Vicki Lawrence fought for better scripts on Mama's Family
Mama’s Family (1983) marked one of the first times Vicki Lawrence starred on her own. She had extensive experience standing alongside Carol Burnett and company for 11 seasons on The Carol Burnett Show, but nothing could have prepared her for leading a TV series solo.
According to a 1983 interview with The Californian, Lawrence didn’t think she could take on a starring role at first. It wasn’t until about a year and a half before the series premiered that she began taking it more seriously.
Although she was ready, she still had reservations about the scripts, feedback, and other aspects of the show—elements she wasn’t sure would benefit her career at the time.
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"I don't know if I could just go to being an actress," Lawrence said. "The people on Dynasty and Hill Street Blues probably have little to say about the scripts. I get in there and fight for script quality. There was a time I couldn't handle that. Now I love it."
She wanted perfection from Mama’s Family scripts but knew she couldn’t jump ship for another show; her heart was with Mama’s Family. Lawrence did receive a few offers after The Carol Burnett Show, but she turned them down.
Having worked under Burnett, she knew not to settle.
"I felt offended when somebody sent over a pilot script that was awful and said I was perfect for it," Lawrence said. "I look at my years on Burnett as Harvard and I graduated with honors."
She embraced change but only when it made sense. Because of her dedication, Mama’s Family became a hit series that lasted for six seasons on air.
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