Thelma Harper and her spinster sister Fran open their home to Thelma's recently divorced son Vinton and his teenage son and daughter. It's quite an adjustment for everyone, especially the cranky, argumentative Thelma.
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
Bubba has a class project: to make a video about his family. The Harpers and Iola are happy to participate. But a short in the camera makes for awkward moments, as everyone's comments come out differently than intended.
Naomi, Ellen, and Eunice give their own versions of Mama's accident.
A love letter meant for Naomi mistakenly ends up in the hands of both Mama and Iola, leading to hilarious complications for all.
Vinton Harper Ken Berry's scheming buddy Claude Cainmaker Geoffrey Lewis talks Vint into a marriage scheme involving a woman from Portugal who hasn't registered as a citizen. The Electric Company (2006) alum Luis Avalos plays her brother, who has offered to pay both Vint and Claude for their participation. Since immigration checks up on marriages between U.S. citizens and people from other countries, Vint's bride-to-be has to be moved into Mama Vicki Lawrence's house. Thelma (Mama) is outraged that her son is being taken for a fool and reminds him that 60 Minutes (1968) did a show on how what he's doing is illegal and he could wind up in jail. Will Vinton go through with it? (Clearly, this episode was produced before The Wedding: Part 1 (1983), since Naomi is still seen living next door and Vint is single.)
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
One point per season. Smooths out the episode-to-episode noise to reveal the bigger arc.
Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.
How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.
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