Top 25 TV shows about Family

My friends often ask me for recommendations for TV series focusing on families or family life. You know, when you’re a parent, sometimes seeing others’ tribulations eases your pain a little.

This type of series has been a trend for decades. Most of them are sitcoms, the genre that best fits to portray family life.

However, there are a lot of dramas, animated series both for adults and children, and comedies you didn’t know that were actually about family dynamics.

So, if you’re looking for a series that depicts family life, you’re in the right place.

I’ve chosen 25 TV series among sitcoms, drama, and animation that portrays families in all shapes and colours.

Of course, there will be some missing titles. The purpose of this article is not to be comprehensive, but to offer you a variety of TV shows, old and new, about families and their antics.

Ready to jump in? Let’s go.

This Is Us (2016-2022)

Comedy, Drama, Romance – 6 seasons – 106 episodes – 45 min. Each episode

Okay, maybe I’m being a little biased here because this series is a favourite of mine.

The fun thing is I haven’t finished watching it yet, although it ended its run last year. The reason?

Well, two reasons: you never want good things to ever end, and every single episode emotionally hits me for different reasons. So, it requires a lot of strength for me to watch it.

Well, stop talking about myself and let’s talk about this precious gem of a series that’s This Is Us. The series was created by Dan Fogelman, writer of Bolt, Tangled, and Cars, and starred an ensemble cast featuring Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, and Justin Hartley, among others.

The premise of This Is Us is telling the story of the Pearson family, focusing on the triplets Randall, Kate, and Kevin, through the years.

But it is not the average narrative because the story is not told in a linear timeline, but with hops between past, present, and future.

Don’t be confused with flashbacks and flashforwards since This Is Us narrative is like telling a story as a puzzle you’re building with every piece of information you get by each episode.

This Is Us has been critically acclaimed since the airing of its first season. With an average rating of 8.7 on IMDb and 92% of approval on Rotten Tomatoes, you can imagine I’m not exaggerating.

Tim Dowling from The Guardian said regarding the first season: “When it’s light, This Is Us is sharp and funny, and when it suddenly gets emotional it doesn’t so much pluck at your heartstrings as punch you in the aorta.” I couldn’t agree more.

Breeders (2020)

Comedy, Drama – 3 seasons – 30 episodes – 30 min. Each episode

This is another gem (also a favourite of mine), this time from the UK. Breeders is a dramedy with dark humour created by Martin Freeman, who also plays the main role.

Breeders summarises pretty well the antics of being a parent and the oxymoron this poses: giving your life for your kids and wanting to kill them (figuratively) most of the time.

Breeders follows Paul (Martin Freeman) and Ally (Daisy Haggard) as they navigate the tribulation of raising their two kids: Luke and Ava. The series is based on Freeman’s experiences as a father, and it portrays the not so brighter side of parenthood. I would dare to say that it portrays it realistically.

Breeders’ charm is the subtle British humour with a dark take and a good balance with the drama, which is not heavy as it’s in This Is Us but has some powerful moments that made me cry.

This series is a good take on parenthood because, besides the obvious issues you can find in a TV show like this, it also covers other topics like anxiety, postpartum depression, ageing, dealing with old parents, and all the stuff you have to face when you reach middle age.

Lucy Mangan from The Guardian said about the first season: “The 10-part series is technically a comedy, but it hits so many pressure points so hard in such rapid succession that if you do laugh, it will be through some quite considerable anxiety and pain. I mean that as a compliment.”

The Loud House (2014)

Animation, Adventure, Comedy – 7 seasons – 181 episodes – 22 min. Each episode

The Loud House is an animated series created by Chris Savino that airs on the Nickelodeon channel worldwide.

With the visual style of comic strips, The Loud House tells the story of the Loud family, focusing on Lincoln, the 11 year-old middle child of eleven siblings, where the rest are all girls.

As you can imagine, a house with eleven children could be chaotic, and if you’re the only boy among many girls, this can be worse, or not.

Although the first season is mainly focused on Lincoln, the following ones expand to the rest of the family, giving some spotlight to the parents as well.

The Loud House is a great family show about family life that can be enjoyed by viewers of all ages. This is one of our favourite shows at home.

The series has won many awards and accolades since it has been on air.

According to the website Common Sense Media, “Parents need to know that The Loud House is a very funny cartoon that looks at the dynamics of a large family as told from the perspective of the long-suffering middle child and only boy.”

