# The worst parents in TV history **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192 "2011-10-10T16:24:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/41 "2011-10-10T22:08:08Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Darrin and Samantha Stephens aren’t the worst but they’d be in the running for runners up. They have a beautiful little girl who has magical powers and they admonish her whenever she uses them just because she can do things Daddy can’t. If Samantha wants to live her life as a mortal that’s fine and dandy but imposing it on her daughter makes her little better than Petunia Dursley. It’s the magick equivalent of female circumcision, and I for one would have fully supported Endora had she chosen to turn Darrin into a tampon and zap him into the Father Damien Hospital for She-Lepers and raise Tabitha herself. I agree 100% Endora was absolutely right in this case. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/42 "2011-10-10T22:46:50Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Mr. and Mrs. Ray Barone. > > They had three kids that they apparently locked in the attic all the time, because except for once or twice a season, you never saw them. Ray’s own parents never won any parents-of-the-year awards. But the worst parents on that show were the couple who visited with their “special” obnoxious kid. That’s one of the only two episodes I cannot watch. (The other is the one about the school custodian.) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/43 "2011-10-10T22:56:52Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Al & Peggy Bundy My first thought as well. It really doesn’t get any worse than these two. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/44 "2011-10-10T22:57:16Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Did we ever see Tony actually smack AJ? The closest I remember is Tony smashing (I think) the window of AJ’s car after he made a smartass remark to a demand that he start straightening up. AFAICR Tony never outright smacked him,. but do remember several cuffs to the back of the head for one indiscretion or another. ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/45 "2011-10-10T23:05:56Z")
The obvious answer is Peter and Lois Griffin of Family Guy. But of the less fantastically bad couples, how about Ross and Rachel from Friends? At first, Ross has a son that he doesn’t seem to do to bad with, until he has a baby with Rachel. Suddenly, his son seems to vanish. Then the baby hardly seems to be around after she’s born. And when Rachel almost moves to Paris, all Ross seems worried about is not seeing Rachel anymore. He doesn’t seem the slightest bit worried about her taking their daughter with her. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/46 "2011-10-10T23:14:17Z")
Malcolm’s parents on Malcolm in the Middle All of the Bluths are horrible parents (even Michael). ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/47 "2011-10-10T23:38:47Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Are you kidding??? Dr. Benton Quest was the coolest Dad in the whole wide world. What little boy wouldn’t want to jet around with their Dad, his body guard, and Indian friend and his dog to live the adventures Johnny did? Not only that but Dr Quest had a beard in an era when very few men did. For worst parents, I nominate the two druggie women in “Absolutely Fabulous”. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/48 "2011-10-10T23:45:32Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > Marshall on _How I Met Your Mother_ – no kids should be subjected to those lengthy tales of the sexual antics of their pa and his old friends. You have Marshall & Ted confused. And I’m thinking that Future!Ted skips over a lot of stuff. My evidence is that his wife hasn’t killed him yet. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/49 "2011-10-10T23:45:44Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Jonny Quest’s dad. Are you kidding? He’s the Best Dad EVER! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/50 "2011-10-10T23:54:10Z")
I specifically remember an episode of Jonny Quest where they’re on a quest for the “Lupe Garrou” a Canadian werewolf. They fly up to the far north country and set up camp in the deep woods then Benton said, “Jonny, you are Hadji stay here at camp while Race and I fly into town and see what we can learn about the local Lupe Garrou.” yeah … that went well … ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/51 "2011-10-10T23:56:47Z")
I’m going to have to cast my vote for Betty Draper. Don’s no superdad but he seems to like his kids when it occurs to him to recall they exist. Betty, though she has a maid to do all the heavy lifting, seems to actively hate them. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/52 "2011-10-10T23:57:26Z")
Excluding absurdities like South Park, I’m going to go with Gabrielle Solis from Desperate Housewives. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/53 "2011-10-11T00:39:51Z")
Oh, shit, how could I forget? Dana Scully, from **The X-Files**. William, the “miracle child” who might be an alien-human hybrid, or a “super soldier”, or something like that, is wanted by both Evil Government Agents and Evil ExtraTerrestials, is _abandoned_ by his mother, given to some poor unsuspecting farm family who has no freakin’ idea as to what they’re getting: a telekinetic baby being hunted by an intragalactic team of soldiers who will stop at nothing. Scully, of course, defends abandoning her child in this manner as the “best way” to protect him. Of course, because the best way to protect a person being hunted by governments world- (and galaxy-) wide is to foist them on unprepared rubes. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/54 "2011-10-11T01:10:26Z")
Livia Soprano ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/55 "2011-10-11T01:24:34Z")
Frasier Crane was a pretty bad dad. He was a totally absentee parent save for about once a year when the kid would come visit, and content to let his son live with a woman he knew to be an ice queen. Both Frasier and Lilith acknowledged using their son as a research subject (having him navigate a maze when he was a baby among other things). > [@Shalmanese](#): > > Livia Soprano Probably the winner. She’s the only TV mom I can think of who ever actually tried to have her child killed. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/56 "2011-10-11T01:56:29Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Probably the winner. She’s the only TV mom I can think of who ever actually tried to have her child killed. But what about Livia Drusilla? I heard a snake bit her and died. She did try to have one of her sons killed, but he died of his own causes before then. And she got her stepdaughter banished to an island for nymphomania. ---
**Author:** ![Xan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@Xan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/57 "2011-10-11T02:36:57Z")
John Winchester from Supernatural. ---
**Author:** ![Tess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Tess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/58 "2011-10-11T02:39:18Z")
Since no one’s mentioned it yet-all the parents on Rugrats. They regularly dump a group of toddlers in a fenced in area and leave the room. No one ever peeks in on the kids or wonders about loud noises (or the total lack of noise when the babies up and leave the house). ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/59 "2011-10-11T02:52:44Z")
Carla from Cheers. Cliff’s mom from the same show also did a lousy job when you consider the result. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/60 "2011-10-11T05:47:32Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Malcolm’s parents on Malcolm in the Middle… Whaaat? I thought they were awesome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192.md?page=4)