There are things about being a mother that have come as a complete shock. For example, I thought my kids, especially my daughter, would be just like me. You can laugh. It’s pretty ridiculous. She’s different from me in the most wonderful of ways, but we are similar in our love for a good TV marathon.
After practice and homework and all the things, most nights you can find us snuggled together on the couch watching Gilmore Girls. We’ve seen every episode (twice) but the mom and daughter theme is our “comfort show” together at the end of a busy day. It’s like a visual, weighted-blanket.
Iconic Duos
It got me thinking, with Mother’s Day around the corner, what are some other iconic mother-daughter TV duos. With the help of some friends, I pulled this list together.
Who am I missing?
Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls It’s hard to get much closer than sharing a name, but Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and her namesake Rory (Alexis Bledel) always shared way more than that. Giving birth as a teenager meant the two of them grew up together and their quirky habits and way of reading each other’s minds was proof of their unbreakable bond.
Moira and Alexis Rose, Schitt’s Creek Name a fiercer pair than Moira (Catherine O’Hara) and Alexis (Annie Murphy). Between their fashion and ambition, you just can’t beat ‘em. Lola and I started watching this last summer and we were hooked. While their relationship may have been awkward at first (those cringy hugs!), watching these two realize how much they had in common while each coming into their own was one of the best parts of this show.
Sophia Petrillo and Dorothy Zbornak, The Golden Girls I mean, you can’t top these women. Right? Sophia (Estelle Getty) and Dorothy (Bea Arthur) were two feisty, fiery women who were never afraid to speak their minds, even if it meant bumping heads with each other. While having your mother move in with you in your 50s may not always be ideal, we all need our moms, no matter how old we get.
Sonu and Mindy Lahiri, The Mindy Project They say mother knows best. And in the case of Sonu (Sakina Jaffrey) and Mindy (Mindy Kaling), this was usually true. Whenever Mindy’s life felt a bit upside down, she could also count on her mother’s wise words to help her make sense of whatever was going on in her personal or professional life. We’re huge Mindy Kaling fans in this house.
Zoey and Rainbow “Bow” Johnson, Black-ish Honesty is at the heart of every mother-daughter relationship. And Zoey (Yara Shahidi) always knows she can turn to Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross), whenever she needs some advice. You can see the admiration and respect they have for one another so clearly, it makes you want to go call your own mom.
Christy and Bonnie Plunkett, Mom The relationship between Christy (Anna Faris), a recovering alcoholic, and her estranged mother, Bonnie (Allison Janney) has had more than its share of rough patches. But the two of them did the hard work to repair their bond, supporting each other along the way even when they didn’t see eye to eye.
Lucille and Lindsay Bluth, Arrested Development “Warm” isn’t exactly the word I would use to describe the relationship between matriarch Lucille (Jessica Walter) and her adopted daughter (and half sister), Lindsay (Portia de Rossi), but in their case, it worked. These two were so funny together, it was easy to overlook just how awful they were. FYI: This is one of Penn’s favorite shows.
Rebecca and Kate Pearson, This Is Us Admission: I’ve never seen an episode of this show. I know, I know. My friend tells me how she looks forward to her weekly cry. I don’t like feeling things so I avoid this one. My friend tells me the structure of this show allows us to get the whole story between Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Chrissy Metz), whose relationship has faced some serious challenges. Their shared passion for music both brought them together and divided them, leading to some explosive fights and important milestones as they overcame their issues.
Tia, Tamera and Lisa Landry, Sister Sister Competition between siblings for your parents’ attention can be very real, but this group knew they were strongest as a trio. Lisa (Jackée Harry) sacrificed a job so Tia (Tia Mowry) and Tamera (Tamera Mowry), identical twins who were separated at birth, could finally be a family. Now that’s love.
Xiomara “Xo” Gloriana and Jane Villanueva, Jane the Virgin Jane (Gina Rodriguez) and Xo (Andrea Navedo) epitomized unconditional love and the belief that family steps up, no matter what comes, be that a miraculous pregnancy or cancer. But I would be remiss if I didn’t shout out the other amazing mother-daughter duo on this show, and that’s Xo and her mother, Alba Gloriana Villanueva (Ivonne Coll).
Which duo is your favorite? Share which mother and daughter you can’t stop watching in the comments.
