Not Even A True TV Know-It-All Can Match The Family To Their Show
- by Kristen Catalano
- – on
- in Movies and TV
There are a ton of different kinds of television shows on air. Some of the best shows involve families as they are personable and easy to relate to, most of the time. Shows with a strong lead family have proven to be successful among all generations and age groups. After watching a show for a number of different seasons it can be easy to feel like the viewers know them and have experienced everything that they have. Sometimes people know more about their favorite family on TV then their actual family!
Through different TV shows viewers are able to experience all the highs and lows that these families experience. TV shows are able to transport viewers away from all of the problems and stresses of daily life just for a little while, this is probably why so many people love to watch TV after a long day at work. It can get a bit confusing when trying to remember all of the TV families from each show. A true fan will be able to match each of the TV families below to their correct show because they have watched them for at least a couple of episodes over the course of the years.
The Bradys
The Brady family is a pretty big family, Mike is a widower who has three sons. His sons names are Greg, Peter and Bobby. Mike eventually meets and marries Carol who has three daughters of her own: Marcia, Jan and Cindy. Also included in this family is their wacky maid named Alice. They live in a pretty small house which leads to many fights among the kids and some pretty crazy antics. Eventually they all form strong bonds with one another.
The Huxtables
This family is an upper class family that resides in Brooklyn, New York. The father, Cliff is an obstetrician who has a practice in a section of his home. Cliff's wife Clair is an attorney. Together they have five children, four daughters and one son. Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa and Rudy are always driving their parents crazy with some crazy schemes they are cooking up or plans they are trying to go through with. Nonetheless they are a strong family unit.
The Barones
The Barones are an Italian-American family that reside on Long Island, New York. The father of the family Raymond, is a sportswriter for Newsday and his wife Debra is a stay at home mom. Together they have three children, one daughter and two twin sons. Raymond's parents live across the street from him and his family which leads to a ton of conflicts. Ray's mother likes to butt in on their business and is always poking her nose in their business.
The Connors
The Connors are a typical American middle class family who live in a small town and deal with a lot of the same issues that most families deal with. Although they don't always have a ton of money they are very close and try to make the best of their tough times. The mother of the family is the matriarch and enjoys poking fun at her children and husband pretty much any chance that she gets. Her sister is also a common visitor to their house.
The Bankses
The Banks family is an upper class family that lives in the prestigious neighborhood located in Los Angeles. Will however was raised by a single mother in a lower class neighborhood in Philadelphia. When he gets into a street fight his mother sends him to live with her sister and brother in law, the Bankses. Will has a hard time adjusting to his new life at first but eventually becomes very close to his cousins and even decides to stay there after graduating high school.
The Formans
The Formans are a pretty normal American family living in a small town in Wisconsin. Red is the patriarch of the family and is very hard on his children, especially his son. Kitty is the matriarch and prefers to baby her children. Laurie and Eric are their children and are very different. Laurie is a free spirit who comes and goes as she pleases whereas Eric almost always follows the rules and is typically the one that Red takes his anger out on.
The Hecks
The Heck family is a middle class family that tires their best to keep a smile on their faces while experiencing all the ups and downs of life. The mother, Frankie, tries to use her sense of humor to try to steer family through life's ups and downs while also trying to further her career. Her husband, Mike is a manager at the the local quarry. They have three kids, two sons and a daughter. Their youngest child is a bit unusual and is best friends with a backpack.
The Ricardos
Lucy Ricardo is married to Ricky Ricardo, Ricky is a Cuban bandleader who is trying to make it in show business. They reside in New York and Lucy is very supportive of her husbands dreams. She always tries to help him but usually lands herself in some sort of trouble. They are best friends with their landlords and Ethel, usually becomes Lucy's partner in whatever crazy schemes or plans she has decided to create. Nonetheless Ricky always helps her out of her problems and loves her despite it.
The Bundys
The Bundy family is a typical family by statistics but anything like normal American families, or at least how they are typically portrayed to be. They don't like to talk to one another and instead spend most of their time arguing. Al is the patriarch and is a shoe salesman who spends a lot of his time at home arguing with his wife Peggy about their slacker children and lack of love. Their children Kelly and Bud do the bare minimum.
The Taylors
Tim Taylor, the patriarch of the family is the host of a popular home improvement show called "Tool Time". However at home, Tim is no where near as handy as he is on screen. He and his wife Jill, have three sons. The family tries their best to tackle every problem that comes their way but they often go to their neighbor, Wilson, for advice when they are having a difficult time getting through something. They are a strong family that handles a lot.
