Coffee Table News
27 Best Secret Siblings on Television
There are a lot of secret siblings on television.
Plenty of TV shows tend to build their foundation on common tropes such as the cringe-worthy love triangle trope and the long lost sibling trope.
If you need to stir up some drama, especially in a campy teen series, there’s no better way than by bringing in a secret sibling that’s jealous, scorned, vengeful, broken, betrayed, looking for a family, or all of the above.
Some secret siblings are introduced in a sensical way with the serious laying some breadcrumbs leading up to the introduction.
Other reveals come out of left field and frustrate audiences by appearing as mere plot devices thrown in for the sake of it.
And sometimes, the trope works well as the secret siblings become pivotal to the storyline and the main character’s development.
We’re looking back at some of our favorite secret siblings on television. Which ones would you add to the list?
Chic/ Charles – Riverdale
On Riverdale, Betty and Jughead’s first half brother (yes, they’re still dating), Chic, was a poser but stirred up enough drama to make the fandom collectively hate him. Eventually, we meet the real Charles, an FBI agent, who bonded with Betty over her mother’s time at The Farm.
Unfortunately, Charles turned out to be just as crazy as Chic. The two were revealed to be lovers who are plotting something against the family that abandoned them.
Scott Rosson – Gossip Girl
Scott appeared in the second season of Gossip Girl as the love child of Lily van der Woodsen and Rufus Humphrey thus making BF and GF Serena and Dan half-siblings.
Everyone tried to keep Scott a secret for as long as they could but eventually, the secret sibling was outed by the one and only Gossip Girl. XoXo.
Adam – Dynasty
Adam, the kidnapped child of Blake Carrington and Alexis Carrington, appeared early on in Dynasty but was quickly revealed to be a fake hired by Alexis to get her hands on the Carrington money.
The real Adam Carrington makes his way to the Manor, though, he’s equally as deranged and way more dangerous as his predecessor. He had his brother, Steven, committed in Europe after thinking he was having “hallucinations,” shoved his mother’s face into the fireplace, and continues to sabotage his half-sister, Fallon, daily all while hoping to gain his father’s love.
Ari and Ziva – NCIS
After Ari murdered NCIS agent Kate Todd, everyone believed that Ziva David was simply his Mossad control officer. It’s only after Ziva kills Ari to save Gibbs that we find out that he was her half-brother.
It’s a storyline that took place during NCIS Season 3 and has had repercussions that have lasted until present day NCIS Season 17!
Zelena – Once Upon a Time
Zelena, aka the Wicked Witch of the West (from the Wizard of Oz), arrives in Once Upon a Time Season 3. She is Regina Mills’ (the Evil Queen) half-sister, who was abandoned as a child and wished dearly for a family. Her jealousy over Regina consumed her and led to plenty of magical wars before the sisters mend their relationship and lived happily ever after.
Anezka – Jane the Virgin
Yael Groblas pulled double duty on Jane the Virgin to portray the main character Petra and her long lost twin, Anezka. Anezka was a “shy mouse” who grew up in an orphanage in the Czech Republic before being brought to America by their evil mother, Magda.
Though it seems like she wants a genuine relationship with Petra, she’s later revealed to be conspiring with Magda to steal Rafael’s money and flee the country.
Maggie and Meredith – Grey’s Anatomy
In the Grey’s Anatomy Season 10 finale, we learn that Maggie and Meredith are half-sisters. Their mother, Ellis, had a fling with Richard when Meredith was very young.
They put Maggie up for adoption, but when she got older, she learned her late mother was a top-notch surgeon at Grace Seattle Hospital. While the sisters had a strange relationship at first, they later came around and developed a friendship.
Adam- Supernatural
Adam was revealed to be John Winchester’s son on Supernatural, yet it was more shocking to find out that John was actually a better father to Adam than our boys, Dean and Sam. It’s no surprise that they left him in hell. The resentment is real.
Wally – Flash
The Flash Season 2 introduces us to Wally, who is revealed to be Iris’ long lost brother from her estranged mother. Wally hesitates to embrace the familial unit, but eventually joins Team Flash and becomes Kid Flash
Alex Drake – Pretty Little Liars
The PLL family tree was more complicated than the Game of Thrones one and there was plenty of surprise sibling reveals including Alex Drake as “AD” in the series finale.
Alex is the daughter of Mary Drake and Peter Hastings, and Spencer’s identical twin sister. While Spencer was given to her biological father and his wife, Alex was given up for adoption to an orphanage in the UK where she plotted her insanely complex revenge.
Charlotte DiLaurentis – Pretty Little Liars
Like I said, the family tree is very complicated. Charlotte was born “Charles” and transitioned into the character we know as CeCe. Though she is the biological daughter of Mary Drake and Pastor Ted, she was adopted by Jessica and Kenneth DiLaurentis (Jessica’s sister is Mary).
This makes her Alison and Jason’s biological cousin and adoptive sister (and she had a romantic relationship with Jason!), and also, the biological half-sister of Spencer Hastings.
Derek – One Tree Hill
In yet another case where we meet the “fake” secret sibling before meeting the real one, a deranged and broken man named Ian poses as Peyton’s half-brother, Derek, to get close to her.
When fake Derek realizes that he’s losing Peyton, he tries to rape her but thankfully, Lucas and her real brother, Derek, a US Marine, come to her rescue.
See the full list at TV Fanatic!
Fans of Upload—starring Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, and Allegra Edwards—have been waiting patiently for any information about a potential third season, particularly as season 2 left off on quite a bit of a hangover, with Amell’s Nathan Brown’s life hanging in the balance.
