List RulesEldest child characters in families of at least 3 from TV series
In the TV family hierarchy, the eldest child of the family bears a heavy burden on his or her shoulders. Whether a reluctant role model (Denise Huxtable, The Cosby Show) or the next King of the North (Robb Stark, Game of Thrones), the greatest oldest children in TV history have some essential qualities in common.
The best oldest children in TV history have a rebellious streak. As older brothers and sisters, the first child of the family has a responsibility to his or her siblings to push their parents’ limits to the breaking point. (Even Matt Camden (7th Heaven) sent his parents into fits when he eloped.) When their rebellion backfires – a là Greg Brady (The Brady Bunch) unsuccessfully hiding the school mascot in the attic – they sometimes find their parents will work with them instead of against them.
Of course the greatest oldest children have to cope with darker matter, as well. Protecting one’s mother from his father, the drug kingpin (Walter White, Jr., Breaking Bad), battling an addiction to uppers (Alex P. Keaton, Family Ties), and being Don and Betty Draper’s daughter (Sally Draper, Mad Men), are just a few of the difficult chores these firstborn have had to face.
Finally, the greatest oldest children in TV history – or, many of them – must leave the nest first, creating tearful goodbyes as well as awkward plot devices. Though Modern Family’s Haley Dunphy getting kicked out of college seemed perfectly plausible, other eldest children either saw their screen time evaporate (Haddie Braverman, Parenthood), or simply refused to age at all (Bart Simpson, The Simpsons).1
15785Alex P. Keaton
Family Ties2
16248Dean Winchester
Supernatural, Supernatural The Animation3
13689D.J. Tanner
Full House, Guest Star Day4
11672Richie Cunningham
Happy Days5
9363Mary Ingalls
Little House on the Prairie6
10057Eric Matthews
Girl Meets World, Boy Meets World7
11796Bart Simpson
The Simpsons, The Tracey Ullman Show8
9269Greg Brady
The Brady Bunch, The Brady Bunch Hour9
9675Marcia Brady
The Brady Bunch, The Brady Kids10
8671Piper Halliwell
Leo, Charmed11
8267Mike Seaver
Growing Pains12
8678John-boy Walton
The Waltons13
552214
7142Francis Wilkerson
Malcolm in the Middle15
595616
5855Bridget Hennessy
8 Simple Rules17
7177Robb Stark
Game of Thrones18
6463Keith Partridge
The Partridge Family19
7483Denise Huxtable
The Cosby Show20
4129Robbie Douglas
My Three Sons21
3627Luke Duke
The Dukes of Hazzard22
4657Willis Jackson
Diff'rent Strokes23
3629Bo Duke
The Dukes, The Dukes of Hazzard24
5579J.J. Evans
Good Times25
4255Brad Taylor
Home Improvement