History Series / MyMotherTheCar

The show was critically lambasted, and led NBC to become something of a laughingstock for green-lighting it in the first place. The UsefulNotes/{{ratings}} were horrid across the board, save for viewers in the younger {{demographics}} who were more inclined to watch something fun and silly than the two serious dramas competing in the timeslot. (While that might actually be enough to keep a modern show on the air, in those days the networks only looked at total number of viewers in deciding which shows to renew. Also, most households only owned one [=TV=] set and the parents got to decide what to watch, limiting potential viewers further.)

The show was critically lambasted and caused NBC to be something of a laughingstock for green-lighting it in the first place. The UsefulNotes/{{ratings}} were horrid across the board, save for viewers in the younger {{demographics}} who were more inclined to watch something fun and silly than the two serious dramas competing in the timeslot. (While that might actually be enough to keep a modern show on the air, in those days the networks only looked at total number of viewers in deciding which shows to renew. Also, most households only owned one [=TV=] set and the parents got to decide what to watch, limiting potential viewers further.)

''My Mother the Car'' is considered by many people to be one of the worst television series ever made. However, to people who have deemed it SoOkayItsAverage, there are other shows much more worthy of that title. In spite of (or perhaps due to) its reputation it has enough of a cult following to have gotten a complete release on DVD. It has also aired on Creator/AntennaTV, and you can find episodes (including the pilot) on Website/YouTube.

* MagicalGuide: This is Mother's reason for coming back: to help her son. Justified in that her son is somewhat [[WhatAnIdiot lacking in common sense]].

* SpiritualSuccessor: It was practically Series/MisterEd but with a car instead of a horse.

* MyBelovedSmother: Surprisingly averted. Mother is actually very reasonable(usually. She has her moments).

* InvincibleClassicCar: The entire show is from the era of invincible cars, but Mother is very resilient.

* PoesLaw: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuYCgbuPuSY Series co-creator Allan Burns says]] this show was meant to be a parody of fantastical sitcoms that was popular the time, but it ended up playing the trope so straight that nobody realized it was supposed to make fun of the genre.

''My Mother the Car'' is considered by many people to be one of the worst television series ever made, however to people who have deemed it SoOkayItsAverage there are other shows much more worthy of that title. In spite of (or perhaps due to) its reputation it has enough of a cult following to have gotten a complete release on DVD. It has also aired on Creator/AntennaTV, and you can find episodes (including the pilot) on Website/YouTube.

There is no real-life "1928 Porter"; the company was meant to be fictional and the actual car used on-set was one of two variations of a Ford Model T. One version was made for normal driving shots. The other was a "stunt" car, built to be driven by a hidden driver (to make it appear like a SentientVehicle). The "stunt" version was modified by the then-ubiquitous George Barris, who also helped create the [[Series/TheMonkees Monkeemobile]] and the 1960s [[Series/Batman1966 Batmobile]]. Both vehicles survive; the normal version is owned by a fan, and the "stunt" car is on display at the Star Cars Museum in Tennessee.

There is no real-life "1928 Porter"; the company was meant to be fictional and the actual car used on-set was one of two variations of a Ford Model T. One version was made for normal driving shots. The other was a "stunt" car, built to be driven by a hidden driver (to make it appear like a SentientVehicle). The "stunt" version was modified by the then-ubiquitous George Barris, who also helped create the [[Series/TheMonkees Monkeemobile]] and the 1960s [[Series/Batman1966 Batmobile]]. Both vehicles survive. The normal version is owned by a fan, and the "stunt" car is on display at the Star Cars Museum in Tennessee.

There is no real-life "1928 Porter"; the company was meant to be fictional and the actual car used on-set was one of two variations of a Ford Model T. One version was made for normal driving shots. The other was a "stunt" car, built to be driven by a hidden driver (to make it appear like a SentientVehicle). The "stunt" version was modified by the then-ubiquitous George Barris, who also helped create the [[Series/TheMonkees Monkeemobile]] and the 1960s [[Series/Batman1966 Batmobile]]. Both cars survive. The normal version is owned by a fan, and the "stunt" car is on display at the Star Cars Museum in Tennessee.

