Like real mothers, they all have different approaches, struggles and triumphs, but these TV characters all have one thing in common: they fiercely love their children.
In honour of Mother's Day, we take a look at some of our favourite TV mums from long-running soaps, Aussie dramas and US series.
Her son Hugh may have told her to "keep taking those maternal instinct pills, eventually they'll kick in", but Meryl's maternal instincts are all there — she just has a unique way of showing it.
Meryl is a fierce protector and advocate for the Knight family. Though she lost her way when her beloved husband Jim died, Meryl is slowly finding her purpose again.
Is there any TV character who has gone through as much in their life as Marlena and still managed to maintain a kind and loving disposition?
She's been possessed, brainwashed to be a serial killer and seen her husband return from the dead. Marlena has also witnessed the brutal trials and tribulations of her long-time love John and wayward daughter Sami.
A mother to Carrie, Sami, Eric and Belle, Marlena is there when any of her children or her extended Salem family need her.
To say Laura is neurotic and often causes more problems with her meddling is an understatement. It all comes from a good place though and highlights how complicated life and motherhood is.
Laura came back to Pearl Bay in the 2019 season of Seachange to reunite with her eldest daughter Miranda. She hoped to repair the damage caused 20 years prior, when she left the country with her new husband. It took time, but eventually Miranda and Laura came to a new understanding.
Sarah Braverman, the eldest daughter of Zeek and Camille Braverman, moves back in with her parents, along with her two teenage kids.
Sarah is laid-back and creative but struggles to get work as a graphic designer after years out of the workforce. She is also unlucky in love but always there for her children and family.
While Meg was the biological mother of Jodi, she was the mother figure to all the women of Drover's Run. Meg would look after the homestead while Tess and Claire were off on their horses working on the property.
It was revealed during the series that Meg had an affair with Jack McLeod, which resulted in the pregnancy that led to Jodi.
Nikki was a stripper from the wrong side of the tracks who fell in love with businessman Victor. He transformed her into a stylish, sophisticated woman but the resourcefulness and strength she shows in times of crisis is all Nikki.
Mother to Victoria and Nicholas, Nikki is a soothing sounding board for her children who are forced to contend with their father's high-expectations and mind games.
Jo is a dedicated police chief with sharp instincts. Her innate care and compassion is a strength on the job, which she put to quick use when she found an abandoned child near a crash-site.
Sensing something wasn't quite right, Jo took the child home and kept it off the record. Combining her police skills with her experience as a mother of one, has helped the little girl start to open up as a larger conspiracy unfolds.
Work/life balance for this mum is made all the more challenging by the fact she is in an on-off relationship with her co-worker Will.
Somehow Sarah managed to juggle working as a doctor and being a mother of two with solving her best friend Charlotte's murder.
In the process of becoming a reluctant amateur detective, Sarah became friends with three other mums, who referred to themselves as the 'bad mother's club'. This wasn't a reflection of their parenting, but a way of embracing their imperfections and rejecting idealistic notions of motherhood.
Gemma was mum to Tilda and stepmother to Lewis' children from previous relationships. She had a strong moral compass and a no-nonsense yet lovable approach to her husband and family.
At the beginning of House Husbands, Gemma went back to full-time work as head of nursing at the hospital while Lewis took on duties at home.