The Winslows
Carl Winslow is a police officer living in Chicago with his family. Carl is married to Harriette and together they have three children. Their household is always filled and bustling as Harriet’s sister and her young son move in after the death of her husband as well as Carl’s elderly mother. Not to mention their nerdy neighbor Urkel who is constantly barging into their home at the worst time possible and makes himself at home even with Carl’s dissaproving glares.
The Kennishs
The Kennishs were a well off family that basically had thre perfect life, that was until Bay Kennish did an experiment in school and it was discovered through blood tests that she was switcher at birth. John and Kate now had to search for their biological daughter while also trying to protect Bay from feeling abandoned and her biological family that was nothing like them. Eventually they all became one big family that might have been different but worked anyway.
The Matthews
The Matthews are a typical American family who at the start of the series have three children. Their middle son Corey is the main focus of the show as he navigates his school years along with dating and friendships. They series follows him and his friends until they graduate from college and show Corey turning from a little boy into a grown man. His older brother Eric is along for the ride and always down for a crazy adventure and his younger sister is usually tattling on her older brothers.
The Dunphys
Phil Dunphy is the patriarch of the family along with his wife Claire. They have three kids, two daughters and a son. Phil is seen as a “cool dad”, he is always doting over his wife and trying to find new ways to bond with all of his kids. His kids on the other hand are a little bit resistant, especially his oldest daughter who prefers to hang out with her friends and play on her phone then spend time with her dad.
The Pearsons
The Pearsons started off as a pretty normal famliy but after losing one of their triplets in child birth they ended up adopting another baby who was born on the same day, in the same hospital. They had some ups and downs while trying to raise three completely different kids all at the same time. At the end of the day they were one of the strongest family’s that have ever been featured on a television show despite everything they went through.
The Fosters
The Fosters are one of the most atypical families on television to date, however that doesn’t mean that they are not also one of the strongest families on tv. Lena and her wife Stef had their hands full with Stef’s biological son and their adopted twins. When their case worker called them to foster a young girl they never imagined they would end up adopting both her and her younger brother along the way. Especially because they were known for being a bit hard to handle.
The Johnsons
The Johnsons family consists of Dre and Rainbow Johnsons, together they have four kids and are a bit different then typical familes. Dre is an advertising executive who attempts to pass down his urban culture onto his uninterested children. Rainbow however is a doctor who was raised by hippies. Together they try to teach their children about their culture while also remaining in tune with what is cool to kids these days. This is a lot harder then they thought it would be.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons are part of the longest running animated series in history. Homer Simpson is the dad and he often finds himself being told what to do by his family. He is married to Marge, she is very loving and attentive to their three children. The only son in the family, Bart, is a bit of a trouble maker and often finds himself on the wrong side of one of his fathers rants. Their older daughter Lisa is a bit of an overacheiver.
The Griffins
The Griffins are about as far from typical family that they can get. Peter is the provider and his wife Lois stays home to take care of their kids and run the household. Peter enjoys poking fun at his children, mainly his daughter Meg, and often finds himself in feuds with random people or neighbors. Stewie, the baby of the family, is nothing like a normal baby. He is a genius who can talk and often makes some crazy plans for himself.
The Gellers
The Geller family consists of Jack, Judy and their two children. Ross is the older child and is very successful in his career when the show picks up. He is working at a musuem as a paleontologist, however his personal life is in complete shambles. He is a hopeless romantic who often makes rash decisions when it comes to the ones that he loves. His sister Monica is very composed and almost always on top of things where everyone is concerned.
The Sheffields
The Sheffields are an upper class family living in New York City. Mr. Sheffield loses his wife when his three children are still very young and he is very lost. He hires a nanny to help him with every day activities as he has a very demanding work schedule. He never imagines that he will fall in love with this nanny and they will end up adding on to the family even more. The kids accept her as their own as well.
The Addams
The Addams family consists of husband and wife, Gomez and Morticia along with their two children Wednesday and Pugsley. Their grandmother, Uncle Lester and Butler are also considered part of their family as they live in the house with them. This family is very close with one another and they all share the same macabre interests. Every member of the family seems to have supernatural abilities although there is no explanation given as to why or how they got these abilities.
