Maternity report: Pregnancy becomes today's sitcom stars

The number of single mothers is climbing to an all-time high — at least on America's favorite TV shows. When the unwed Murphy Brown gave birth to a baby boy on her show in the early 90s, it sent ripples of controversy throughout the nation. Lately, however, expanding waistlines have become a common sight on both cable and network TV, as more and more lead actresses are ushering in new arrivals.

This most recent incarnation of the TV mother wears designer maternity wear and has a well-established career. In some ways she insists on being independent—in many cases declining the marriage proposals of her baby's father. But she readily admits her helplessness when it comes to basic child-rearing, and relies on hired help or assistance from family.

Some might attribute this unmistakable trend of unwed motherhood to the industry's often socially liberal leanings, or to scriptwriters' desires to push the envelope a bit with their new material. It is also possible that the recent surge in TV pregnancies is a cultural reflection paralleling the post-September 11 baby boom. Viewers might be searching for more meaningful plot lines instead of the usual frivolous fare. Or, as a more direct explanation, are these pregnancies merely an attempt to jump-start shows' lagging ratings?

NBC's "Friends" certainly experienced a ratings boost over the course of last season, which chronicled the pregnancy of Jennifer Aniston's character, Rachel Green. News that Rachel was expecting came just as viewers were beginning to yawn at the show's light banter and were growing restless of seeing every possible romantic combination between the six primary characters. Rachel's pregnancy drew viewers back to their TV screens on Thursday nights with touching and humorous episodes involving her ever-fluctuating hormones and vignettes of her clueless responses to events like her first ultrasound and baby shower.

In the season finale, Rachel gave birth to her daughter, Emma. It was this episode that was submitted to the Emmy committee, earning Aniston the award for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series" for her life-giving performance. In last week's season premiere, Rachel and the baby's father Ross (David Schwimmer) discussed the possibility of dating again, in the presence of their new bundle of joy.

The conventional sequence of love, marriage, and children was similarly scrambled in this summer's season of HBO's "Sex and the City." Miranda Hobbes (played by Cynthia Nixon) becomes pregnant with her ex-boyfriend Steve's (played by David Eigenberg) baby. After a sobering visit to a clinic with the intent of terminating her pregnancy, Miranda changes her mind. But she is determined that embarking on motherhood won't interfere with her fast-paced law career and social life. Over lunch, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) balks at having one of their typically explicit conversations in front of the baby. Miranda urges her to pretend that the baby is just a new handbag, but Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is quick to point out that it appears that Miranda's new "purse" has just spit up. It becomes apparent that a baby is more than the next accessory, even for ladies as fashionable as these.

With her caustic wit and somewhat cynical outlook, Miranda may seem an unlikely candidate for motherhood. But this juxtaposition might stem from writers' attempts to add depth to her character. It is clear that the show's writers had a distinct purpose in mind, since they avoided writing Sarah Jessica Parker's real-life pregnancy into the script and instead chose Miranda as the preferable mother figure for the show. Rather ironically, even as the show's costume designers were going to great lengths to conceal Carrie's new curves (without straying too noticeably from her usual sleek, baring styles), they were outfitting Miranda in padded suits to depict her stubborn post-baby weight.

Like "Sex and the City," "Will & Grace" has frequently exceeded the bounds of the shows that came before it. In addition to being the first mainstream show with central gay characters, now it is a pioneer in another sense, reflecting the changing cultural perceptions of family. In the season opener, Will and Grace (who are best friends, but not at all romantically involved) follow through on their plan to use artificial insemination to try to have a baby together. With techniques like in vitro fertilization becoming more prevalent, the show reflects the increasingly common practice of involving a third party in conception: a medical professional. "Friends" also touched briefly on the brave new world of motherhood introduced by new reproductive technologies with Phoebe's surrogate pregnancy in the show's fourth season.

If the upturn in ratings is any indication, the radiant glow of motherhood has proven itself becoming to these actresses. As more and more female TV characters make it their prerogative to procreate, viewers will likely witness a return of the family sitcom—just in a decidedly different form than "The Cosby Show." Now that faithful viewers have followed the often short-lived romantic relationships of the characters in these shows, they can watch as a more ensuing bond unfolds.