This study focused on parenting behaviors portrayed by characters on 15 series of situational comedies based on fictional families on television. Three series identified by Zoglin in 1990 as antifamily shows were included in the controversial category, and the other 12 series were identified as noncontroversial. Trained coders labeled parenting behavior in 5 episodes of each series as beneficial or detrimental according to theories of development. Consequences associated with parent-characters' behaviors and rated as reinforcing or punishing indicated that both controversial and noncontroversial series contained detrimental parenting behaviors and inappropriate combinations of behaviors and consequences with controversial series being higher on both measures. The influence of televised portrayals of detrimental parenting on real-life interactions between parent and child is discussed from the perspective of social cognitive theory.
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