The Mothers-In-Law

I remembered seeing a few episodes of this show growing up, most likely in reruns, and thanks to Amazon Prime, I was able to watch both seasons.

What made this show enjoyable to view were the actors, not the scripts. I found most of the story lines to be childish, dopey, and often predictable. I know the team of writers, who wrote most of the scripts, was the same team from I LOVE LUCY, but the times had changed. What worked for Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz didn't always work here for this series. Many times, I felt as I were watching a retread of a Lucy episode. I often found myself saying "This was such a dumb episode." In the show's defense, I had to keep reminding myself that I was watching a show that ran from 1967 to 1969, and that so much had changed in society over those decades. However, what always made me keep watching to its final episode was the talent displayed by its cast. When you have great actors involved, it certainly raises the levels of many mediocre scripts. Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard certainly raised the level of many of these episodes with their experience, personality, and talent. They were a great team, and they really played off each beautifully. Plus, it was fun to hear Kaye Ballard singing in many of the episodes. The series is worth watching, and it has to be viewed knowing it is a piece from the late 1960s. It is certainly a time capsule look at the time.