When audiences watch a sitcom, those characters come to feel like members of the family. They’re in our homes every week, so we naturally become endeared to them. A lot of sitcoms have leaned into this with family-centric stories. From the Simpsons to the Jeffersons to the extended clan of Modern Family, these are the best sitcom families of all time.
20
The Barones
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond cast at the Thanksgiving table
The Barones might not have the healthiest relationship, but they’re hilarious to watch. Ray and Robert’s sibling rivalry is a joy to see — they regress to their childhood selves whenever they disagree — and Debra’s fish-out-of-water role as the outsider grounds the Barone craziness in a comic reality. Bickering, overbearing Frank and Marie are the M.V.P.s; they’re everyone’s grandparents.
19
The Tanners
Full House
The Full House cast posing in front of the iconic San Francisco row houses
The Tanner family at the heart of Full House might’ve been a little more unconventional than the traditional nuclear family units usually seen on TV, especially at that time: it sees a widowed single dad co-parenting three daughters with his brother-in-law and his best friend. But they were one of the healthiest and most wholesome TV families of all time — there was so much love going around.
18
The Huangs
Fresh Off The Boat
The Cast of Fresh off the Boat
The immigrant experience is rarely reflected on television, and there are hardly any family sitcoms about Asian American families, but Fresh Off the Boat captured both of those underrepresented communities and proved that everyone can relate to those experiences. Everyone can relate to the good cop/bad cop dynamic of sweet, amiable dad Louis and strict, tough-loving mom Jessica.
17
The Evanses
Good Times
Good Times main family with characters embracing each other in the center
It’s rare that a spinoff of a spinoff becomes a TV classic in its own right, but that’s what happened with Good Times, spun off from Maude, spun off from All in the Family. It was television’s first ever Black two-parent family sitcom, and its story of an inner-city family overcoming poverty in a public housing project in Chicago dealt with heavy themes, but had a huge heart.
16
The Bundys
Married… With Children
The Bundy family at the dinner table in Married with Children
Married… with Children challenged all the clichés of family sitcoms. The dad isn’t a boorish loudmouth; he’s a miserable misanthrope. The mom isn’t a tireless housewife who keeps everywhere clean and tidy without making a fuss; she’s lazy and refuses to do any housework. The kids aren’t constantly fighting; they like to poke fun at each other, but they generally get along.
15
The Johnsons
Black-ish
The Johnson family waving from the end of the driveway in Black-ish
Black-ish was a modernized update of the Cosby Show formula that brought that classic family unit into a contemporary setting. It was a wonderfully wholesome look at modern family life, but it wasn’t a fairytale. The show touched on tough realities, like the season 4 arc that saw Dre and Bow drifting apart to the point of almost getting a divorce.
14
The Bunkers
All In The Family
Edith and Archie Bunker from All in the Family
The dynamic of the Bunkers in All in the Family is still just as relevant today. The ideological tug-of-war between staunch conservative Archie and his progressive son-in-law Mike feels just as timely and pertinent today, more than 50 years after its original airing. The political talking points have changed, but the heated debates are still the same.
13
The Petries
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Rob and Laura Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show
Half of The Dick Van Dyke Show is a workplace sitcom about a comedy writers’ room, but the other half is a family sitcom about the head writer and his wife raising their young son Richie. Rob and Laura Petrie are the perfect role models for a healthy marriage. So many sitcoms create conflict between the spouses, but Rob and Laura’s relationship is more “us versus the world.”
12
The Roses
Schitt’s Creek
Annie Murphy’s Alexis and Dan Levy’s David look concerned in Schitt’s Creek
Schitt’s Creek is a classic riches-to-rags story in which a wealthy family loses all their money and has to move into a motel in a tiny rural town they once bought as a joke. As they connect with the locals, they all become much better, more down-to-earth people, and each find happiness in their own way. It’s the ultimate feel-good show.
11
The Hills
King Of The Hill
Hank, Peggy, and Bobby by the fence in King of the Hill
While The Simpsons and Family Guy both dabble in absurdist humor and disregard realism, King of the Hill set itself apart with a grounded, naturalistic feel. It’s a cartoon, but it tells realistic stories about a relatable family living in the suburbs of Texas. Hank Hill doesn’t always understand his son Bobby, but he always wants to do right by him.
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