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TWoP 10: TV Babies We Most Feel Sorry For

by Rachel Stein August 5, 2011 6:00 AM
TWoP 10: TV Babies We Most Feel Sorry For

Television is no place for children. Between Teen Mom, Toddlers & Tiaras and Dance Moms, we cringe for those poor kids who are clearly growing up in dysfunctional homes. But as bad as it is to be forced into pageantry or to have Amber Portwood as your mother, at least reality kids don't have it quite has awful as many of the tykes on scripted series. Here are the ones that really need to have a fictional Child Protective Services intervene on their behalf:

10. Peggy's baby, Mad Men
Well, for starters, the kid will definitely not grow up with photos of his biological mother while she was pregnant. And we feel bad that he was such a quiet little guy in the womb that Peggy didn't even realize he existed. He's pretty much destined for a life of sinking into the background. It's a shame a stranger adopted him -- sounds like he'd be Betty Draper's dream child.

9. Beth, Glee
While she dodged a bullet by not being raised by Quinn and Puck, this New Directions baby isn't completely in the clear -- after all, Shelby Corcoran totally bailed on her motherly duties when it came to Rachel. We'd argue that the only way to be sure this kid is okay is to make an entire spin-off about her.

8. Anastasia, Gossip Girl
Dorota's daughter is basically doomed to a life of taking a back seat to Blair Waldorf. And didn't she get banished to a web series, or something? That's some serious child neglect.

7. Tyson, Degrassi
It's absolutely possible to grow up to be a functioning person if your parents were teens when they had you. But if your mom went on an American Idol-type of show while she was pregnant with you in order to get sympathy votes, and your dad is constantly out flirting with other girls, that's a whole 'nother story. And don't get us started on Jenna's pyramid incident.

6. Zola, Grey's Anatomy
Yeah, we'd take dumb teen parents over Meredith and Derek any day.

5. Henry, Fringe
First of all, Henry got injected with all sorts of unpleasantness in the womb. Plus, mommy Fauxlivia lives in an alternate universe with a very, very dangerous job.

4. Holly, Breaking Bad
As far as parents who will inevitably die go, baby Holly is guaranteed to lose at leasther dad in the near future. And her mom takes her to sketchy places constantly, from her lover's house to her car wash stakeouts. On the bright side, she's an heiress to a huge fortune -- albeit a dirty one.

3. Sarah's baby, Falling Skies
If you're a kid on this show, you're screwed. Besides the fact that this baby's got an astronomical chance of being abducted by Skitters, it kinda seems like the only reason he/she (do we even know the sex yet?) was born was so that we could see a softer, more midwife-y side of Weaver.

2. Ben, Community
Sure, both of his parents will be there to raise him and he's in no danger. But Ben Bennett could've been a highly-resilient Chang baby! And he would've had a tail! Talk about missing out.

1. Mikey, True Blood
Who wouldn't feel sorry for TV's number one demon child? Getting the genes of his serial killer dad is a total bummer, while his mom is a crazy vampire-hating judgmental freak. Mikey is so messed up that he set his house on flames, leaving Arlene and his stepdad for dead. And that creepy doll has got to be the worst. toy. ever.

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29 Comments

August 5, 2011 8:00 AM
Evamarie
Reply

What about Melissa's baby on Pretty Little Liars? Not only is its father a murdering (maybe) pedophile, but it's being raised in THAT town with Spencer's crazy family.

August 5, 2011 9:33 AM
Simon
Reply

And baby Stan on Cougar Town takes a back seat to penny can and hours of wine drinking at Jules' house.

August 5, 2011 10:05 AM
Daniella
Reply
replied to comment from Evamarie

I expected to see her, too. Of course, baby Taylor hasn't been born yet. AND we haven't seen Melissa in like 4 episodes. But that kid should be #1.

August 5, 2011 10:15 AM
cdv102
Reply

I'm sorry in advance for all the were-panther babies Jason probably sired in Hot Shot. Those poor things are gonna be all kinds of messed up.

August 5, 2011 10:53 AM
Zach
Reply

How about Harrison, Dexter's child who never gets to see his father because he's constantly working/at crime scenes/killing people.

August 5, 2011 10:59 AM
alyrae
Reply

Giving a baby up for adoption is "totally bailing on her motherly duties"? Nice TWoP. Real nice.

August 5, 2011 11:06 AM
lauren
Reply
replied to comment from alyrae

Especially since she volunteered to be a surrogate mom. Not that it doesn't make sense for her to still be interested in Rachel, but how the hell is volunteering and then doing what you volunteered to do "bailing"?

August 5, 2011 11:11 AM
erika
Reply
replied to comment from alyrae

Wasn't she going to try to be in her life again and then decided she couldn't? And then they sang "Poker Face"?