“Issues such as sibling rivalry are at the heart of the show’s laughs, and there’s always some kind of personality conflict or other cause for bickering at play.”

Nickelodeon also created a live action series called The Really Loud House, which started airing in 2022.

Bluey (2018)

Animation, Family – 3 seasons – 169 episodes – 7 min. Each episode

Considered one of the best animated TV shows for kids nowadays, Bluey is an Australian production with the BBC behind that has become an international success.

Don’t be fooled, although it’s a kids show, it can be enjoyed by parents while they learn a lot from it.

Bluey follows the titular character, a 6-year-old anthropomorphic Australian Blue Heeler puppy full of energy and imagination and her life with her family: dad Bandit, mum Chilli, and young sister Bingo.

Although the premise could look very simple and similar to other children’s shows, Bluey stands out for appealing to kids with Bluey and Bingo’s imaginative play antics, and making parents feel identified with Bandit and Chilli.

And what I find terrific about this show is how we, parents, can learn some parenting lessons from this. Yes, I’m learning to deal with my twins from two animated anthropomorphic dogs, don’t judge me!

Also, one of the many highlights in Bluey is portraying a positive father figure in opposition to Daddy Pig from Peppa Pig or Homer Simpson from The Simpsons, for example.

Bandit is always engaging with his girls and helping them understand their feelings, all while he is busy with his job and housework.

Philippa Chandler from The Guardian said that “social realism meets slapstick as a child’s urgent need for a wee creates chaos while the family waits for their spring rolls.”

“Yet the dynamic shifts in the last few moments of the episode, when Bluey’s father has an epiphany about the fleeting nature of childhood. For once, it isn’t the children in a cartoon learning a life lesson, but the parents.”

Party of Five (1994-2000)

Drama, Family – 6 seasons – 143 episodes – 60 min. Each episode

Party of Five was a teen and family series which was a success around the world in the mid of the 90s.

This also was a vehicle for young talented actors that later became TV icons such as Matthew Fox (Lost), Scott Wolf (The Night Shift), Neve Campbell (Scream), Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls), Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer), and Jeremy London (Mallrats).

The series follows The Salinger siblings, who must take care of each other after their parents die in a car accident.

The party of five siblings is composed of Charlie (Mattew Fox) (24), the oldest brother who became the legal guardian of his siblings after their parents’ death, Bailey (Scott Wolf) (16), a rebellious teenager who is forced to grow up faster due to the circumstances, Julia (Neve Campbell) (15), a sensitive teen, Claudia (Lacey Chabert) (11) a child prodigy musician and baby Owen, who is one year old.

Party of Five won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Dramatic Series in 1996.

I remember being glued to my TV every week to watch a new episode along with my mum. Good old times.

There was a reboot in 2018 that only lasted for one season of 10 episodes, focusing on the Acosta siblings whose parents were deported back to Mexico.

Modern Family (2009 – 2020)

Comedy, Drama, Romance – 11 seasons – 250 episodes – 22 min. Each episode

Perhaps one of the best sitcoms about families, Modern Family was a game changer in the genre when it was launched, and its 11 seasons are a proof of its success.

Created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the series follows three different families who are linked by the patriarch Jay Pritchett.

Following the format of a mockumentary, where characters talk to the camera like in an interview, Modern Family focuses on three types of families: nuclear, blended, and same-sex.

All are living in Los Angeles suburbs and interrelated through rich business owner Jay Pritchett, daughter Kate, and son Mitchell.

Modern Family was critically acclaimed and spawned a big fan base.

When Modern Family came to an end in 2020, Daniel Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter said, “Modern Family was a cornerstone for something special, and as the landscape becomes more and more fragmented, I don’t know if we’ll ever see another moment when a single network is able to program between five and 10 above-average family comedies at once.”

I got on the Modern Family train a little bit late, but I still have a lot of fun ahead to binge.

The Simpsons (1989)

Animation, Comedy – 36 seasons – 751 episodes – 22 min. Each episode

The Simpsons needs no introduction, and maybe the series is an obvious option for a family comedy. After 36 years of being on air, they’re part of our culture, and even people who don’t follow the series know their jokes.

The creation by Matt Groening is far from portraying a perfect family, and that’s The Simpsons’ charm. The series also mocks society as a whole and works as some kind of oracle of many predictions through time.

But we can agree that Homer is not the best example of father and husband, while you can learn some tips from Bluey’s dad on how to do good parenting, you can learn a lot from Homer about what you don’t have to do.

