So far I listed my favorite TV role model wives from the 1950s to the 1970s. This list takes us through the eighties to current times.
1980s
• Elyse Keaton (Family Ties): Her down to earth demeanor and strength of conviction helped her be the beacon her husband and kids turned to for guidance through rough waters.
• Jennifer Hart (Hart to Hart): She was glamorous, stunning, stylish, and smart and she got to have all these amazing adventures catching bad guys with her dashing, devoted husband.
• Roseanne Connor (Roseanne): This one straddles both the eighties and nineties since it ran from 1988-1997, but I’ll categorize it with eighties. Roseanne shook things up on the wife-front. She might not have been glamorous or gentle, and she was certainly less than couth most times, but she conveyed a realness few other TV wives ever did.
1990s – Present
• Marge Simpson (The Simpsons): Blue haired, tolerant, forgiving, frugal, loyal, and patient Marge rolls with any punch thrown at her and never holds a grudge.
• Jamie Buchman (Mad About You): She was the personification of a modern nineties woman who had it all: career, husband, dog, nice apartment, and baby. Using wit, grace, and charm, she made navigating married life a breeze.
• Annie Camden (7th Heaven): She’s kind of like a modern day version of some of the other TV wives I’ve admired over the years. Part Carol Brady, a little bit Caroline Ingalls, and a smidge Elyse Keaton.
• Tami Taylor (Friday Night Lights): I’ve written about struggles she’d endured during the current season that I could relate to since they mirrored my own (i.e. Life Imitating Art: My Marriage and Friday Night Lights). But what I admire most about Tami Taylor is her forthrightness and conviction. You always know where you stand, and if you mess with her family…watch out!
• Kristen Hawes (Ghost Hunters): She’s weighing in as my only Reality TV role model pick. I had the honor of interviewing her and you can read that series to see all the reasons she made this list. (See: Making Marriages Last: What’s It Going to Take? My Interview with Mrs. Hawes, Married to a Ghost Hunter: My Interview with Mrs. Hawes – The Questions, and Married to a Ghost Hunter: My Interview with Mrs. Hawes – The Answers.)
Questions for Readers
Were any of these wives your favorites too? If not, who was?
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