Top 10 worst TV mothers

Mother knows best – unless she’s the worst – and the TV landscape abounds with moms who think they’re doing right by their offspring, but instead perpetrate all kinds of wrongs. Some are manipulative, vindictive or neglectful to their children, while others break the law as part of their motherly misdeeds – including drug dealing, incest and murder.Since Mother’s Day is a time for celebrating all mothers – even the ones who might not deserve it – here’s a look at the top 10 worst TV moms of all time.

Cersei Lannister, “Game of Thrones”

Some of TV’s worst moms include Betty Draper, Cersei Lannister and Kris Jenner

Some of TV’s worst moms include Betty Draper, Cersei Lannister and Kris Jenner

Unless you count “Rosemary’s Baby,” it’s hard to think of any mom who raised a worse child than this matriarch in “Game of Thrones”. Moreover the late King Joffrey was exactly what Lena Headey’s Cersei raised him to be – cruel, capricious, self-absorbed and generally awful.

In fairness, it’s hard to teach a child moral grounding when you’ve secretly been sleeping with your brother – and hey, your brother is actually your son’s father. We dare any other TV mother to top that.

Livia Soprano, “The Sopranos”

Speaking of sons who didn’t turn out to be Mr. Congeniality, Tony Soprano’s mum was another one who got exactly what she shaped.

Where Tony got his affection for ducks and 1970s R&B music, we’re not sure – maybe his father? But Tony’s people skills in “The Sopranos” were a through line from Mum, played by Nancy Marchand.

Roseanne Conner, “Roseanne”

The whole point of Roseanne’s character in Roseanne Barr’s self-titled sitcom is that by most rational standards, she was an appalling mother. That’s the “com” part of “sitcom”. But even if we all got the joke, she was still a terrible mother.

Nancy Botwin, “Weeds”

What’s a single mum to do when her hubby’s gone and she has to feed her family? Mary-Louise Parker’s Nancy Botwin had just the solution: She would sell marijuana. And as soon as the kids were old enough to appreciate her entrepreneurial spirit, they could help out. It is family values, really, assuming you define “values” as the cost of an ounce.

Bonnie Plunkett, “Mom”

Allison Janney’s Bonnie wants to live her daughter’s life half the time – and control it the other half.

Gemma Teller Morrow, “Sons of Anarchy”

Katey Sagal’s motorcycle club matriarch was a fan favourite due to her fierce devotion to her son Jax. But after Gemma violently murdered her daughter-in-law in a misguided attempt to protect her son, not only did fans turn on the character, so did Jax. Let’s just say neither of them will celebrate Mother’s Day ever again.

Norma Bates, “Bates Motel”

Norma single handedly turned her son Norman into the most famous psycho killer in movie history.

The TV prequel to Hitch-cock’s “Psycho” provides a nice step-by-step guide to how Norma (Vera Farmiga) achieved that pinnacle. It required a combo, really: sly manipulation, overt criticism, selective subversion of all other relationships. Did we mention she wanted Norman to sleep next to her when he was a teenager?

Kris Jenner, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”

The reality matriarch is a real-life version of the fictional character in the great Brit drama “Absolutely Fabulous.” In “AbFab,” the mother’s mantra was, “It’s about me, darling! Me, me!” Check any Kardashian project. Nuff said.

Betty Draper Francis, “Mad Men”

January Jones’s Betty desperately wants to be like her TV contemporaries – Harriet Nelson, June Cleaver, Donna Stone – and she doesn’t understand why she isn’t. Why does her husband philander? Why are the children disrespectful? Of course, it doesn’t help that in most family interactions, Betty

Gillian Darmody, “Boardwalk Empire”

Gillian, played by Gretchen Mol, wouldn’t be a bad mum except for a few small glitches: She’s a hooker and she runs a brothel and she really wouldn’t mind sleeping with her handsome son Jimmy. So it’s maybe no big surprise he has some of the same thoughts. – nydailynews.com

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