Peppa Pig (2004)

Animation, Adventure, Comedy – 7 seasons – 378 episodes – 9 min. Each episode

Another series that needs no introduction at all is Peppa Pig. Sometimes I joke that this is The Simpsons for toddlers, and I wasn’t wrong about it because the creators, Neville Astley, Mark Baker, and Phil Davies come from adult animation.

I know most parents are tired of Peppa and don’t like her, but I’m a Peppa fan!

If you sit to watch a couple of episodes, you’ll notice the brilliant British humour with subtle jokes that only adults can catch.

Peppa is about a nuclear family of anthropomorphic pigs composed of Peppa, a 4-year-old girl, her little brother George, Daddy Pig and Mummy Pig. The episodes portray their daily lives with their friends, who are other anthropomorphic animals.

Although Peppa has been criticised for being bossy, she behaves like real toddlers of her age.

It’s amazing how kids love Peppa. I watch it all the time with my daughters, and they’re fascinated by the show. And I must acknowledge that it has been pretty educational with some topics.

The Fosters (2013 – 2018)

Drama, Romance – 5 seasons – 104 episodes – 60 min. Each episode

The Fosters makes an interesting take at family life by portraying a same-sex couple with biological and adoptive children.

So, if you’re looking for something different and more focused on diversity, this show is for you.

The series follows the life of a lesbian couple composed of police officer Stef Foster and school vice principal Lena Adams and their children, Brandon, Stef’s son from her previous marriage and adopted twins Jesus and Mariana.

At the beginning of the series, the couple starts fostering two children, Callie and Jude.

According to the creators, Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige, they found a lot of resistance in Hollywood to accept the project due to the topics. But when they were introduced to Jennifer Lopez, everything changed.

Lopez became executive producer of the series, and ABC accepted the project.

The Fosters remains with high ratings, with an 8 in IMDb and 90% at Rotten Tomatoes.

Mike Hale from The New York Times said in his review that “The Fosters is a multiple treat, wrapping up gay parenting, blended families, adoption and the foster care and juvenile justice systems in one happy-sad package.”

And Maggie Fremont from the Vulture lists 5 Reasons Why Adults Should Watch The Fosters in her article.

Malcolm in the Middle (2000 – 2006)

Comedy, Family – 7 seasons – 151 episodes – 22 min. Each episode

Malcolm in the Middle is a dark comedy about the titular character, who is the middle child of three, and later four, brothers. Malcolm is a child prodigy who must endure life with his dysfunctional lower-middle-class family.

The series has an ensemble cast featuring Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston as Malcolm’s parents, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield, and Erik Per Sullivan as Malcolm’s brothers, Francis, Reese, and Dewey.

Malcolm in the Middle has gained the status of classic with high ratings in both IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, and it’s like an old picture of the youth culture from the beginning of the 2000s.

Ramin Zahed from Variety said in his review, “Imagine if “The Simpsons” were a live-action family, and their son had an I.Q. of 165. The result would be Fox Network’s wonderfully irreverent, fresh Valentine to dysfunctional clans everywhere, “Malcolm in the Middle.”

The Proud Family (2001 – 2005)

Animation, Comedy, Family – 2 seasons – 52 episodes – 30 min. Each episode

The Proud Family is an animated series created by Bruce W. Smith for Disney Channel.

The premise is quite simple: it follows Penny Proud as she navigates the ups and downs of adolescence and deals with her family, composed of mom, dad, her twin baby sisters, and grandma.

A revival, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, was produced for the streaming platform Disney+ and premiered in February 2023.

King of the Hill (1997 – 2010)

Animation, Comedy, Drama – 13 seasons – 258 episodes – 30 min. Each episode

King of the Hill was co-created by Mike Judge, the same creator of MTV’s Beavis and Butt-Head. Till today, it’s one of the most successful animated series for adults produced by Fox, besides The Simpsons.

The series follows the daily life of the Hills family, who lives in the fictional city of Arlen, Texas. The family is led by Hank Hills, a common man, who works as assistant manager at Strickland Propane, and then his wife Peggy, his son Bobby, and his niece Luanne.

Most of the focus is on Hank and his neighbours, who are his longtime friends.

One of the main differences with other animated series of the same genre is the realistic approach to the situations with humour emerging from daily situations and dialogues.

Of course, as any other family portrayed in animated comedy shows, the Hills are far from being perfect, but they don’t fill the exaggerated stereotypes so common in this kind of productions.

I remember watching this series side to side with The Simpsons on Fox Channel, and I must admit that King of the Hill’s humour worked better for me.

