Television has long featured shows that focus on the family unit. Relationships between family members can be interesting and complex, providing ample interesting material for a show. This has not gone unnoticed by writers who turn to families for inspiration time and again.
Of course, there is no one type of family. Over time, networks have changed the family structure in shows, depicting the newer family types as times have changed. Families are no longer traditional as they had been in “Leave It to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best.” The past 60 years of television have presented us with all types of families — families that with their flaws, uniqueness, and strengths have captured the hearts and minds of different viewers.
24/7 Wall St. has reviewed the most popular television shows to determine America’s 50 favorite TV families. The resulting list is based on the number of user ratings each show has received on the Internet Movie Database and the average number of page views each show’s Wikipedia page has received over the past two years. The list includes funny and serious family shows, as well as anything from animated series to reality TV.
Click here to see America’s favorite TV families.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.
Source: Courtesy of NBC
1. Solomon family
> Show: 3rd Rock from the Sun
> Original release: (1996-2001)
> Network: NBC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 1,234
The six-season comedy series starring John Lithgow and Jane Curtin was about aliens who come to Earth — the third rock from the sun — disguised as a human family trying to understand life on our planet.
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2. Bluth family
> Show: Arrested Development
> Original release: (2003- )
> Network: Fox, Netflix
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 5,387
Now in its fifth season, the comedy show “Arrested Development,” which stars Jeffrey Tambor and Jason Bateman, is about the trials and tribulations of a wealthy but dysfunctional family trying to stay together.
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Source: Courtesy of Netflix
3. Gardner family
> Show: Atypical
> Original release: (2017- )
> Network: Netflix
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,245
Only in its second season, “Atypical” is a comedy starring Jennifer Jason Leigh as the mother of an autistic teenaged boy who wants to become more independent.
4. Wheeler family
> Show: Baby Daddy
> Original release: (2012-2017)
> Network: Freeform
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,426
Jean-Luc Bilodeau plays bachelor bartender Ben Wheeler, whose life is upended when a baby is left on his doorstep by an ex-girlfriend. The series ran for six seasons.
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Source: Courtesy of Fox
5. Belcher family
> Show: Bob’s Burgers
> Original release: (2011- )
> Network: Fox
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 3,482
The animated series in its ninth season is about a family trying to stay together by operating a restaurant.
6. Matthews family
> Show: Boy Meets World
> Original release: (1993-2000)
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 1,816
The comedy-drama lasted seven seasons and focused on the life lessons learned by an adolescent played by Ben Savage.
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7. Halliwell sisters
> Show: Charmed
> Original release: (1998-2006)
> Network: The WB
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,938
The drama/mystery series, which is being rebooted, ran for eight seasons and starred Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, and Shannen Doherty (and later Rose McGowan) as three sisters who use witchcraft to battle evil.
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8. Parker and Nichols family
> Show: Drake & Josh
> Original release: (2004-2007)
> Network: Nickelodeon
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 1,951
The four-season sitcom was about two step brothers, one a nerd and the other a musician, who become close while fending off the efforts of their younger sister to get them in trouble.
Source: Courtesy of CanWest Global Communications
9. Barone family
> Show: Everybody Loves Raymond
> Original release: (1996-2005)
> Network: CBS
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,263
Ray Romano played the title character in this comedy about a sportswriter who has to deal with his meddling family who live across the street.
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Source: Courtesy of Cartoon Network
10. Griffin Family
> Show: Family Guy
> Original release: (1998- )
> Network: Fox
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 6,157
The animated series created by Seth MacFarlane started in 1998. The series lampoons American family life as the Griffins and their wisecracking dog encounter wacky situations, many of which caused by the father Peter.
11. Winslow family
> Show: Family Matters
> Original release: (1989-1998)
> Network: ABC, CBS
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 1,833
Though the Winslows are the TV family the show follows, it is intrusive, nerdy next-door neighbor Steve Urkel, played by Jaleel White, that was one of the most beloved characters.
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12. Tanners and extended family
> Show: Full House
> Original release: (1987-1995)
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 3,180
This is the sitcom that propelled Bob Saget to stardom. The sitcom ran for eight seasons, ending in 1995. Saget played San Francisco sportscaster Danny Tanner, whose wife dies and he gets help raising his three daughters from his brother-in-law and a friend who is a comedian. The crew was popular enough that Netflix optioned to bring as many back together to create the sequel “Fuller House” in 2016.
