The Greatest Middle Children in TV History

This is a list of the most memorable middle children from TV families. The list includes middle children from live action TV shows and animated TV families across all genres, ranging from family sitcom “Father Knows Best” to the Matt Groening animated series “The Simpsons” and the TNT SciFi series “Falling Skies.” Middle children, though often successful in real life, are often straight man foils for their TV siblings, and the middle child stereotype of being insecure and lacking identity is exaggerated to comic effect. Why do we find these characters so appealing? Maybe it’s because we identify with them, or possibly, it’s just the opposite: their middle child experience is so foreign to us that we are fascinated.

Some of the middle kids in these big TV families are model children ,some are rebels, and some are dysfunctional wrecks. This list runs from the sweet long-suffering middle child, like Gabe from “Good Luck, Charlie,” to the sharp-tongued and sarcastic Randy Taylor, played by teen heart throb Jonathan Taylor Thomas, in the 1990s TV series “Home Improvement,” to the vapid and neurotic Mallory Keaton – and who wouldn’t be neurotic next to Michael J’s Fox’s character Alex P. Keaton? - from the 1980s hit series “Family Ties.” Which is your favorite TV middle child? Which ones stand out in your memory? This list of greatest middle children in TV history is sure to take you on a trip down memory lane!