Dinosaurs (1991 – 1994)

Comedy, Family, Fantasy – 4 seasons – 65 episodes – 30 min. Each episode

This sitcom follows a family of anthropomorphic dinosaurs living a modern life. The series was a co-production between Michael Jacobs Productions, Jim Henson Television and Walt Disney Television.

Jim Henson conceived the show in 1988, a year before his death, stating he wanted it to be a sitcom about a dinosaur family. He was somehow ahead of his time because animated family sitcoms and dinosaurs will become a trend a couple of years later.

In 1988, a world where The Simpsons didn’t exist yet, this idea was crazy for most producers, but after the success of the yellow family, everything changed.

Dinosaurs are set in 60,000,000 BC in Pangaea and follows the Sinclair family: Earl Sneed Sinclair, Fran Sinclair, their three children Robbie, Charlene and Baby Sinclair, and Fran’s mother, Ethyl.

After four seasons of success, the series was cancelled due to production costs because the animatronics were very expensive.

Dinosaurs was one of my favourite shows when I was in high school. I was going through my obsession with dinosaurs thanks to Jurassic Park and the appeal to sarcasm similar to The Simpsons. It was the perfect combination.

Good Luck Charlie (2010 – 2014)

Comedy, Drama, Family – 4 seasons – 98 episodes – 22 min. Each episode

This American sitcom produced for Disney Channel follows the Duncan family as they welcome their fourth child, a baby girl named Charlie. Once the parents needed to go back to work, they decided the older siblings would take care of Charlie.

Teddy, PJ, and Gabe accept the challenge while they must deal with school and the usual teenage life.

In the meantime, Teddy starts recording a video diary for Charlie with the idea that it will become useful advice when they both grow up. At the end of each video, one of the characters says “Good luck, Charlie!”

Although the series was aired on Disney Channel, it was aimed at the whole family and not only children. With a lot of humour, the series portrays a realistic situation a lot of families must endure: child care.

Bless the Harts (2019 – 2021)

Animation, Comedy – 2 seasons – 34 episodes – 30 min. Each episode

Another animated sitcom by Fox, Bless the Harts follows the titular family who lives in North Carolina. Jenny works as a waitress in a religious themed restaurant. At home she lives with her daughter Violet, her mother Betty and her boyfriend Wayne.

According to Emily Spivey, the show’s creator, the story is based on her own life growing up in High Point, North Carolina. She also said that Bless the Harts shares a universe with The King of the Hill, acknowledging this series as a big influence.

The series did a great job portraying the ups and downs of a single working mother from the lower middle class.

The Casagrandes (2019 – 2022)

Animation, Family , Comedy – 3 seasons – 67 episodes – 22 min. Each episode

The Casagrandes is a spin-off to The Loud House, with Ronnie Anne Santiago, her brother Bobby Santiago, and their extended family, The Casagrandes, as the main focus.

Ronnie Anne and Bobby were recurrent secondary characters in The Loud House. Ronnie Anne was Lincoln’s classmate, and Bobby was Lori’s (Lincoln’s oldest sister) boyfriend.

When Ronnie Anne and Bobby move with their mother to Great Lake City to live with their extended family, The Casagrandes, Ronnie Anne makes new friends, and Bobby and Lori continue their relationship through the distance.

The Casagrandes is a great show to be enjoyed by the whole family that portrays the customs and daily life of a latin family living in the US.

At home, The Casagrandes is another big favourite, and seeing the Latin American culture represented in an animated series is a big plus.

Parenthood (2010 – 2015)

Comedy, Drama – 6 seasons – 103 episodes – 60 min. Each episode

Parenthood is a comedy drama created by Jason Katims (Roswell, Friday Night Lights) for NBC. The series focuses on the Braverman family consisting of an older couple, their three children and their families.

The series portrays how each generation deals with the parenthood’s tribulations and joys, while navigating their daily lives.

Parenthood is based on the 1989 film of the same name starring Steve Martin that was co-written and directed by Ron Howard. Back in 1990, a TV series was produced for NBC based on the film, but it was unsuccessful and lasted for only one season.

Almost 20 years later, Katims convinced Ron Howard and Brian Gazer, the original screen writers of the film, to make a new adaptation for TV. Although they weren’t so convinced at first, they ended up accepting.