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
13. Gilmore family
> Show: Gilmore Girls
> Original release: (2000-2007)
> Network: The WB, The CW
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 8,036
In some ways, the entire community of Stars Hollow, Connecticut — the fictional town where “Gilmore Girls” is set – feels like one big family. Yet the strongest bonds are those between mother Lorelai Gilmore and daughter Rory.
Source: Courtesy of Disney Channel
14. Pines siblings and extended family
> Show: Gravity Falls
> Original release: (2012-2016)
> Network: Disney Channel, Disney XD
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,671
Disney’s animated series “Gravity Falls” followed twins Dipper and Mabel Pines, along with their great uncle “Grunkle” Stan, as they experienced the extraordinary in the enigmatic titular town.
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15. Cunningham family
> Show: Happy Days
> Original release: (1974-1984)
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,618
The show that made Henry Winkler’s character “Fonzie” a TV icon ran for 11 seasons and was a light-comedy look at life in 1950s America. The show also starred Ron Howard and Tom Bosley.
16. Taylor family
> Show: Home Improvement
> Original release: (1991-1999)
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,361
Comedian Tim Allen played Tim “The Toolman” Taylor, host of a TV show about home improvement, though his own do-it-yourself skills need improving, much to the consternation of his wife Jill (Patricia Richardson). “Home Improvement” ran for eight seasons beginning in 1991.
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Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Television
17. Mosby family
> Show: How I Met Your Mother
> Original release: (2005-2014)
> Network: CBS
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 6,185
The comedy/romance series ran for nine seasons and starred Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Radnor, and Jason Segel. In the show, a father (Radnor) tells his children, shown through flashbacks, how he met their mother.
18. Kardashian family
> Show: Keeping Up with the Kardashians
> Original release: (2007- )
> Network: E!
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 4,251
These days there is rarely a person unfamiliar with the names Kardashian and Jenner, thanks in large part to their reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” which has now been on the air for over a decade. While the show hasn’t received rave reviews – it currently has a user rating of 2.8 out of 10 on IMDb – the family has proven themselves capable of holding the public’s attention.
19. Hill family
> Show: King of the Hill
> Original release: (1997-2010)
> Network: Fox
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,113
While Mike Judge’s “King of the Hill” is a cartoon, the Hill family is loved by fans for being realistic. The middle class Texans kept audiences tuning in for 13 seasons, and the show continues to air in syndication.
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Source: Courtesy of ABC
20. Baxter family
> Show: Last Man Standing
> Original release: (2011- )
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 5,185
Comedian Tim Allen plays a married father of three daughters who tries to maintain his masculinity in a house full of women. The show was dropped by ABC after six seasons, but strong protests by fans prompted Fox to pick it up this year.
21. Robinson family
> Show: Lost in Space
> Original release: (1965-1968)
> Network: CBS, Netflix
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 3,449
The 1960s adventure television show was about a space-traveling family dealing with an eccentric stowaway spy who turns their spaceship off course. Netflix revived the series in 2018, and a second season is currently in the works.
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22. Malcolm’s family (last name unknown)
> Show: Malcolm in the Middle
> Original release: (2000-2006)
> Network: Fox
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,680
“Malcolm in the Middle” showed the funnier side of dysfunctional family life. While the series focused primarily on Malcolm, its success was due to the interactions with his brothers and parents.
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Source: Courtesy of Fox Network
23. Bundy family
> Show: Married with Children
> Original release: (1986-1997)
> Network: Fox, FX
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,723
In this sitcom that ran for 11 seasons starting in 1986, Ed O’Neill plays an unhappy shoe salesman whose wife is lazy, his son is awkward around girls, and his daughter is promiscuous.
24. Jay Pritchett and extended family
> Show: Modern Family
> Original release: (2009- )
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 7,855
Entering its 10th season, “Modern Family” stars Ed O’Neill as the patriarch of an extended family that includes his much-younger Colombian wife and her son; his son and his gay partner and their daughter; and his daughter and her family.
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Source: Courtesy of CBS
25. Plunkett family
> Show: Mom
> Original release: (2013- )
> Network: CBS
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 3,771
Sitcom fans are drawn to the mother and daughter team of Christy and Bonnie Plunkett in “Mom.” The show’s sixth season is set to premiere Sept. 27, 2018.
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
26. Byrde family
> Show: Ozark
> Original release: (2017- )
> Network: Netflix
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 8,585
While “Ozark” only premiered one year ago, the Netflix series has already wrapped many viewers up in the story of the Byrde family, who moved from Chicago to Missouri’s Ozarks and is forced to placate a drug cartel.
