Some shows spend the entirety of their airtime attempting to spoonfeed their audience moral lessons. This doesn't mean there's no room for life lessons to be taught on television. But it seems that somewhere along the way, television lost its edge in an attempt to try and convince viewers to do the right thing. In the process, some shows sanitized themselves so deeply that they became downright boring.

Of course, there's something important to be said about a show's mission to make people laugh. The hope to entertain others is a perfectly acceptable goal that audiences will surely appreciate.

Mama's Family wasn't in the business of teaching anyone any life lessons. While plenty of families like the Brady family spent nearly every episode getting along, Thelma Harper and her family were a closer comparison to what a real family looked like.

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The characters in Mama's Family yelled and argued like any other family would, but they did it in a way that entertained viewers.

One of the show's writers and producers, Rick Hawkins, said that those running the series had no real intention of using Mama's Family as an instructional guide on how to run a family.

"We're there to be entertaining and amusing," said Hawkins during an interview with The Times. "We don't attack relevant social issues. You won't find that. We just want to make people laugh."

It was an endeavor that served Mama's Family well, as the series was wildly popular among fans across the country.

"Ours is the best syndicated show," said Hawkins.