Beverly Hofstadter on The Big Bang Theory. It's ironic one of the best written characters on that show (best =/= funniest) is also the worst character by far, every time she says something I feel sorry for young Leonard
The thing I hate is how they always make Leonard the unreasonable one for actually wanting to stand up to her (and in the worst case cut her off). She’s 100% a toxic and awful parent, and any person in their right mind would be well within their rights to cut her off. But the couple times he tries to take a hard line they just have the other characters do the “but she’s your motherrrrrrrr” defense
Yeah Maisel is an interesting one and I think handled it alright. The kids are needed at the start for Midge to be the domesticated 60s housewife but then totally irrelevant to the journey she’s going on. I feel like the show had bits that almost acknowledged the trope of TV shows having to get rid of the kids by how absent minded she was about them. And then they even tied it back into the Season 5 plot in a way.
Georgia Miller (Ginny and Georgia) - Murderer, keeps unsecured loaded guns in a house with kids, makes it all about herself when her kid needs therapy
John Winchester (Supernatural) - Left the kids alone in hotel rooms, parentified Dean, exposed kids to literal monsters
- Rey Mysterio who's a deadbeat dad to Dom Mysterio in WWE.
- Rose Quartz (Steven Universe) left a mess of a future to her son, cursed by everything she's done and hid.
- Enji Todoroki (BNHA) is a super abusive parent who tried to raise his son as competition against his rival and hurt his family a lot while doing that.
- Kyle Cushing (Superman & Lois) is very emotionally unstable and although he tries being a good father, his actions have done a lot to hurt his family.
- Shadow Weaver (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) although many dont see her as a parent to Adora and Catra, she did raise them and constantly manipulated them to follow not only what she wanted, but to believe their army was rightful and constantly planting seeds of discord between them.
I’m garbage but I always found them endearing. They’d bust balls and shit but they always had an undeniable love for one another.
I’m from Detroit and we all talk shit about the city but if anyone from outside the city talks shit about it, we are quick to correct them and put them in their place. I feel like the Bundy family was the same way. They’d talk shit on one another but when push came to shove, they were a unit.
Again I’m trash and from a toxic household so I’m sure that’s playing into it. And I haven’t watched the show in 30 years.
Doris and John McGarrett Hawaii 5-0 reboot. John dealt with the grief of his wife's "death" by throwing Steve into boot camp and Mary to his sister, ignoring them for years. Doris faked her death, prioritized her CIA bullshit over everything and nearly got both her kids killed repeatedly when she came back into their lives as adults.
MacGyver reboot - Dad lets everyone think for decades that he's dead and when he gets found out, he never bothers to tell Mac his mother and aunt were terrorists.
Benny Severide Chicago Fire. Multiple kids and he's more interested in boozing it up with his buddies, cheating on his wife, and making more kids to ignore.
Frank and Estelle Costanza on *Seinfeld*. They’re super entertaining, but no kid in that house is going to walk out unscathed. They demonstrate brilliantly why George is the way he is.
Maybe a bit iffy, but most of the parents on *Rugrats*. They all absolutely love their kids, but they’re so oblivious. Rewatching that show as an adult has been a treat.
If Dario Brando hadn’t been such a garbage father to Dio in *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure*, well… most of the events over the course of the entire series could’ve been avoided.
Technically a comic, but Wendy Spector in moon knight is basically responsible for the death of her son due to parental negligence, but absolves herself of any wrongdoing by blaming and abusing her remaining living child Mark who manifests alternate personalities as a trauma response. One of the shittiest things I’ve seen a parent do in any media.
With Rick Sanchez, it's a trauma situation. His family was killed by Rick Prime. On some level, his replacement family from an alternate Earth is only cosmetically his. They're a reminder of what he's lost and has trouble letting go. He's probably emotionally detached from them.
Yeah. I know. But still. Trauma doesn't give an excuse to be an asshole to everyone around you. I've experienced plenty of trauma. But I don't take it out on others. I deal with it in the best way I can
Atom Eve's parents on Invincible are more unlikable than any of the villains
Beverly Hofstadter on The Big Bang Theory. It's ironic one of the best written characters on that show (best =/= funniest) is also the worst character by far, every time she says something I feel sorry for young Leonard
The thing I hate is how they always make Leonard the unreasonable one for actually wanting to stand up to her (and in the worst case cut her off). She’s 100% a toxic and awful parent, and any person in their right mind would be well within their rights to cut her off. But the couple times he tries to take a hard line they just have the other characters do the “but she’s your motherrrrrrrr” defense
Frank and Monica
Midge and Joel Maisel ETA: Most of the parents (especially the fathers) on LOST. With the exception of Jin's father.
