10 Scariest Characters In Non-Horror TV Shows

The average sitcom can rarely be said to tap into the primal fear just about all of us experience growing up. Well, Malcolm In The Middle certainly does. The sitcom mom is hardly a new innovation, but few have done so with the ferocity - and relatability - of Lois Wilkerson.

With a totally invested performance by Jane Kaczmarek, Lois is one of the most imposing figures ever seen in comedy. She, of course, is only trying to do the best by her kids. She’s a put-upon mom with a large family and a job she doesn’t much care for; she’s taking what she’s given and trying to build a future.

But is she ever scary while doing it. In the Wilkerson household, nothing goes unpunished. Lois is perpetually at the end of her tether, and with (at the show’s start) four tearaway sons to deal with, that’s hardly surprising. She knows the only way to possibly keep them in line is through fear, and she brandishes her rage like a weapon.

This classic sitcom takes the trouble to flesh out Lois’ own difficult childhood, and she’s never portrayed as a villain, just a mother who can’t afford to take any nonsense, but her commendable aims as a human don’t make her any less frightening.