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27. Braverman family
> Show: Parenthood
> Original release: (2010-2015)
> Network: NBC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,095
There were lots of television veterans — Lauren Graham, Bonnie Bedelia, Craig T. Nelson, and Ray Romano — in this series that ran six seasons. The series is about the challenges and heartbreaks faced by various generations of one family.
28. Conners and extended family
> Show: Roseanne
> Original release: (1988-2018)
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 6,972
Roseanne Barr and John Goodman were parents of the Conners, a blue-collar family struggling to make ends meet in middle America. The series originally aired for 10 seasons ending in 1997. It was successfully rebooted in 2018 but was pulled off television following controversial statements made by Barr.
29. Gallagher family
> Show: Shameless
> Original release: (2011- )
> Network: Showtime
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 13,712
Adapted from a British television show, “Shameless” is a no-holds-barred series about a dysfunctional single father (William H. Macy) whose children learn to raise themselves in a Chicago neighborhood. The series is now in its ninth season.
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30. Fisher family
> Show: Six Feet Under
> Original release: (2001-2005)
> Network: HBO
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 1,741
Comedy doesn’t get much darker than “Six Feet Under,” a series starring Peter Krause. The show, which ran for five seasons, is about a dysfunctional family that operates a funeral home business in Los Angeles.
Source: Courtesy of Carsey-Werner Distribution
31. Forman family
> Show: That ’70s Show
> Original release: (1998-2006)
> Network: Fox
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 6,668
This coming-of-age comedy series featuring the bad hair and clothes of the 1970s starred Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher, and Mila Kunis. It ran for eight seasons.
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Source: Courtesy of Lumivision
32. Addams family
> Show: The Addams Family
> Original release: (1964-1966)
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,726
The macabre characters of cartoonist Charles Addams that graced the pages of the New Yorker magazine were realized in this 1960s TV sitcom that starred John Astin and Carolyn Jones.
Source: Courtesy of FX Network
33. Jennings family
> Show: The Americans
> Original release: (2013-2018)
> Network: FX
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 5,909
The Cold War-era drama set in the 1980s ran for six seasons and focused on the lives of KGB agents posing as American parents of two kids living in northern Virginia.
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Television
34. Taylor family
> Show: The Andy Griffith Show
> Original release: (1960-1968)
> Network: CBS
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,117
Single-parent Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) was the even-keeled sheriff of a small North Carolina town raising his son Opie (Ron Howard). The 1960s sitcom was also known for its theme song that was whistled, evoking a simpler time in America.
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35. Brady family
> Show: The Brady Bunch
> Original release: (1969-1974)
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,493
Robert Reed and Florence Henderson played the parents of one of television’s first blended families in a series that ran for five seasons in the early 1970s. He was a widower with three boys and she was a divorcee with three girls.
36. Huxtable family
> Show: The Cosby Show
> Original release: (1984-1992)
> Network: NBC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 1,846
Few sitcoms can be considered culturally significant, but this one is. It ran for eight seasons. Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad played African-American professionals who are the parents of ambitious and successful children.
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37. Queen Elizabeth II and Royal Family
> Show: The Crown
> Original release: (2016- )
> Network: Netflix
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 0,998
A critically acclaimed historical drama entering its third season follows the life and times of Queen Elizabeth and other British royals.
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38. Flintstone family
> Show: The Flintstones
> Original release: (1960-1966)
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 1,872
“The Flintstones,” a series based on the sitcom “The Honeymooners,” ran from 1960 to 1966 and was the first animated series to run in prime time. It depicted suburban life in the Stone Age.
Source: Courtesy of ABC Family
39. Foster family
> Show: The Fosters
> Original release: (2013-2018)
> Network: Freeform
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 3,568
“The Fosters,” which ran for five years ending in June of this year, might be the ultimate blended family. A teenager, Callie Jacob, is placed in a foster home led by a lesbian couple whose household includes biological, adopted, and foster children.
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40. Banks and extended family
> Show: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
> Original release: (1990-1996)
> Network: NBC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 3,869
The comedy series, with one of the best TV theme songs ever, starred Will Smith as a young man from a rough neighborhood in Philadelphia sent by his mom to stay with wealthy relatives in California.
Source: Courtesy of ABC
41. Goldberg family
> Show: The Goldbergs
> Original release: (2013- )
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 4,328
The 1980s and its cultural signposts (mullets, parachute pants, leggings) are on display in this series created by Adam Goldberg (loosely based on his childhood). The series began in 2013 and stars the venerable George Segal.
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Source: Courtesy of Fox Network
42. Cohen family
> Show: The O.C.
