This is the Succession model. When the family business is the family, sibling rivalry becomes warfare. The complexity here is usually the desire for approval. The siblings aren't fighting for money; they are fighting for a dead (or dying) parent's nod of approval. This dynamic works best when the siblings are adults—too old to fight physically, but young enough to still believe forgiveness is possible.
Every family operates on an invisible set of rules. In the Corleone family, the contract is loyalty above all. In Little Fires Everywhere, the contract is perfection and propriety. Great drama occurs when one member breaks the contract or, worse, reveals that the contract was abusive.
The fundamental difference between a drama and a thriller is that in a thriller, the protagonist can walk away. In family drama, the characters are bound by blood, shared history, and obligation. The central tension often comes from the question: “How can I be my own person while remaining part of this group?”
Often the eldest daughter or the "responsible one." The Custodian sacrificed their adolescence to raise younger siblings or manage the alcoholic parent’s mood swings. They are filled with resentment they cannot voice because their identity is tied to being the "fixer." Think of Debra in Everybody Loves Raymond or the older sister in The Glass Castle. Their storyline usually involves a desperate, often failed, attempt to set a boundary.
Family drama lives and dies in the subtext. Real families rarely say what they mean.
The art of the passive-aggressive comment, the inside joke that is actually a knife, and the loaded silence are your tools. Read a scene from August: Osage County or The Corrections. Notice how the characters talk about the weather when they are actually talking about the abortion. That is complex family dialogue.
This character does not see children; they see extensions of themselves. They demand loyalty, punish independence, and wield guilt like a scalpel. In Arrested Development, Lucille Bluth is the comedic archetype. In Sharp Objects, Adora Crellin is the horror version. The Vacuum creates a "trauma bond" among the siblings, forcing them to compete for air.