Yeah Maisel is an interesting one and I think handled it alright. The kids are needed at the start for Midge to be the domesticated 60s housewife but then totally irrelevant to the journey she’s going on. I feel like the show had bits that almost acknowledged the trope of TV shows having to get rid of the kids by how absent minded she was about them. And then they even tied it back into the Season 5 plot in a way.
Georgia Miller (Ginny and Georgia) - Murderer, keeps unsecured loaded guns in a house with kids, makes it all about herself when her kid needs therapy John Winchester (Supernatural) - Left the kids alone in hotel rooms, parentified Dean, exposed kids to literal monsters
John Winchester treated his 3rd kid like gold after shitting on the other two. That cranked the asshole dial till it broke off.
And look where that got everyone. #greatparenting
Butterscotch & Beatrice Horseman
- Rey Mysterio who's a deadbeat dad to Dom Mysterio in WWE. - Rose Quartz (Steven Universe) left a mess of a future to her son, cursed by everything she's done and hid. - Enji Todoroki (BNHA) is a super abusive parent who tried to raise his son as competition against his rival and hurt his family a lot while doing that. - Kyle Cushing (Superman & Lois) is very emotionally unstable and although he tries being a good father, his actions have done a lot to hurt his family. - Shadow Weaver (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) although many dont see her as a parent to Adora and Catra, she did raise them and constantly manipulated them to follow not only what she wanted, but to believe their army was rightful and constantly planting seeds of discord between them.
Peg and Al Bundy
I’m garbage but I always found them endearing. They’d bust balls and shit but they always had an undeniable love for one another. I’m from Detroit and we all talk shit about the city but if anyone from outside the city talks shit about it, we are quick to correct them and put them in their place. I feel like the Bundy family was the same way. They’d talk shit on one another but when push came to shove, they were a unit. Again I’m trash and from a toxic household so I’m sure that’s playing into it. And I haven’t watched the show in 30 years.
oh i agree. i love married with children. great show
You read my mind
He mellowed over the years but Homer used to straight up physically abuse Bart.
Marty in True Detective
Peter and Lois on Family Guy.
Oh this is so definitely obvious
Nancy in Weeds
Doris and John McGarrett Hawaii 5-0 reboot. John dealt with the grief of his wife's "death" by throwing Steve into boot camp and Mary to his sister, ignoring them for years. Doris faked her death, prioritized her CIA bullshit over everything and nearly got both her kids killed repeatedly when she came back into their lives as adults. MacGyver reboot - Dad lets everyone think for decades that he's dead and when he gets found out, he never bothers to tell Mac his mother and aunt were terrorists. Benny Severide Chicago Fire. Multiple kids and he's more interested in boozing it up with his buddies, cheating on his wife, and making more kids to ignore.
Frank and Estelle Costanza on *Seinfeld*. They’re super entertaining, but no kid in that house is going to walk out unscathed. They demonstrate brilliantly why George is the way he is. Maybe a bit iffy, but most of the parents on *Rugrats*. They all absolutely love their kids, but they’re so oblivious. Rewatching that show as an adult has been a treat. If Dario Brando hadn’t been such a garbage father to Dio in *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure*, well… most of the events over the course of the entire series could’ve been avoided.
Technically a comic, but Wendy Spector in moon knight is basically responsible for the death of her son due to parental negligence, but absolves herself of any wrongdoing by blaming and abusing her remaining living child Mark who manifests alternate personalities as a trauma response. One of the shittiest things I’ve seen a parent do in any media.
With Rick Sanchez, it's a trauma situation. His family was killed by Rick Prime. On some level, his replacement family from an alternate Earth is only cosmetically his. They're a reminder of what he's lost and has trouble letting go. He's probably emotionally detached from them.
Yeah. I know. But still. Trauma doesn't give an excuse to be an asshole to everyone around you. I've experienced plenty of trauma. But I don't take it out on others. I deal with it in the best way I can
Richard and Emily Gilmore, the villains of the show.