The Mikaelsons
The Mikaelsons are the most powerful family in history as they were the first vampires ever created. They love to assert their dominace over others of their kind as they are able to mind control anyone, even other supernaturals. There are five siblings and although they don’t always get along they have a very tight bond and will do almost anything to protect one another. Their bonds are often tested and they have “given up” on one another for a short time.
The Villanuevas
Jane is the matriarch of the show. She is a young, hardworking girl who has waited for the right man to start a family. Everythig changes when she goes to the doctor for a routine checkup and ends up getting artifically inseminated when the doctor messes up. She is now faced with being a single mother to her little boy and trying to form a relationship at the same time. She has some help from her grandmother and mother along the way.
The Wilkersons
The Wilkerson family consists of Hal, Lois and their four sons. All of the boys have different personalities but the couples third son is a genius who has a higher IQ then normal. He is placed in classes for gifted students and has a very hard time adjusting. He is often teased at school and at home by his brothers so life is not the easiest for him. Despite this his parents try their best to give the same attention to each of their kids.
The Gilmores
Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter Rory are the main focus of this show. Lorelai comes from a very wealthy family and owns the towns bed and breakfast along with her best friend. She got pregnant with her daughter when she was young and has raised her on her own since then. Her parents are always criticizing her on her parenting skills and style so they don't really see eye to eye very much. However she does her best to provide for her daughter.
The Cunninghams
This family resides in Wisconsin. The show revolves around Richie Cunningham and his family, his father named Howard owns a hardware store and his mother is a traditional homemaker. He has a younger sister named Joanie and an older brother named Chuck. Richie also has a best friend named Fonzie who eventually becomes the Cunningham's tenant when he rents the apartment over their garage. Richie eventually left his family to join the military so Fonzie became the main focus of the show.
The Wheelers
The Wheeler family consists of five members. Ted and Karen are married and together they have three children. Their oldest child is Nancy, their second child is Mike and their youngest child is Holly. Mike Wheeler is the main protagonist in the first and second seasons of the show. Mike is an optimist who is always trying to do what is morally right. He has shown a lot of compassion and will go to great lengths in order to help his friends.
The Baxters
The Baxters are a pretty normal family, the family has four members. Raven is the Baxter's daughter and first child, she has a younger brother named Corey. Raven may seem like a normal teenager but she actually has a very interesting ability. She is able to see the future, however it is not always as accurate as she might hope and often takes some crazy turns. She tries to continue her life as normal as possible while also learning more about her gift.
The Waldorfs
Blair Waldorf is a young girl who tries her best to act like an adult. Her parents are rich and she lives in the upper east side of Manhattan so she has grown up in an adult world basically her whole life. She schemes and plots in order to climb the social ladder at her school but also because she wants to get the attention of her parents. Her mother is a prestigious fashion designer and her father left her for his new lover.
The Coopers
The Coopers appear to be a totally normal family with no secrets or a dark past. However their family is riddled with both. Betty is their youngest daughter and she accidentally uncovers some of her fathers deepest, darkest secrets when she is working on a piece for her school parents. Her family starts to fall apart when she finds out where her parents sent her pregnant sister and what her father has been doing in his free time, attacking students from her school.
The Tanners
The Tanner family is a bit unique. Danny lost his wife when his three daughters were just kids so his best friend Joey and brother in law Jesse decided to move in to give him a hand. They help him raise his kids as well as offer him dating advice when he feels ready to move on. They only plan to stay for a bit but end up living there for years and Jesse even brings his own kids up in the house
The Lyons
Lucious Lyon has always ruled in the entertainment industry as he is a hip hop artist and CEO of Empire Entertainment. However he was diagnosed with a medical condition that gives him about three years, he now must decide which one of his three sons will take over his business. He is trying to chose carefully and smart so that he doesn't do even more damage to their family but when his ex wife comes back into the picture things get complicated.
The Salvatores
The Salvatore brothers have been around for a pretty long time, they were turned into vampires in 1864. When the show picks up they have been apart for a while seeing as they do not get along at all but when they both return to their hometown they begin to work things out and even become close. They end up defending the small town form a number of supernatural threats and fall in love with the same girl, something they have done in the past.
The Stewarts
The Stewarts have always been a bit different then normal families. Robbie Stewart the dad was a famous country star who retired from the spotlight in order to raise his two children in as normal an environment as possible. His daughter decided to follow in his footsteps and started performing under a stage name when she was just 14 years old. She wore a wig in order to hide her identity so she could also live as a normal teenager.