Best Family Drama Series Worth Watching
TL;DR — For a warm family drama that will make you cry, watch Parenthood or This Is Us. For something darker and funnier, Six Feet Under or Shameless. For families at war, Succession. For a family pulled into crime, Ozark. Below, each with its network, length and the kind of family story it tells.
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Take the quizWarm and heartfelt
Parenthood (NBC, 2010-2015, 6 seasons). The Braverman family of Berkeley, California: four adult siblings, their parents and their kids, dealing with autism, divorce, illness and money. It feels like real family life more than almost any other show, and it's the easiest recommendation on this list.
This Is Us (NBC, 2016-2022, 6 seasons). The Pearson triplets and their parents, told across several timelines from the 1970s to old age. Its jumps in time slowly reveal how one family's past shapes everything. Very emotional and occasionally manipulative, but hugely rewarding if it hooks you.
Dark, funny and honest
Six Feet Under (HBO, 2001-2005, 5 seasons). After their father's death, the Fisher family keep running the family funeral home in Los Angeles. Every episode opens with a death. It's darkly funny and deeply humane, and its final episode is still talked about as one of the best endings in TV.
Shameless (Showtime, 2011-2021, 11 seasons). Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum) holds together five younger siblings in Chicago while their father Frank (William H. Macy) drinks. Loud, crude and full of heart. It's a remake of the British original (Channel 4, 2004-2013). The early seasons are the strongest.
Families at war
Succession (HBO, 2018-2023, 4 seasons). Media mogul Logan Roy's four children compete to take over his company, and every one of them is terrible in a different way. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series three times. Savage, very funny and complete in 39 episodes.
Ozark (Netflix, 2017-2022, 4 seasons). Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) moves his wife and kids to the Missouri Ozarks to launder money for a cartel, and the whole family is gradually pulled in. A crime thriller that's really about what a family will do to survive. Julia Garner won three Emmys for it.
Our verdict
Start with Parenthood if you want comfort and Succession if you want bite. If you've already seen both, Six Feet Under is the one most people haven't, and should.
Frequently asked questions
What's the most emotional family drama series? This Is Us is famous for making viewers cry. Parenthood is just as moving with less melodrama.
Is Six Feet Under worth watching today? Yes. It holds up well, and its final episode is often called one of the best series finales in TV history.
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