> Original release: (2003-2007)
> Network: Fox
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 2,267
“The O.C.” ran for four seasons. The series is about a troubled young man from San Bernardino, California, who becomes involved with an affluent family in Newport Beach, California.
Source: Courtesy of The CW Network
43. Mikaelson siblings
> Show: The Originals
> Original release: (2013-2018)
> Network: The CW
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 7,281
“The Originals” were the Mikaelsons, a family of vampires returning to New Orleans for the first time since 1919 after they were forced to leave.
Source: Courtesy of Netflix
44. Bennett family
> Show: The Ranch
> Original release: (2016- )
> Network: Netflix
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 5,907
“The Ranch,” which debuted in 2016, has plenty of star power with Ashton Kutcher and Sam Elliott. Kutcher plays a man whose professional football career has ended and he has returned to the family ranch to help run the business with father (Elliott).
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Source: Courtesy of 20th Television
45. Simpson family
> Show: The Simpsons
> Original release: (1989- )
> Network: Fox
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 8,085
“The Simpsons,” a cultural phenomenon created by Matt Groening, is the longest-running animated series of all time. We all know the family: Homer, the oafish nuclear plant worker; his long-suffering wife Marge; trouble-seeking Bart; smart middle child Lisa; and baby Maggie.
Source: Courtesy of HBO
46. Soprano family
> Show: The Sopranos
> Original release: (1999-2007)
> Network: HBO
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 5,577
“The Sopranos,” about a New Jersey crime boss (James Gandolfini) trying to balance his criminal empire activities with family dynamics, ran for six seasons and was one of the most critically acclaimed television series ever.
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47. Arnold family
> Show: The Wonder Years
> Original release: (1988-1993)
> Network: ABC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 1,770
“The Wonder Years,” a sly reference to the slogan of Wonder Bread, starred Fred Savage and followed the tumult of the 1960s and 1970s through the experiences of a boy named Kevin, who narrates the series as an adult (Daniel Stern).
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Source: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Television
48. Pearson family
> Show: This Is Us
> Original release: (2016- )
> Network: NBC
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 18,067
“This is Us,” in its third season, follows the lives of the Pearson family beginning in the 1980s, with young parents Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore), and their children searching for love and contentment in the present day.
49. Harper family
> Show: Two and a Half Men
> Original release: (2003-2015)
> Network: CBS
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 4,262
Charlie Sheen played a fun-loving, irresponsible Charlie Harper, whose life is disrupted when his divorced brother (Jon Cryer) and his son move in to Charlie’s beachfront bachelor pad. After Sheen entered rehabilitation and fought with the show’s creators in 2010, he was replaced by Ashton Kutcher.
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Source: Courtesy of Showtime Networks
50. Botwin family
> Show: Weeds
> Original release: (2005-2012)
> Network: Showtime
> Daily Wikipedia page views: 1,825
The show, which ran for eight seasons, became a commentary on America’s addiction to drugs. Mary-Louise Parker plays a mom who sells marijuana to maintain her suburban lifestyle after the death of her husband.
Detailed findings
Sixteen of the 50 shows on our list are currently on air with new episodes being released. While many of these are recent shows that have proven extremely popular – including Netflix’s “Atypical,” “Ozark,” and “The Crown” – others have much longer histories.
“The Simpsons,” an animated television staple that has long taken a satirical approach to the nuclear family, has been on air since 1989. While they haven’t been on television for quite as long, the Kardashians have captured the attention of viewers since at least 2007, when “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” premiered. The reality show is now in its 15th season.
Other families have left the airwaves only to return thanks to fan demand. Such was the case with the dysfunctional Bluth family from “Arrested Development.” Netflix revived the show in 2013 after being canceled by Fox seven years prior. The mother-daughter duo of “Gilmore Girls,” Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, had a similar fate, being brought back in 2016 for a Netflix miniseries after the original program was canceled in 2007. More recently, ABC cancelled Tim Allen’s sitcom “Last Man Standing” despite strong ratings. The show has since been picked up by Fox.
America’s favorite TV families also highlight the many types of families found on the air. From the nuclear family of the Arnolds on “The Wonder Years” to ABC’s huge hit “Modern Family,” which follows nuclear, step, and families with gay parents all in one program, television has tried to represent family in all its forms.
Methodology
To determine America’s favorite TV families, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed all the television shows with at least 5,000 user ratings on the Internet Movie Database. Using editorial discretion, we extracted the titles for which the focus of the show was on the family unit. We then created an index based on the number of user votes on IMDb and the daily average number of page views each show received on Wikipedia for the two years ending Sept. 18, 2018. Release date and network data are from IMDb.
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