7 reasons 'American Housewife' is TV's favorite new mom
June Cleaver. Carol Brady. Jill Taylor. Katie Otto?
Regardless of decade, the nation's most memorable TV moms have shared several traits that propelled them to their most favored status.
They're funny, they're nurturing, and they are all a mirror of the values and ideals shared by parents of that generation.
Based on that criteria, it's abundantly clear that one of the fall's top TV moms can be found on "American Housewife," which begins its second season Wednesday on ABC.
Katy Mixon is hilariously unapologetic in 'American Housewife'
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT
Here are seven reasons why we love Katie Otto, as portrayed by actress Katy Mixon:
She's a real reflection of today's mom
Motherhood today can be a real challenge, and Mixon brings all that out through Otto. In the last year, we've watched as this Westport mom juggled three kids, a husband, her endless chores, and trying to figure out how to be more involved in the community without losing her mind.
Katie is also a real woman
As the "second fattest housewife in Westport," Katie often finds herself in a battle between really good pastries and bad dietary consequences. We love that she has curves, and that the show explores how American women feel about beauty, fashion and their relationship with food.
Her mind isn't what it used to be...
Katie wasn't always forgetful, but with so much going on, sometimes her memory is a little blurred. We laughed out loud watching kids Taylor, Oliver and Anna-Kat test her during the episode "Dude, Where's My Napkin," when they tried convincing her she agreed to buy them a trampoline.
...but she'll say what we're all thinking
We love watching how sassy Katie gets when dealing with overly-enthusiastic yoga freak neighbor Viv or when she's dropping off Anna-Kat for a playdate at town gossip Chloe Brown Mueller's house. Her shady one-liners are worth remembering. Just in case.
She's a shopper after our own hearts
If it isn't how she scored some slightly-off polo shirts for Oliver at a great price, we adored how Katie went to war with the manager at a big box store after being ripped-off on some defective garbage bags in the first season. Katie can go shopping with us any day.
Katie is a fan of the cat nap
If you're a mom, you've likely toed the threshold where snoozing might just solve everything. In the second episode, "The Nap," we watched as Katie struggled to stay awake while navigating how to care for a sick husband, meet a very busy daughter's schedule and even deal with an insider trading scandal all at once.
Talk about exhausting (and funny)!
At the end of the day, she's a great mom
While she's apparently so tough she has earned the unflattering nickname "Colonel Beatrix Von Beige Underpants Control Freak," she is constantly looking for ways to connect with her kids, often with hilarious results. Bittersweet as it is, Katie's age-old struggle of trying to stay relevant in the lives of her children is one viewers with kids will identify with.
Katy Mixon talks about starring in 'American Housewife'
TV mothers we've loved through the decades
