Lunch Break Video: Just admit it, you watched plenty of episodes of “Mama’s Family”

Well, if you don’t want to admit it, I’ll go ahead and fess up!

I’ve probably seen every episode of Mama’s Family, the sitcom starring Vicki Lawrence as Thelma (Mama) Harper which spun off from a series of sketches from The Carol Burnett Show.

The show ran for six seasons and really hit its stride once it was canceled by NBC – two seasons that also had two future Golden Girls in the cast: Rue McClanahan in the unfunny role as Thelma’s sister and Betty White as her self-absorbed daughter.

Once the show went to first-run syndication, Rue and Betty were gone and the young kids on the show were dropped and replaced with hottie Alan Kayser as Thelma’s grandson Bubba. His tight jeans and polo shirts alone made it worth watching! Ken Berry and Dorothy Lyman were a hoot as Thelma’s loser son and daughter-in-law and a real comic gem was Beverly Archer as the spinster neighbor Iola.

But it all would have been for naught with0ut the central performance of Lawrence as the cranky, outspoken, rude, loud and ultimately loving Mama Harper.

Here are a few clips. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you’re watching.