25 of the best family feuds on TV

Frasier and Martin Crane — Frasier

These two are completely harmless and their good-natured feud is a source of a lot of the humor on the show. How the stuffy, uptight, pretentious Frasier came from the middle-class, down-to-Earth Martin, one will never know. But their differences make for one of the sweetest feuds on TV.

Although it could get a little tense at times, the feud between the Crane men was mostly benign. It mostly consisted of disagreements over snooty food, eccentric music, and silly hobbies. As a retired Army veteran and ex-cop, Martin’s tastes were much less refined than his sons. They have very little interest in the traditionally “masculine” pursuits like sports and the outdoors, so there was a fair amount of impatience on his part.

Much to Frasier’s dismay, Martin places very little stock in his son’s professional endeavors, which only highlighted the differences between them, and thus the feud. Martin maintains that both his sons are far more like his mother, but he can’t abide their snobbery. He never hesitates to call Frasier out on his crap, making it clear he loves them, but won’t suffer their nonsense.

Over the run of the show, it becomes increasingly clear, much to Frasier’s annoyance, that Martin is the more level-headed, wiser and pragmatic of the group. This causes further tension, as Frasier (and his brother, Niles) pride themselves on their intellect and wisdom. In fact, their a little obnoxious about it, and the best thing about the feud with Martin is that he constantly keeps them in check.