Long Lost Parent

A character's mother or father (almost always their father), who abandoned them as a child, suddenly turns up and wants to have a relationship. Usually, everyone else encourages the character to forgive their parent, despite how hurt they are.

Good Times

Appearances

• The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Season 4, episode 6, "The Family Tree" (1973). Ted's father, whom he never met because he left his family when Ted was a baby, comes by the newsroom to see Ted out of the blue. Ted refuses to see him, but his friends convince him give him a chance.
• Good Times: Season 3, episode 15, "The Family Tree" (1975). While researching her family tree for a school project, Thelma discovers that James's father, whom everyone thought was dead, is actually alive, and the whole family is anxious to meet him, except James, who is angry at his father for abandoning his family when James was a child.
• Taxi: Season 2, episode 2, "Honor They Father" (1979). Alex's sister comes to the garage to tell him that their father had a heart attack and is in the hospital. To the gang's surprise, Alex doesn't want to see his father because he cheated on Alex's mother and then abandoned his family.
• Too Close for Comfort: Season 4, episode 19, "The Sound of Mother" (1984). Muriel's biological mother writes to her and wants to meet her. Muriel refuses to see her because she resents having been given up for adoption, but the rest of the Rushes want to meet her, so they invite her over behind Muriel's back.
• Cheers: Season 4, episode 10, "The Bar Stoolie" (1985). Cliff's father, who abandoned him and his mother when Cliff was a child, shows up at Cheers, and the two seem to be repairing their fractured relationship until Cliff's dad reveals that he's on the run from the law for real estate fraud.
• Newhart: Season 8, episode 22, "Father Goose" (1990). Michael auditions an actor named Tad Burrows to play "Giddy Goose" in a new children's show on WPIV, and after Michael gives him the part, Tad reveals that he's actually Michael's father. Michael is incensed at Tad for abandoning him and his mother, but he can't fire him because he's so good at playing a goose.
• The Golden Girls: Season 6, episode 2, "Once in St. Olaf" (1990). While volunteering at a hospital, Rose meets her biological father, whom she never met, and she finds out he's a monk who broke his vow of celibacy to conceive her, and she's angry at him for "choosing God" over her and her mother.
• Wings: Season 2, episode 20, "Mother Wore Stripes" (1991). Joe's and Brian's mother, who abandoned them when they were kids, shows up at the airport and wants to reconcile. Brian is happy to invite her back into the family, but Joe isn't happy to see her.