy Award winner and a writer. He worked on shows such as The Garry Moore Show, The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family. 

Hamilton had plenty of success throughout his career, but even with all those accomplishments, he had a clear favorite. According to a 1983 interview with the Palladium-Item, it was Mama’s Family, starring Vicki Lawrence.

That might not be the answer everyone would expect, but Hamilton made no secret of how much he loved the series.

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Even though he never intended for Mama’s Family to become his full-time job, he admitted that he had considered "cutting the cord and letting someone else take over." That plan, however, never quite panned out.

"This is my favorite of the situational comedies I’ve done," Hamilton said. "You get to say something about, how can I put it, human relations. I always loved Barney Miller because good, or bad, it made a point."

Apparently, Mama’s Family had a special place in Hamilton’s heart from the very beginning. According to the interview, the sitcom had been one of his favorite projects since the idea of spinning off the character from The Carol Burnett Show was first proposed.

But getting the show off the ground wasn’t exactly a family affair from day one. A former CBS vice president offered Lawrence a "26-week, on-the-job air commitment," Hamilton said. Despite his advice to accept the opportunity, Lawrence initially turned it down.

"She didn’t want to make a career out of being an old lady," Hamilton said. "I think she didn’t feel ready to take on something that big. She was pretty young, after all. You know she was only 17 when she started the Burnett Show."

It took until the last minute for Lawrence to decide she was ready to take on Mama — the sharp-tongued, sarcastic and unapologetically outspoken character audiences would come to love. Hamilton gave her one last nudge.

"I said, 'Have you completely given up on the idea of Mama? Because if you have, I’ll give it back to the writers and see what they can do with it,'" Hamilton said. "She said, 'No, I think I’m ready to tackle it.'"

It’s hard to imagine anyone else bringing Mama to life, but without Hamilton’s encouragement, Mama’s Family might have looked very different. He may have produced the show, but he also helped give Lawrence the push she needed to make television history.

Of course, Hamilton had his own reservations about taking on another series. Even as Mama’s Family became a favorite, he had hoped to enjoy a little more downtime.

"When the Burnett Show was over, I swore I’d never do another series, and here I’ve done two, Mama’s Family and The Tim Conway Show," Hamilton said. "I like to spend six or eight months of the year in Hawaii, but it hasn’t been working out because I’m doing too much work. But if you enjoy it, you do it."

Hamilton may have dreamed of spending more time in Hawaii, but Mama’s Family clearly gave him a reason to stick around.