Television series

My Family

Name: My Family
Genre: Comedy, Family
Released: 2000
Cast: Robert Lindsay, Zoë Wanamaker, Gabriel Thomson, Daniela Denby-Ashe, Kris Marshall

Other titles called My Family: the 1995 film.

Comedy
Light-hearted

A sitcom about the daily chaos of raising three teenagers in modern Britain. Warm, relatable, and genuinely funny about the gap between parental hopes and reality, it finds comedy in the small collisions of family life rather than broad strokes. For anyone who loves character-driven humour and remembers (or is living through) the bewildering transition from kids to near-adults.

TVMaze rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like domestic sitcoms driven by bickering parents and a household of sharp, scheming kids, where the laughs come from character more than plot twists.

Skip it if you're after restless storytelling or a fresh premise each week; this is a comfortable, familiar format that returns to the same domestic set-ups again and again.

What it asks of you: Half-hour episodes that stack up across eleven series, so it rewards settling in for a long run rather than a single sitting.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Outnumbered2007

Improvised comedy about overwhelmed parents and their three young children, capturing the actual chaos of family life with an affection and sharpness that feels lived-in and genuine.

But The constant overlapping dialogue and hyperactivity can feel exhausting rather than charming, especially in longer stretches.

Parenthood2010

American family drama that treats parenting with respect and humour, following multiple generations through real struggles and victories with warmth and intelligence.

But Sixty-minute episodes mean it swings harder toward sentiment than comedy; some storylines tip into melodrama.

Becker1998

A curmudgeon learning to care about people around him through daily human contact. Sharp, fast-paced, and genuinely clever about how families form outside blood relations.

But The laugh track dates it, and the humour relies heavily on insult comedy that lands differently now.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from My Family

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Marty1955

Both find comedy and meaning in the texture of ordinary family and domestic life, but Marty removes the laugh track entirely and asks you to find profundity in the small moments instead.

A beautiful, patient drama about a lonely butcher and his lonely aunt in provincial England. Treats domestic ordinariness as genuinely significant—the anti-sitcom.

But It moves at a deliberate pace with almost no plot; if you need narrative momentum or jokes, this will feel static and melancholy.

The Middle2009

A mother surviving three kids of wildly different ages and personalities with wit, pragmatism, and the occasional breakdown. Funny without ever punching down at the children.

But Follows a pretty well-trodden formula by the later seasons; American sitcom rhythms won't suit everyone.

Fawlty Towers1975

Impeccably written British comedy about a man constantly at war with himself and everyone around him. It's a masterclass in structure and comic timing.

But Basil Fawlty's desperation and rage can be relentless; there's little warmth here, only brilliant cringe.

Fresh Off the Boat2015

A first-generation immigrant family in 1990s Florida navigating culture, identity, and each other with genuine affection and specificity. Funny and lived-in.

But Occasional broad strokes in the writing; the formula can feel repetitive as the show goes on.

Schitt's Creek2015

A wealthy family loses everything and moves to a backwater town, learning to genuinely love each other. Character-driven, full of surprises, and as warm as they come.

But The early seasons lean on cringe and slightly cartoonish character work; takes time to find its feet.

Everybody Loves Raymond1996

A sitcom about a man caught between his own family and his overbearing mother. Observational comedy mined from real tension between characters who actually love each other.

But The core conflict repeats; relies on the same beats across seasons, and some characterization of women feels dated.

Happy Families1985

A Yorkshire family sitcom with sharp dialogue and excellent ensemble work. Grounded in real life with a harder edge than most family comedies.

But Quite obscure now; a very 1980s sensibility that's faded from circulation, making it harder to get into.

Catastrophe2015

Both navigate the gap between who you thought you'd be and who you become as a parent, but Catastrophe does it through adults learning to compromise with another adult rather than children learning from parents.

An American and an Irish person have a one-night stand, she gets pregnant, and they decide to raise the child together. Painfully honest about partnership, parenting, and growing up, laced with dark humour.

But Sex, infidelity, and serious illness feature prominently; the tone shifts between comedy and genuine distress, which not everyone wants from their viewing.

The Singing Detective1986

Both are about family members trapped in proximity to each other, but Potter's vision is psychologically damaged and hallucinatory where My Family is affectionate—same engine, completely different register.

A bedridden man with a pulp-noir obsession and painful family history hallucinates elaborate musical sequences between conversations with his estranged parents. Dense, strange, and unforgettable.

But Deeply strange, no laugh track, and structured like a fever dream rather than a narrative; family relationships here are sites of real damage, not comedy.