Jen Chaney from the Washington Post wrote in her review, “But what really, truly, above all else, makes me love “Parenthood” is that it’s a perfect piece of what I’ll call reali-scapism”

“A television show that tackles subjects many of us confront in our own lives — hectic working-parent schedules, playdate politics, the strain of an unemployed spouse, the frustration of not being able to communicate with an autistic child — and dips all of it in just enough escapism to make it enjoyable to watch.”

“It’s the sort of show that reminds you to embrace the people you love when you’re not watching TV, a series, in fact, that reminds you that you probably shouldn’t watch so much TV, except, of course, when you’re watching Parenthood.”

Black-ish (2014 – 2022)

Comedy, Family – 8 seasons – 176 episodes – 22 min. Each episode

Black-ish follows an upper-class black family composed of the parents Andre “Dre” Johnson and Rainbow Johnson, and their kids Zoey, Andre Jr, Jack, and Diane.

The series revolves around their daily lives as they navigate several personal and sociocultural issues living in the suburbs. The character of Earl Johnson (Andre’s father) is portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, who also served as executive producer.

In general, Black-ish received positive reviews with a media rating of 7.3 on IMDb.

And also sparked some presidential debate as Homa Khaleeli tells in her review for The Guardian: “It’s a question that has divided US presidents: is the sitcom Black-ish the best thing on television or, well, racist?”

“For Barack Obama, the show is like watching his own family on screen, while Donald Trump tweeted that the title alone is “racism at highest level.””

Little House on the Prairie (1974 – 1983)

Drama, Family, Romance – 9 seasons – 204 episodes – 50 min. Each episode

Here we have a classic of classics that currently I’m enjoying again on Amazon Prime Video while I relive part of my childhood.

Little House on the Prairie follows the life of the Ingalls family in the American West in the second half of the XIX century. The series is an adaptation of the Little House book series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The late Michael Landon stars in the series in the role of Charles Ingalls and also wrote and directed some episodes and served as executive producer. The cast is completed by Karen Grassle as Caroline Ingalls, who is Charle’s wife, Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls, Melissa Sue Anderson as Mary Ingalls, and the twins Rachel Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush in the role of Carrie Ingalls.

The story begins with the family arriving at Plum Creek, Minnesota, where they build their farm and start a new life. The series portrays all the tribulations of that time when America was still being built, and pioneers must endure the hardships of the new world.

The core theme of the series is the family as the angular stone, however Little House on the Prairie touched a lot of heavy topics throughout its run, such as adoption, alcoholism, faith, poverty, blindness, prejudice of all types, including racism, drug addiction, leukaemia, child abuse, animal abuse, and even rape.

Little House on the Prairie is one of the few TV shows that hasn’t aged at all, not only in topics but as a whole. It’s hard to find in today’s TV series such beautiful cinematography, editing, writing, and a talented cast as this series.

The Flintstones (1960 – 1966)

Animation, Adventure, Comedy – 6 seasons – 167 episodes – 26 min. Each episode

Another classic here, The Flintstones were ahead of their time. Besides carrying a modern life in the Stone Age, they were the first family to star in an animated sitcom.

This Hanna-Barbera production takes place in a modernised Stone Age and follows the titular family on their daily live activities. Fred and Wilma Flintstone live in the town of Bedrock, they have a pet dinosaur named Dino, and later they welcome their baby daughter Pebbles.

They also share a lot of situations with their neighbours and friends Barney and Betty Rubble who adopt a super-strong baby named Bamm-Bamm.

The Flintstones was the first animated series to be slotted on prime-time on television. For three decades, The Flintstones was the most financially successful and longest-running network animated television series until it was surpassed by The Simpsons.

If you pay attention to The Flintstones intro, you’ll see where The Simpsons borrowed some inspiration.

The Jetsons (1962 – 1963)

Animation, Comedy, Family – 3 seasons – 75 episodes – 25 min. Each episode

Another creation by Hanna-Barbera. While The Flintstones were a parody of modern life in prehistoric times, The Jetsons works in the same way but with a futuristic setting.

The series follows The Jetsons family consisting of George Jetson, his wife Jane, his little son Elroy, and his teenage daughter Judy.

They reside in Orbit City, a futuristic city where all homes and shops are high above the surface in columns. The series portrays the future with flying cars and robots taking care of the most mundane tasks.

During its run on prime-time, the series didn’t get so much attention, lasting just for one season of 24 episodes. When it was moved to the Saturday Morning cartoon segment it became an instant success, with new episodes being produced for syndication from 1985 to 1987.

