# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/61 "2011-10-11T06:17:38Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Dexter. If he weren’t a serial killer, though, he would be quite the doting dad, at least to little Harrison. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/62 "2011-10-11T11:52:03Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Al & Peggy Bundy Al cares enough to threaten the idiots Kelly dates. That has to count for something. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/63 "2011-10-11T12:08:21Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Jonny Quest’s dad. No, Jonny Quest’s _mother!_ The little slut! Jonny looks a whole lot more like Race than he does Dr. Quest. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/64 "2011-10-11T12:26:53Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Are you kidding? He’s the Best Dad EVER! 😃 Someone clearly has never watched ‘Th Venture Brothers.’ It brings to light a lot of weird things that would happen if you actually grew up like that. Dr.Thaddeus Venture is a cynical bastard who is always overshadowed by the legend of hid father, Jonas Venture (who was basically that universe’s Dr.Quest, with Thaddeus Venture as that universe’s Johnny Quest (oh, but also there is a Johnny Quest too, and now he’s strung out on drugs.) But you realize how fucked up it is to bring along _young children_ to these remote places where they are always about to get killed. A relevant quote when Thadeus (also called Rusty,) is recalling his traumatic childhood: “My father made me kill a man–kill a man–with a house key. I was ten.” And yet, despite knowing how much is fucked him up, Rusty still brings along his kids because, well, what else are you going to do? (Actually, the main reason is despite not having the passion for adventure like his father, he usually gets dragged into it against his will.) ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/65 "2011-10-11T12:52:27Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Malory Archer and whoever Sterling’s dad turns out to be. This is the one I came to post. “Can’t play cards, can’t drink. What the hell good are you?” (and why was he dressed like Hitler?) ---
**Author:** ![Elysium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Elysium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysium)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/66 "2011-10-11T13:34:52Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > This is the one I came to post. > > “Can’t play cards, can’t drink. What the hell good are you?” (and why was he dressed like Hitler?) Mallory is a horrible mother. I have to add Killface from Frisky Dingo here as well. Simon is clearly acting out some abandonment issues. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/67 "2011-10-11T14:29:03Z")
Nobody’s mentioned _The Big Bang Theory_? 1. Leonard’s mother–Ice queen psychiatrist who views her son as a lab experiment 2. Sheldon’s mother–Fundamentalist Christian Southerner who fails to see her son’s needs. 3. Raj’s parents–Blatently racist, with their rejection of their children dating "white devils. 4. Wolowitz’s mother–All that screaming! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/68 "2011-10-11T14:54:49Z")
Drs. Bernard and Margaret Chenowith-- parents to Brenda and Billy Chenowith on “Six Feet Under.” ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/69 "2011-10-11T14:56:23Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > For worst parents, I nominate the two druggie women in “Absolutely Fabulous”. Well, Patsy isn’t Saffy’s mom (and in fact resents the hell out of Saffy for her very existence) but yes, Eddie is a pretty ridiculously bad mom. When Saffy was three, apparently Eddie tied her to a roadway median to get rid of her (“You were back within the week, sweetie”). One could argue that Patsy herself hardly has any frame of reference for good parenting. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/70 "2011-10-11T17:11:22Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > And where the hell are Huey, Louie, and Dewey’s parents? I think Donald Duck’s parents are worse. At least Huey, Dewey and Louie were raised by Donald and then adopted by Scrooge McDuck. Come to think about it, that would make each one of the nephews one of the four richest people in the world. My theory is that Walt hated parents. I nominate all the parents from all the teen sitcoms and all the anime ever made. Usually you never see them at all. And if you do see them they’re usually insane. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/71 "2011-10-11T17:30:54Z")
George & Lucille Bluth are not going to win parenting awards. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/72 "2011-10-11T17:54:59Z")
Gotta agree with Nancy Botwin. Bad enough she sells drugs and recruits college kids to sell for her, then marries the DEA agent to cover her ass, but she absolutely does not act like a parent to her kids. I feel sorry for her sons because she’s such a waste of a human being. In fact, I’ve quit watching the shows because she pisses me off so much. I’m beginning to think her husband offed himself just to get away from her. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/73 "2011-10-11T18:04:42Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Well, Patsy isn’t Saffy’s mom (and in fact resents the hell out of Saffy for her very existence) but yes, Eddie is a pretty ridiculously bad mom. Eddie seemed to be a much better mom to her son Serge, at least during the one episode when Serge actually made an appearance. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/74 "2011-10-11T18:18:54Z")
I think that’s because he’s gay, and therefore interesting. She was terribly disappointed that Saffy wasn’t a lesbian. Remember, Eddie didn’t remember what he looked like and couldn’t quite recognize him from his boyhood photo (who else could it have been?). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/75 "2011-10-11T18:37:21Z")
> [@Xan](#): > > John Winchester from Supernatural. That was going to be my vote, too. “Hey, I’ve had a life of hell, living from day-to-day, doing unspeakable things and expecting to die young, so why don’t I raise my boys in the family tradition?” Although in all fairness, Winchesters have tried to get out of the hunter lifestyle, and in some ways, it was the safest thing to do for his boys, to raise them to be able to fend for themselves. ---
**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 12, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/76 "2011-10-12T00:23:54Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Whaaat? I thought they were awesome. Lois is a control freak, who can only communicate through screaming; Hal is a man-child., who can barely get through the day without breakdown. I’ll admit that they mean well, but among other things, they totally ignore Dewey, seemingly barely aware that he’s a hugely talented musician. ---
**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 12, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/77 "2011-10-12T00:24:57Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > George & Lucille Bluth are not going to win parenting awards. Yeah, I mentioned them above, but let’s face it, Lindsay and Tobias are lousy parents, too, and Michael is not very good either. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/78 "2011-10-12T00:33:18Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > George & Lucille Bluth are not going to win parenting awards. Hmmm, Lucille (Jessica Walter) is also the aforementioned Malory Archer. ---
**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 12, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/79 "2011-10-12T02:15:44Z")
On “Dark Shadows”, David collins was one messed up kid. His father Roger was a cold, cynical, rich man who railroaded his best friend Burke Devlin into jail to cover his own drunk driving that killed a man. David tried to kill Roger by sabotaging his car’s brakes. His mother, Laura, was a Phoenix who died in a fire and was reborn every 100 years to marry a member of the Collins family. When it came her time to die in 1967, she tried to have David burn in the fire with her. Then Roger was cast with a spell and married the witch Angelique, posing as Cassandra. She only cast a spell on David so he couldn’t speak. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192/80 "2011-10-12T04:01:50Z")
_Dora the Explorer’s_ parents seem to have abandoned their little girl in a jungle with a monkey. I’m pretty sure DFACS frowns on that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-parents-in-tv-history/599192.md?page=5)