But now, we finally have a premiere date along with a brand new trailer that mostly qualms all of those worries.
Upload Season 3 will be here sooner rather than later with an arrival date of October 20, 2023—that is, for the first two episodes. The next few episodes—a total of 8 for the season—will arrive weekly in pairs, with episodes 3 and 4 landing on Oct 27, episodes 5 and 6 on Nov 3, and episodes 7 and 8 on Nov 10.
Episodes release on Prime Video at 12:00 a.m. GMT on the date, which means 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
The futuristic sci-fi comedy in which a man uploads to a digital life extension following his untimely death and forms a special bond with his angel (a customer service rep, in present-day terms) immediately built a dedicated fanbase for its comedic tone as it tackles serious issues.
In the trailer teasing the new season, fans see more of Brown’s time on Earth with Nora following his download. While the final moments of season 2 kept his fate uncertain as he suffered a nosebleed, meaning there was a possibility he wasn’t going to live for much longer, he’s very much alive and well 26 days after the download. While they’re still making good on their amazing connection, Nathan and Nora have also joined forces to shut down Freeyond, which has killed hundreds of innocent people in an attempt to rig the election.
But back at Horizon, Tinlsey, who noticed Nathan disappeared, rebooted him from a backup copy, meaning there’s another Nathan that exists in the afterlife. Ingrid is making the most of this “second chance” to do this right as “new Nathan” has no memory of what happened, nor does he remember breaking up with her.
“Two Nathans, one Nora, Never fantasized about this before,” Nora states as she pays a visit to Lakeview, where someone informs her that isn’t cheating, it’s just her boyfriend “6 months ago.”
Ingrid then informs Earth Nathan that “his girl is hanging with my fake dude.”
Will Nora get charmed by Lakeview Nathan? Has the real world taken a toll on their relationship? And is Ingrid really too into the afterlife while still having the opportunity to live a real life?
Check out the trailer and watch the new season starting Oct. 20.
Bachelor Nation—Thursday night is your night.
Following the premiere of The Golden Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise returns for its 9th season.
The reality series finds former leads and contestants from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette—some fan-favorites, some controversial and least liked—coming together in the carefree setting of a tropical beach destination in Mexico’s Playa Escondida resort to give their journey of finding love another (and hopefully successful) shot.
The contestants then spend roughly three weeks dating around in hopes of finding their soulmate, all while dodging drama and feuds. Some leave the beach engaged, some in committed relationship, and some stay single.
Jesse Palmer will host this season as Wells Adams returns to the bar.
The series will premiere with a 2-hour episode on Thursday September 28 at 9 p.m. ET right after the pilot episode of The Golden Bachelor. Those who can’t catch it live will be able to stream it on Hulu the following day.
They will continue airing on Thursday nights weekly alongside The Golden Bachelor making Thursday’s the new Monday/Tuesday.
Here’s the upcoming cast:
- Greer Blitzer of “The Bachelor” season 27
- Brayden Bowers of “The Bachelorette” season 20
- Aaron Bryant of “The Bachelorette” season 20
- Peter Cappio of “The Bachelorette” season 20
- Jessica “Jess” Girod of “The Bachelor” season 27
- Eliza Isichei of “The Bachelor” season 26 and “Bachelor in Paradise” season 8
- Katherine “Kat” Izzo of “The Bachelor” season 27
- Samantha “Sam” Jeffries of “The Bachelor” season 26
- Olivia Lewis of “The Bachelor” season 27
- Sean McLaughlin of “The Bachelorette” season 20
- Blake Moynes of “The Bachelorette” seasons 16 and 17
- Mercedes Northup of “The Bachelor” season 27
- Rachel Recchia of “The Bachelor” season 26 and “The Bachelorette” season 19
- Kylee Russell of “The Bachelor” season 27
- Aaron Schwartzman of “The Bachelorette” season 20
- Will Urena of “The Bachelorette” season 18
- Brooklyn Willie of “The Bachelor” season 27
- Catherine “Cat” Wong of “The Bachelor” season 27
Anyone who is a fan of Bachelor in Paraside knows that additional contestants are introduced throughout the season, with talks of former Bachelorettes Katie Thurston, Charity Lawson, and Hannah Brown making appearances down the line.
ABC is expanding its Bachelor franchise into a new age bracket with The Golden Bachelor.
Gerry Turner, described as a “charming 72-year-old patriarch from Indiana,” will be the first to ever own the title as he sets out to find love amongst 22 hopeful bachelorettes.
The series synopsis notes, “One hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life.”
There’s been a lot of interest across the board for the spinoff as it’s a refreshing take on the franchise that many found has become quite predictable in recent years as it focuses on the same age group every time.
The new concept doesn’t just pique the interest of longtime Bachelor fans, it’s also enticing older viewers who have never given reality TV a chance, while also sparking interest from younger fans who want to see what kind of drama the older demographic is going to stir up (though Turner did call them the “sweetest” group of women ever).
Many also think that with an older-skewing cast, the focus will be more on finding love versus chasing social media clout as the contestants have all been through their fair share of life experiences and heartache.
“I want to fall in love,” Turner previously explained of his interest in the franchise, noting, “I really want to find my person who can put me in my place when I need it and make me smile at it. The person who can lay down beside you at night, not have to say anything, and you feel it. That’s love. That’s what I want. And I know that person’s out there.”
He was married to his high school sweetheart for 43 years before she died in 2017, so it’s fair to say he’s putting himself out of his comfort zone by pursuing a new romantic connection.
The series will premiere on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. You can stream the episodes the following day on Hulu.
It will continue airing on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Bachelor in Paradise—who doesn’t love back-to-back Bachelor shows?
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