Unfortunately the characters in many television shows, there’s always an example of poor parenting, whether it’s the questionable actions of Peter Griffin in Family Guy, or the entire cast of the parents in The Rugrats (I mean, those kids were always in danger, bordering on neglected), or any number of other television parents, it’s easy to find a parent not doing their parental duties. Here are TV’s five worst parents.
5. Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)
The most famous of all cartoon fathers, it’s not a hard push to have him on this list. Whether it’s his ignoring, and many times for getting his kids, his flat-out abuse of poor Bart’s trachea, or shirking his duties in general, be it work or at home, Homer is not a guide on how to be a good parent or role model. That doesn’t stop him from being one of the best characters of the show mind you, and we don’t watch The Simpsons for parenting tips.
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4. Frank Gallagher (Shameless)
The only parent on the list so bad, he could be involved twice, and in a way sort of is. Whether you choose the US or the UK version, Frank Gallagher is a deplorable, disgusting human being with no thought other than for himself. Sleeping with his kid’s underage girlfriend, stealing his kid’s child support for beer money, or multiple occasions cheating on his partners, that’s only the start of how bad Frank is.
3. John Winchester (Supernatural)
Unresolved issues regarding his wife’s untimely and fiery death aside, allowing and even encouraging his two sons, his only remaining family, into a war against Supernatural forces is irresponsible, if not straight abusive. Only in the show for the first season and a handful of episodes thereafter, do the lessons the two Winchester brothers are taught by their dysfunctional father remain throughout, constantly putting them in more and more dire circumstances, and dying multiple times. That’s what happens when you’re treated as a soldier in a war, rather than a son by your father.
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2. Cersei and Jaime Lannister (Game of Thrones)
Two of the worst parents and at the same time, two of the worst siblings in television history. Starting the show with the now infamous and shocking sex scene, the two siblings quickly devolve into murder, betrayal, and more incest. That’s not accounting for them putting their children in harm’s way, trying to marry them off for power, and generally just being terrible parents, even by Game of Thrones standards.
1. Gemma Teller (Sons of Anarchy)
Number one on the list of TV’s five worst parents, the Matriarch of Samcro, Gemma Teller is one of the mainstays of the show. From season one right up until the end she’s involved with every major story arc, whether it be as Clay Morrow’s Old Lady or Jax Teller’s mother. Another parent encouraging her offspring into a life of drug-smuggling, murder, and kidnapping, she goes the extra mile by offering her grandchildren’s mother an overdose of heroin, and later, with a different daughter-in-law, flat out caving her skull in. She’s a terrible mother, and her actions directly contribute to the death of her son, and many others.
There we have it, TV’s five worst parents. Who else would make your list?
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