Secrets are the currency of drama. In a family unit, a secret acts as an emotional landmine. The tension comes not just from the secret itself, but from the lengths to which characters go to protect the illusion of stability.
Family members know each other's triggers. Characters should say one thing while meaning something entirely different based on years of shared history.
Complex family relationships are not just a genre. They are the framework of our lives. And as long as humans continue to love, hate, and hurt the people who share their last name—or the people they choose to share their life with—the drama will never, ever end.