Despite this, NBC left the show on for its entire 30-episode season, likely to burn off the episodes and recoup some sort of investment (a common tactic in television). It should be noted that Creator/JamesLBrooks, famous now as a movie director and as one of the executive producers of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', worked on this show as a writer. His [[OldShame dis]][[CreatorBacklash dain]] for the show allowed ''The Simpsons'' to [[TakeThat poke fun at it]] a few times.

Creator/JerryVanDyke stars as Dave Crabtree, an attorney and typically hapless sitcom family man who discovers that the spirit of his deceased mother ([[TheVoice voiced]] by Ann Sothern) has returned to inhabit a 1928 Porter open touring car. Most plots involved Dave getting into situations with his family, neighbors, and the hazards of owning a [[TheAllegedCar vintage]] car. There was even a recurring villain in Captain Manzini (Avery Schreiber), an obsessed automobile collector who was bent on acquiring Mother to complete his collection. (Apparently it was the only make and model of the car to exist.)

The show was critically lambasted and caused NBC to be something of a laughingstock for green-lighting it in the first place. The UsefulNotes/{{ratings}} were horrid across the board, except among the younger {{demographics}} who were more inclined to watch something silly than the two serious dramas competing in the time-slot. (While that might actually be enough to keep a modern show on the air, in those days the networks only looked at total number of viewers in deciding what shows to renew. Also, most households only owned one [=TV=] set and the parents got to decide what to watch, limiting potential viewers further.)

* SentientVehicle: Sort of zigzagged. Mother can drive herself to some extent, and can outright refuse to be driven. She does seem to need some sort of driver behind the wheel to go long distances though. She can also do things like open the car's door.

* MyBelovedSmother: Surprisingly averted. Mother is actually very reasonable.

* ShoutOut: The name "Porter" was a shout out Don Porter, Ann Sothern's former costar on ''Private Secretary'' and ''The Ann Sothern Show''.

* ShoutOut: The name "Porter" was a shout out to Ann Sothern's former co-star Don Porter who she worked with on ''The Ann Sothern Show''.

* CoolCar: The series itself never really regards it as such outside of Manzini's obsession with owning it, but once Dave fixes it up in the pilot episode, a vintage 1928 car in top condition today would be considered a valuable collectors item.

* AccidentalMisnaming: Done as a RunningGag with Captain Manzini. ("I'll get my hands on that Porter yet, Crankcase." "Crabtree." "Whatever.")

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[ExpositoryThemeTune A 1928 Porter; that's my Mother dear...]]'']]

A 1928 Porter, that's my Mother dear,\\
She helps me through Everything I do\\

In 1965, Creator/{{NBC}} was looking for a show to air on Tuesday nights opposite ''[[Series/Combat1962 Combat!]]'' and ''Series/{{Rawhide}}''. Their answer: this FantasticComedy about a woman who's been reincarnated as an automobile.

There is no real-life "1928 Porter"; the company was meant to be fictional and the actual car used on-set was one of two variations of a Ford Model T. One version was made for normal driving shots. The other was a "stunt" car, built to be driven by a hidden driver (to make it appear like a SentientVehicle). The "stunt" version was modified by the then-ubiquitous George Barris, who also did the [[Series/TheMonkees Monkeemobile]] and the 1960s [[Series/Batman1966 Batmobile]]. Both cars survive. The normal version is owned by a fan, and the "stunt" car is on display at the Star Cars Museum in Tennessee.

* ChristmasEpisode: "Many Happy No-Returns", which has Dave and Barb both [[CrappyHomemadeGift creating hideous artworks]] for each other as gifts, and then bidding on each others' works at a charity auction.