I never thought about it before but I have a friend who said he believes Mama's Family is supposed to be set in like the 50s maybe.....Just based on their STYLES.

I think the most extreme case would be Eunice and Iola, their hair, and style of dress looks like something from the 30s or 40s lol... And Mama as well in many ways.

I'd never really thought about it, but I always assumed it was set in the 80s or POSSIBLY the 70s seeing as how that's when the Family Sketches came out

It was set in the present day, or the 80s. They made pop-culture references, such as going to see the movie “Gandhi” or talking about the rise of home shopping via TV.

I thought 80s as well, it's just so many of their styles were SOOOO yesteryear even for the 80s lol.... Like the minster's wife, and all the women Mama goes to church with, Eunice, Iola, etc... Even with Mama, it was rare I think in the 80s for most women to wear dresses 24/7.

^^^They were in a small town so they didn’t advance with fashion as quickly a big city.

It was set in the 80s. Bubba had a Twisted Sister poster on his wall and Sonya had a Walkman.

The show was definitely set in the 80s. One example is in the episode "Mama Sees Red" when Mama and Iola give the Russian visitor a make-over and they call her out by saying something like "And here's Olga what's-her-name beauty queen of 1988..."

Another example is the later episode based on Dirty Dancing.

There are also flashbacks to the 50s or 60s.

Yeah, it was supposed to be set in modern times which was the 80's! They were small town country people who were very backward in their styles! Same as on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres too!:)

On one of the DVD interviews, Vicky mentions that when they would have guest stars, they would often ask what decade was the show set in, because the costumes and wigs suggested it was actually a period piece. She would tell them it was, in fact, set in "today". She thought that that gave the show a kind of timeless quality that kept the humor from become dated, even 30 years later.

Yeah, its just SOME of the characters looked like they stepped out of the 40s lol particularly Eunice, Fran and Iola. Even as ritzy and as "WITH-IT" as Ellen was, her style was from an era gone by.

On one of the DVD interviews, Vicky mentions that when they would have guest stars, they would often ask what decade was the show set in, because the costumes and wigs suggested it was actually a period piece. She would tell them it was, in fact, set in "today". She thought that that gave the show a kind of timeless quality that kept the humor from become dated, even 30 years later.

I wonder who these guest stars were? I love the show. It's one of my all time favorites, but it is very 1980s to me. They did episodes about social issues of the 80s, talked about 80s pop culture, and referenced news events of the 80s. Plus, didn't everybody's grandma look like Thelma Harper in the 80s? :lol: The show is dated, but it doesn't matter; it's still funny.

My grandmother only wore dresses to church and going to dress-up type events...but would NEVER wear a dress around the house lol

Yup, obviously in the "then present day '80s". There were too many then current pop cultural references.

I wonder who these guest stars were? I love the show. It's one of my all time favorites, but it is very 1980s to me. They did episodes about social issues of the 80s, talked about 80s pop culture, and referenced news events of the 80s. Plus, didn't everybody's grandma look like Thelma Harper in the 80s? :lol: The show is dated, but it doesn't matter; it's still funny.

The NBC run had bigger guest stars for sure (although not too many A-list celebs certainly), such as Imogene Coca, Richard Dawson, Murray Hamilton and Fred Willard. Marian Mercer was known at the time from her other TV appearances, including It's a Living.
Robert Mandan is one of the more prominent guests I can think of from the syndicated years.
This isn't meant to be some all-encompassing list, but those are some names.

It was indeed set in present day 1980s, but it looked like something from the 1970s with how old things were. They could have had an updated kitchen to match with the 1980s.

it looked like something from the 1970s with how old things were.

You get a '70s vibe from the show? Interesting, I don't at all. I always get a feeling of the '40s/'50s/'60s, with all the old little knickknacks and older-style things around the house, older furniture, doilies, etc.


They could have had an updated kitchen to match with the 1980s.

But that wouldn't have been Mama. She has that quaint grandmotherly taste, much like my own maternal grandmother. No matter if the decades were progressing, she would still have those old timey, "older generation" accents around the house from days gone by.

What I thought was funny about Mama, in the syndicated episodes anyway, her style was definatley older, BUT her personality, one-liners, etc... were so "with the times". lol

It was set in the 80s. Bubba had a Twisted Sister poster on his wall and Sonya had a Walkman.

Yep, Bubba also quoted the 1989 Batman film during the last season.