10 More TV Sitcom Characters With Shockingly Dark Backstories

Ah, eighties sitcoms. These delightful eyes into middle-class America may have been so sugary sweet they gave you cavities, but what lighthearted fun they were. Still, although the comedy was always clean, some came with an edge. Enter Punky Brewster. 

This wholesome series told the tale of a bright and bubbly kid who loved helping people. Aww, it's adorable right? So, what did she do? Well, she helped bring sunshine into the life of her foster parent, Henry. How did he become her foster? Oh, she broke into an apartment in a building he owned after being abandoned by her parents - comedy gold! 

Penelope always saw the good in things, but her situation was far from nice. Her father left her when she was young, and her mother turned to drinking to cope. After some time, she abandoned Punky in a car outside a shopping mall with nothing but her golden retriever, Brandon. 

Punky lived in that car for a time before finding her way into an abandoned apartment and eventually into the arms of Henry. That's one hell of an origin story for an eight-year-old.