Whether it was the running commentary in her head or the never-ending arguments with her family, Vicki Lawrence's Mama Harper is a character who has managed to stick around long after her first appearance. And really, would we expect anything less from Mama?

The Carol Burnett Show first introduced audiences to Thelma "Mama" Harper through the popular "The Family" sketches. Those sketches became such a hit that Mama eventually got a series of her own, Mama's Family, which premiered in the early 1980s.

Lawrence played Thelma, a sharp-tongued older woman whose attitude, opinions and unmistakable way of speaking somehow managed to captivate generations of viewers.

Watch Mama's Family on MeTV!

Sundays at 3 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

According to a 2011 interview with the Television Academy Foundation, there was something about Mama's particular combination of accent and attitude that made her feel instantly familiar.

"Mama's Family was set in some sort of time warp," Lawrence said. "Everybody knows her. Everybody has a 'Mama' in their family. I've often said I think she's like Archie Bunker in that we all know him, we all have one of him in our family... I think Mama's the same way."

That familiarity, combined with the simple genius of the series, may be part of what has kept Mama's Family in the hearts of so many fans. There was no need for anything complicated or overwhelming. 

"It's just silly and those are some of our favorite shows to sit back and watch," Lawrence said. "You don't have to think about Mama's Family. There's nothing sexual, there's nothing dark, there's nothing cynical, there's no message. It's just silly, good laughing for no good reason."

Of course, Mama may have been stubborn, outspoken and more than a little cantankerous, but Thelma Harper wasn't exactly a character who stayed stuck in her ways. As the series went on, Lawrence was continuing to find her footing with the character and figuring out just how much more there was to Mama than meets the eye.

"I was trying to do an older version of Eunice, but I would say Mama... matured and got much deeper and more wonderful as a character as I found her and embraced her. I think she's gotten much better with age," Lawrence said.

Better with age? Perhaps. Nicer with age? Not exactly. And honestly, that's Mama. She wouldn't have it any other way.