August 5, 2011 11:17 AM
star
Reply

How about Abel from SoA? Between crazy AFT agens peeing all over his room, being kidnapped and brought to Ireland, foster parents being killed...that poor baby has all kinds of bad luck.

August 5, 2011 11:28 AM
alyrae
Reply
replied to comment from erika

this is true - but I still don't consider it "bailing" because she had no motherly duties or responsibilities to Rachel, and to say she does is many kinds of gross and unfair.

August 5, 2011 11:34 AM
Mary
Reply

The baby on Falling Skies is a girl, Charlotte - meaning any day now she should be chasing Hal's jock.

August 5, 2011 12:12 PM
Mara
Reply

..correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Peggy's sister raising the baby on Mad Men?

August 5, 2011 12:41 PM
MamaKaren
Reply
replied to comment from Mara

No, flashbacks showed that Peggy's sister actually was pregnant when she visited Peggy in the hospital. She couldn't fake a pregnancy she didn't know about, so the baby she is raising is one she really carried.

August 5, 2011 1:01 PM
mjb
Reply

If you have the opposite list of luckiest babies on television, I nomniate Gracie Bell from FNL. I think everyone would want Tami Taylor as a mom.

August 5, 2011 1:36 PM
w
Reply
replied to comment from alyrae

But she chose to come back into Rachel's life, (behind the backs of Rachel's actual parents) get her all excited about having a mom, and then abruptly dumped her because she wasn't a cute little baby.

August 5, 2011 2:46 PM
Sarah
Reply

I'd go with Stan on Cougar Town as well. Wine and pennies are far more important to the cul de sac crew than spending time with your kid.

August 5, 2011 3:02 PM
Hyacinth
Reply

How about Cuddy's baby, Rachel, on House? Either she forgot the kid existed, or she thrust the poor kid on House for babysitting duty.

August 5, 2011 3:17 PM
Rachael
Reply

I'm surprised none of the babies from "Teen Mom" were mentioned.

August 5, 2011 3:55 PM
Lara
Reply

I think there are worse contenders on Mad Men than Peggy's Adoption Baby. Try poor little Gene, stuck with a sociopathic mom and a father that doesn't even want to use his custody time to spend with him. Add to that the baby Joan is rocking that belongs to Roger Sterling, and the spawn of Pete and Trudy. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is one hotbed of dysfunctional baby making.

August 5, 2011 3:58 PM
Carly
Reply
replied to comment from Rachael

It says in the intro that it's a list of kids from scripted TV shows.

August 5, 2011 5:04 PM
Absurdist
Reply

I know, TWoP doesn't cover Weeds anymore, but, especially now, little Stevie has got every kid on this list beat. Between Pusher Mommy Nancy and Bitter Aunt Jill, this kid is done for, unless he can get informally adopted, as Big Brother Silas just did, by the only adult woman on the show that has a lick of sense about her, Sassy Black Mama Heylia.

August 5, 2011 5:05 PM
Absurdist
Reply

I know, TWoP doesn't cover Weeds anymore, but, especially now, little Stevie has got every kid on this list beat. Between Pusher Mommy Nancy and Bitter Aunt Jill, this kid is done for, unless he can get informally adopted, as Big Brother Silas just did, by the only adult woman on the show that has a lick of sense about her, Sassy Black Mama Heylia.

August 5, 2011 5:06 PM
Absurdist
Reply

I know, TWoP doesn't cover Weeds anymore, but, especially now, little Stevie has got every kid on this list beat. Between Pusher Mommy Nancy and Bitter Aunt Jill, this kid is done for, unless he can get informally adopted, as Big Brother Silas just did, by the only adult woman on the show that has a lick of sense about her, Sassy Black Mama Heylia.

August 6, 2011 3:24 AM
Amarantha
Reply

What about baby Hope on Raising Hope? Her mom was executed right in front of her (though her dad did cover her eyes). She was also kidnapped by her grandmother briefly.
Sure Hope smiles all the time like the happiest baby in the world, but she must have hidden trauma.

August 6, 2011 5:42 AM
Caitlin
Reply
replied to comment from Amarantha

Well, at least Hope's family does try it's best for her. Inept though they often are, they do love her and try to do the right thing :D

August 6, 2011 1:06 PM
Blarf
Reply

Mason from Keeping Up With The Kardashians? His father, Scott Disick, is not the best guy. That series shows the montage of Scott being his last name without an I and an S millions of times.

August 7, 2011 1:18 AM
Brent
Reply

Let's not even mention Henry's grandpa Walternate on "Fringe."

August 7, 2011 11:48 AM
Theresa
Reply

Considering that we've actually seen slide shows of what terrible people her parents are, I'm surprised Cici from The Office didn't make an apperance on this list!

February 26, 2012 7:07 AM
Catherine
Reply

I sholud watch bachelor pad just so I can see what all the awkward and funny moments are! I've actually wanted to try those skinny cow desserts they look good!

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