Three Television Siblings Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bonanza

"Bonanza" ran from 1959 until 1973 and was a western set in Nevada in the second half of the nineteenth century. The original Cartwright family, of the Ponderosa ranch, consisted of Pa (Ben) played by Canadian actor Lorne Greene, and his three sons by three different wives. Adam (Pernell Roberts) was the eldest son, who left the Ponderosa before the series ended. Next was Eric, better known as "Hoss", the gentle giant character, who departed the series as a result of actor Dan Blocker's untimely death in 1972. Youngest was Little Joe (Michael Landon) and he stayed around for all 430 episodes, same as his Pa did.

Other characters came and went, but I remember the early years when all four Cartwrights were home on their ranch as the best years of the series.

Answer: Modern Family

From 2009 to 2020 we were entertained by the members of the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan, who made up the "Modern Family" of the title. Alex, Haley and Luke were the children of Phil and Claire (Pritchett) Dunphy (Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen), and we watched them grow from little kids to college students, and in Haley's case, parenthood. Haley, played by Sarah Hyland, was the eldest, and was rather scatty and self-centred, dropping out of college and moving from boyfriend to boyfriend before finally settling down. Ariel Winter played the serious, studious Alex whose boyfriends also tended to be bookish. Luke (Nolan Gould) sometimes came across as rather slow, though he was quick enough to learn complex magic tricks from his father.

Answer: The Big Valley

These are the three grown children of Victoria Barkley (Barbara Stanwyck), who early in the run of "The Big Valley" (1965-1969) were surprised to meet a previously unknown half-brother, Heath (Lee Majors), who had been sired out of wedlock by their now-deceased father.

Heath was eventually made welcome and helped in the running of their California ranch. Jarrod, played by Richard Long, was a lawyer, while Nick (Peter Breck) was more involved in the running of the ranch. Sister Audra (Linda Evans) was no pushover, and helped their mother keep the homestead functioning.

Answer: The Middle

"The Middle" (2009-2018) was a sitcom about the Heck family, consisting of parents Frankie and Mike (Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn) and the three kids. All five of them appeared in every one of the 215 episodes. Axl (Charlie McDermott) went from being a high school football hero in the small town of Orson, to second or third string on his college football team, and had to learn to deal with that. Sue was in the middle, literally, and went from being an awkward teenager to slightly less awkward college student, but maintaining a sunny disposition and optimism throughout.

She was played by Eden Sher. Quirky Brick (Atticus Shaffer) seemed not to belong much of the time, but was never quite as bothered by his sometimes odd behaviour as others seemed to be. Like many shows that feature children prominently, this one came to its natural end, at least partly, as the "children" were growing out of their roles.

Answer: Grey's Anatomy

Dr Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Dr Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) adopted Zola from an African orphanage when she was just a few months old, during the show's seventh season. Several young actresses have appeared as Zola Grey Shepherd, with Aniela Gumbs appearing in over fifty episodes. Son (Derek) Bailey Shepherd was a difficult birth and Meredith might have died if not for Dr Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), whose name was given to the baby. Ryder and Brody Goodstadt have shared duty as Bailey Shepherd since 2016. Little Ellis Shepherd (named for Meredith's mother) was born months after Derek was killed in a traffic accident in the eleventh season episode "How to Save a Life". Twins Ella and Gracie Faris have shared the role since 2018.

Answer: My Three Sons

"My Three Sons" (1960-1972) began with an all-male household, consisting of Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray), his late wife's father, Bub O'Casey (William Frawley) and the three sons of the title. Mike, the eldest, played by Tim Considine, eventually left for college, making it necessary for Steve to adopt Ernie (Barry Livingston) to keep the numbers right. Middle son Robbie (Don Grady) appeared in all but one episode of the series, and Chip, played by Barry's brother Stanley Livingston, didn't miss a single one. Neither did Fred MacMurray, who appeared in all 380 episodes. William Frawley left the series in 1965 due to poor health, and was replaced by William Demarest, playing Uncle Charley.

Answer: Blue Bloods

"Blue Bloods" began in 2010 and has told the story of a family of New York police officers (and a deputy district attorney) led by Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), who followed in his father Henry's (Len Cariou) footsteps to become Police Commissioner. Those two, and the three siblings named have appeared in every one of the first 255 episodes of the series. Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) has been known to break rules on occasion, especially after the loss of his wife Linda (Amy Carlson) who could keep him sane. Bridget Moynihan has played deputy DA Erin Reagan throughout, and to a certain extent can control her brother Danny's excesses. Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) studied law, then decided to become a police officer instead of practising, rising to the rank of sergeant before too long.

A fourth sibling, Joe Reagan, died on duty before the series began and though never seen his presence is felt, not least because it turns out he had a son, Joe Hill (Will Hochman) who has also gone into the family business.

Answer: The Waltons

Listed here from youngest to eldest (also alphabetically) are the three Walton sisters, members of a family that also included four brothers. This was another series where the characters and actors grew together, as we followed the story of this Virginia family through the Great Depression of the 1930s and into the 1940s as World War II took its effect on Walton's Mountain. Kami Cotler, who played Elizabeth, grew from a little girl to a teenager, as did her character. Mary Beth McDonough was middle sister Erin, who came into her own during the war, virtually running J.D. Pickett's business for him. Eldest daughter Mary Ellen became a nurse, and a single mother after her husband Curtis Willard was reported killed at Pearl Harbor, and later studied to become a doctor. Judy Norton played her.

"The Waltons" ran from 1972 until 1981, with Erin and Elizabeth appearing in all 212 episodes, and Mary Ellen in all but one.

Answer: Friends

Phoebe Buffay, one of the six main characters of "Friends" (1994-2004) was played by Lisa Kudrow, who also played Phoebe's twin sister Ursula. If Phoebe was quirky, well Ursula was ... even quirkier, to be kind. Already a character in "Mad About You" (1992-1999), Ursula was written into the newer sitcom, turning up from time to time and usually making some sort of trouble for Phoebe.

Their half-brother, Frank Jr., was discovered by Phoebe when she was trying to track down their father. One story line had Phoebe acting as surrogate mother to her brother's triplets, as his wife was an older woman and not able to carry them. Giovanni Ribisi played Frank Jr.

Answer: This Is Us

Kate, Kevin and Randall Pearson were the Big Three, from the time they were old enough to understand what that meant and though they had their ups and downs over the seasons of "This Is Us" (2016-2022) that bond drew them back together time after time. Moving back and forth in time the storytelling sometimes kept viewers wondering what was happening, but always managed to bring us back, wanting more. Several actors played the Big Three at different ages (sometimes in the same episode) but it will suffice to mention Chrissy Metz (Kate), Justin Hartley (Kevin) and Sterling K. Brown (Randall) who played them as adults, and appeared in every episode.