25 of the best family feuds on TV

Debra and Marie Barone — Everybody Loves Raymond

Oh, those pesky mother-in-laws. In the canon of TV moms, Marie Barone might be the poster-mom for the worst of the worst. She’s meddling, over-bearing, and her constant involvement in her sons’ lives makes everyone crazy. Her constant coddling of her middle-aged children is the source for all of the drama between her and her daughter-in-law, Debra.

Debra, married to Marie’s oldest son, Ray, is high-strung in her own right, but she has every right to be. It’s nothing for Marie to barge into Ray and Debra’s house, announce all the things she’s doing wrong, and make her feel completely small.

Marie keeps her ’70s styled home immaculately clean, thanks to the plastic covers on everything. She’s an excellent cook, and prides herself on being an effective and adoring mother. She holds Debra up to these impossible standards, and the bulk of their feud is Debra trying to prove her worth and Marie doubting her capabilities.

What makes matters worse is Ray’s total lack of courage at corralling his mother. He is constantly stuck in the middle between these two women, but he routinely chooses wrongly about how to handle it. Anyone who has ever been married or in a serious relationship understands you always, always take the spouse’s side. Apparently Ray never got this memo, and he and Debra often fight about the fights she had with her mother. Ray is hopeless, and his mother is terrible. That’s really all you need to know about this family feud.