Best Series About Sibling Relationships
In short: For siblings at war, watch Succession. For grief and family, Six Feet Under or This Is Us. For laughs, Arrested Development or Schitt's Creek. For something short and sharp, Fleabag (12 episodes). For siblings raising each other, Shameless. For genre, Supernatural or The Umbrella Academy.
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Succession (HBO, 2018-2023, 4 seasons). Kendall, Shiv, Roman and Connor Roy fight to take over their father Logan's media empire. They form alliances, betray each other, and occasionally show the love underneath. Jesse Armstrong's writing is savagely funny, and the show won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series three times.
Grief and family
Six Feet Under (HBO, 2001-2005, 5 seasons). After their father dies, Nate, David and Claire Fisher are left with the family funeral home and each other. Created by Alan Ball. Its final montage is often called the best series ending in TV.
This Is Us (NBC, 2016-2022, 6 seasons). Kevin, Kate and Randall, the "Big Three," are followed from childhood in the 1980s to old age, jumping between timelines. Unashamedly emotional, and it ended on its own terms after six seasons.
Parenthood (NBC, 2010-2015, 6 seasons). Four adult Braverman siblings in Berkeley, their kids and their ageing parents. Warm, loud and realistic about family arguments.
Funny
Arrested Development (Fox, 2003-2006; Netflix, 2013-2019, 5 seasons). Michael Bluth tries to keep his rich, useless family together after his father's arrest, while his siblings Gob, Lindsay and Buster make it worse. The first three seasons are among the densest sitcoms ever made.
Schitt's Creek (CBC and Pop TV, 2015-2020, 6 seasons). After losing their fortune, David and Alexis Rose move to a tiny town with their parents and slowly grow from bickering rivals into real friends. Its final season won every major comedy Emmy.
Fleabag (BBC Three and Amazon, 2016-2019, 12 episodes). Phoebe Waller-Bridge's grieving, chaotic heroine and her tightly wound sister Claire (Sian Clifford) can barely be in a room together, and would do anything for each other.
Siblings raising each other
Shameless (Showtime, 2011-2021, 11 seasons). With their father drunk and their mother gone, Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum) raises five younger siblings on Chicago's South Side. Based on the British series of the same name.
Genre
Supernatural (The WB and The CW, 2005-2020, 15 seasons). Sam and Dean Winchester drive across America hunting monsters. The brothers' loyalty to each other is the whole show. Seasons 1 to 5 tell a complete story if 15 is too many.
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix, 2019-2024, 4 seasons). Seven adopted siblings with superpowers, raised badly by a cold billionaire, reunite at his funeral to stop the apocalypse. Their old resentments get in the way.
Our verdict
Succession is the best drama here, but it's bleak. For something you'll actually feel good after, Schitt's Creek, and if you only have a weekend, Fleabag.
Frequently asked questions
What's a funny show about siblings? Arrested Development and Schitt's Creek. Fleabag is funny too, with a sharp sister relationship at its centre, and only 12 episodes long.
What's a show about siblings raising each other? Shameless, in which Fiona Gallagher raises her younger brothers and sisters while their father drinks.
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