Top 10 Most Dysfunctional Sitcom Families In TV History

A dysfunctional family is a lot funnier than a healthy one, so the sitcom genre is full of toxic family dynamics. Both classic sitcoms like Everybody Loves Raymond and newer shows like F is for Family have gotten laughs from the dysfunctions of an unhealthy family life.

Some sitcom families are loving and wholesome, like the Belchers or the Tanners, but on the whole, there’s a lot of dysfunction to go around. From the politically divided Bunkers of All in the Family to the sociopathic, narcissistic Reynoldses from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, these are the most dysfunctional sitcom families in TV history.

10

The Wilkersons

Malcolm in the Middle

The Wilkersons in Malcolm in the Middle are one of TV’s most accurate depictions of a working-class family. Both parents work, all the kids have to share a bedroom, and luxuries like eating out at a restaurant are a rarity. The source of all the dysfunction is the short-tempered matriarch, Lois, who strikes fear into her husband and sons.

Hal is the dorky dad we all wish we could’ve been raised by, and Malcolm, Reese, and Dewey all get along and look out for each other. But Lois is frustrated to no end by the chaos of raising three unruly boys. Lois is a very realistic portrayal of a woman living in an otherwise all-male household, and Jane Kaczmarek nails it.

9

The Bunkers

All in the Family

The main source of tension in the Bunker household is the ideological differences between patriarch Archie and his son-in-law Mike. While Archie is staunchly conservative and a closed-minded bigot, Mike is a free-spirited bleeding-heart progressive liberal. All in the Family creates plenty of hilarious conflict by putting those two butting heads under the same roof.

The political divisions between Archie and Mike feel just as relevant today as they did when the show aired half a century ago. If anything, it’s even more relevant. Archie is the most extreme version of a right-wing supporter, and Mike is the most extreme version of a left-wing supporter, and they’re forced to live together.

8

The Smiths

American Dad!

When we first met the Smiths in American Dad!, they were introduced as a very traditional family with very traditional values. The patriarch, Stan, has a well-paying government job and the matriarch, Francine, is a housewife who keeps on top of the domestic chores. But as the series went on, their hidden dysfunctions started to show more and more.

Every new piece of information we learn about this family is more disturbing than the last. Francine continued to breastfeed her son Steve well into his teenage years. Stan dated Steve in an avatar body, and bullied him to toughen him up. Stan had Francine lobotomized and institutionalized just so she wouldn’t find out he forgot about their anniversary.

7

The Barones

Everybody Loves Raymond

Debra had no idea what she was marrying into when she met Ray. The premise of Everybody Loves Raymond sees Ray and Debra living right across the street from Ray’s overbearing parents. Frank and Marie are constantly dropping in unannounced and creating a toxic environment with their snarky remarks, backhanded compliments, and general unpleasantness.

Even when Frank and Marie aren’t around, Ray is a terrible husband who never listens to his wife or helps her out around the house. The family life in Everybody Loves Raymond isn’t very healthy, but it is relatable to people who grew up in a house with a lot of yelling.

6

The Murphys

F is for Family

F is for Family took the basic premise of an adult-oriented animated family sitcom like The Simpsons or Family Guy and put a fresh twist on it with a period setting. Bill Burr and Michael Price’s foul-mouthed cartoon about a suburban Irish American family takes place in the 1970s, when families were even more dysfunctional.

Frank Murphy is angry, disillusioned, and constantly threatening to put his kids “through that f***ing wall.” His wife Sue feels frustrated and unfulfilled. His son Bill can’t unsee the sight of his parents having sex, or the penises he saw in a baseball stadium bathroom. And Frank and his oldest child, Kevin, practically despise each other.

5

The Gemstones

The Righteous Gemstones

The Righteous Gemstones doesn’t make fun of people’s religious beliefs; it makes fun of the religious leaders who exploit those beliefs for profit. The Gemstones’ megachurch is supposed to be a big, glorious place of worship, but they treat it like their own personal piggy bank. That corruption extends beyond the church to their family life.

Gideon defected from the family and blackmailed his dad. Uncle Baby Billy is a terrible person who mistreats everyone who loves him. The whole family treats B.J. like garbage. Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin never grew up, and their immaturity and refusal to deal with things in an adult way cause nothing but trouble for their poor widowed dad, Eli.

4

The Simpsons

The Simpsons

Underneath all the absurdist humor and spot-on satire, at its core, The Simpsons is a grounded story about a suburban family. The success of the show is that the relationships between this family feel totally real. Bart is Marge’s “special little guy.” Lisa helps Homer see the world in a whole new light.

But it’s not always heartwarming. Although he tries his best, Homer isn’t a very good husband or father. He regularly strangles Bart, forgets Maggie exists, and spends all his free time drinking at Moe’s Tavern, leaving Marge to raise the kids and do all the housework. Marge keeps all her frustrations buried deep down until they explode in unhealthy ways.

3

The Reynoldses

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

When we were introduced to twins Dennis and Dee Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny’s first season, they seemed to be a pair of callous, cold-hearted sociopaths. And when we were introduced to their father Frank in season 2, suddenly it all made sense. Frank raised Dennis and Dee to be the uncaring, narcissistic monsters they are today.

Every time we see a flashback to Dennis and Dee’s childhood, Frank turns out to be an even worse dad than we imagined. He used to find out what his kids’ dream Christmas presents were and then buy them for himself. He talked them into digging up their mother’s grave just to prove he wasn’t losing his marbles.

2

The Bluths

Arrested Development

Arrested Development tells the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. In the public eye, the most controversial thing about the Bluth family is the laundry list of crimes that George, Sr. committed as CEO of the Bluth Company — including some light treason.

But behind closed doors, their personal lives are just as disturbing. Lucille and Buster have a Norman and Mrs. Bates thing going on. George Michael is in love with his cousin Maeby. As soon as Lindsay found out she was adopted, she tried to seduce the man she was raised to think was her twin brother.

1

The Griffins

Family Guy

The most dysfunctional family on television (by far) are the Griffins from Family Guy. When the series began, it was pretty much a carbon copy of The Simpsons. But as it went on, it evolved into a twisted subversion of The Simpsons, replacing The Simpsons’ heartwarming underlying sweetness with a relentless cynicism that’s as shocking as it is darkly hilarious.

Family Guy has no interest in convincing us that the Griffins really love each other; it’s much more interested in shocking us with how depraved this family can get. Chris and Meg take baths together. Peter and Lois are heavily implied to be regularly cheating on each other. Stewie impregnated himself with the family dog’s hybrid puppies.