Nowadays, The Jetsons remains as the counterpart to The Flintstones. Although their portrayal of the future could look a little bit lavish, The Jetsons managed to predict several changes in our society, mainly the influence of technology in communication.

Diff’rent Strokes (1978 – 1986)

Comedy, Drama, Family – 8 seasons – 181 episodes – 30 min. Each episode

Long before people ask for inclusion in TV shows, Diff’rent Strokes portrayed an ensembled family where a white widow with a daughter adopts two black brothers.

Diff’rent Strokes paved the way for family sitcoms and today remains as one of the most cherished TV series of all time.

The series was a vehicle for Gary Coleman, who played Arnold, the youngest of the Jackson brothers, who were adopted by Mr Drummond.

Although the series began as a light hearted family sitcom, in the following seasons it touched some complex topics such as racism, illegal drug use, alcoholism, hitchhiking, kidnapping, and child sexual abuse.

Todd Bridges played Willis Jackson, Arnold’s older brother, and Dana Plato played Kimberly Drummond.

If you have good memories of this show, or you haven’t watched it yet, please stay away from the tragic story of each cast member.

The Nanny (1993 – 1999)

Comedy, Family, Romance – 6 seasons – 145 episodes – 22 min. Each episode

If Diff’rent Strokes was a trademark of sitcoms in the 80s, Fran Drescher made the same in the 90s with The Nanny.

The Nanny follows Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York.

After being fired from her job, she starts selling cosmetics, which leads her to end up at Maxwell Sheffield’s door. Sheffield is a widow British Broadway producer who is looking for a Nanny for his three children: Maggie, Brighton, and Grace.

Although Mr Sheffield is reluctant at first in hiring Fran as a Nanny, she ends up proving to him that she’s the best option.

Completing the cast of characters is Nigel, the butler who is a witness of all changes that Fran brings to home. Also, Nigel sees in Fran the perfect prospect for Maxwell and tries to undermine all C.C. Babcock’s advances. C.C. is Maxwell’s business partner and sees in him the perfect material as a future husband.

Nowadays, The Nanny remains as a fun sitcom with unforgettable characters that have become part of our popular culture.

The success of The Nanny around the world spawned several foreign adaptations.

Raising Hope (2010 – 2014)

Comedy, Family – 4 seasons – 88 episodes – 22 min. Each episode

If you want to cry…with laughter, then watch Raising Hope, you won’t regret it.

This hilarious comedy produced by Fox, follows Jimmy Chance, a 23 years old who fathered a daughter after a one-night stand with a serial killer. Since the baby’s mother is sentenced to death, Jimmy needs the help of his dysfunctional family to raise her.

So, you can guess from the basic premise that this is not your average sitcom about family, but this doesn’t mean the series doesn’t portray the ups and downs of raising a baby well. On the contrary, with hilarious situations, it manages to portray it accurately.

Raising Hope received positive reviews from critics and audience alike and was nominated for several accolades through its run, winning a couple of awards.

ALF (1986 – 1990)

Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi – 4 seasons – 103 episodes

ALF was a worldwide success in the second half of the 80s. This was a sitcom aimed at the whole family that follows Gordon Shumway, a furry alien from the Melmac planet who crashes his ship in the garage of the Tanner family.

Willie Tanner (Max Wright) is a social worker who ends up naming Gordon as ALF (alien life form). The rest of the family consists of Kate, Max’s wife, and their two kids: teenage daughter Lynn and younger son Brian.

The Tanners decide to hide ALF in their home from the Alien Task Force and their nosy neighbours Trevor and Raquel Ochmonek.

ALF is a hilarious comedy about how family life is altered when a new member, in this case, an alien, arrives home.

The series production was arduous, both in technical and shooting aspects. ALF was a puppet most of the time, except for some shoots where the character appeared walking and running with his whole body.

Nowadays, ALF remains one of the icons from the 80s and part of our popular culture. Definitely this series was one of our favourites at home when I was a kid, and it brings back fond memories shared with my parents.

Summary

As you can see, this list contains different and varied series about family life: comedy, drama, animation, children’s TV shows, adult TV shows, etc. All of them approach the dynamics and antics of having a family with children from different points of view.

If you’re interested in watching them, you can search on different streaming platforms. You’ll find them on Disney+, Hulu, Star+, Paramount+, HBO Max, Prime Video, etc, depending on where you live.

You can also take a look at our guides on our websites about how to access these platforms from where you live.

Family life can be exciting, complicated, stressful, and loving, and watching TV series is one of the best activities you can share together as a family.