25 of the best family feuds on TV

Raylan and Arlo Givens — Justified

As complicated as mother/daughter politics are, father/son dynamics can be just as worrisome. Add in a healthy dose of pride and testosterone to this mix, and it becomes volatile and downright Shakespearian. Such is the case with Raylan and Arlo Givens.

When Raylan returns to his rural Kentucky home as a marshal, he finds himself on the opposite side of the law as his outlaw father, Arlo. As hard as Raylan works to be a good lawman, his father works just as hard at being a criminal. This alone seems like it would be enough to create a bitter feud, but their long history of abuse and mistreatment only fuels their intense feelings for each other.

As a boy, Raylan had to watch his father enact violence against his mother, and suffer abuse at his hands as well. Once his mother died, he was left alone to bear the entirety of Arlo’s hatred, and even when he married Raylan’s aunt, the conditions didn’t improve for him very much.

Raylan’s decision to go into law enforcement was in direct opposition to his father. He rebelled against his father’s lawlessness by becoming a Marshall, and most of the clashes between the two Givens came from old wounds. Things got even more messy when Arlo tried to have Raylan murdered and in turn, Raylan sent his father to prison. Their feud never lessened and continued until Arlo died. Raylan even gave his father’s house away as one last act of defiance.