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Fox Family
Sam
Sam Fox
Portrayed By: Pamela Adlon
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: How Sam's daughters often see her. They're often justified in thinking that way (e.g. she talks about Frankie having her period in front of a whole auditorium). Sam's mom Phyllis also embarrasses her often, while also doing so a lot when growing up (by not shaving her armpits or legs, for instance).
- Ambiguously Bi: In Season 3 Sam is pursued by Mer, a younger English lesbian who hits on her repeatedly, convinced that she's not straight. Sam at first says she is, but doesn't dislike this attention either, saying she's always wanted to go through a "girl phase". However, if it's anything more Sam doesn't appear ready to explore possible bisexuality yet and Mer realizes this, backing off after being turned down on a proposition.
- Hollywood Old: As an aging actress in Hollywood, Sam struggles to find substantial roles, usually settling for bit parts.
- Jewish Mother: Sam likes to play up being one at times, guilt-tripping her daughters on not appreciating her and getting far more involved with their lives than they'd often like (it rarely works, unless she's really serious about this).
- Womanchild: Sam, who's middle aged, is often childish and tells terrible jokes, to her kids' annoyance. It's a bit downplayed since she (mostly) stays a responsible adult, but her attitude comes off as more kid-like than her own kids' (who are very mature in contrast).
Max
Max Fox
Portrayed By: Mikey Madison
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Max is this to her mother, constantly yelling at and berating her mother in most of their interactions.
- Cool Big Sis: While Max is a Big Sister Bully to Frankie, she’s nothing but sweet to Duke.
- Ms. Fanservice: Max, who's a very beautiful girl, is shown in several scenes wearing only her underwear or a bikini, along with her equally good-looking female friends.
Frankie
Frankie Fox
Portrayed By: Hannah Alligood
- Ambiguous Gender Identity: Frankie is very gender nonconforming, showing no interest in more usual girly things, always wearing masculine clothing and having short hair (until growing it out by Season 4). While that wouldn't by itself mean she's trans as opposed to a tomboy, she also gets punished for going in the boys' bathroom while at school, but says it's just because girls do things which disgust her while in theirs. However, after this her older sister Max expresses incredulity about this, matter of factly saying Frankie is a boy (but later denies having said that). Sam looks shocked after she hears this, but it's then dropped until Season 3, when it turns out Frankie's called Franklin by her friends and her text to Duke self-identifies herself as "your brother" (though in a Blink-and-You-Miss-It moment). Later though she wants a quinceañera (Latina rite of passage at 15, though the family isn't Latino, but Jewish). Frankie has not yet said anything more definite about her gender, though this does seem indicative of her being possibly nonbinary at least. In Season 5, Frankie discusses how a friend uses they/them pronouns, kind of indicating they're Frankie's too, to Sam's confusion. This is supported too by Max referring to Frankie as "they" later. Still though neither says Frankie's nonbinary or something else. Frankie also objects to being called Sam's daughter at one point.
- The Beard: Frankie serves as the fake date to her gay, closeted male friend so that his parents won't find out.
- Black Sheep: Frankie, unlike her mother, sisters and grandmother, rejects feminine norms entirely, always dressing in masculine clothing and initially having really short hair. This leads to speculation by her relatives that she's a trans boy, but this is unconfirmed. By Season 4 she's relaxed this slightly, with her hair a bit longer, but only just.
- Deadpan Snarker: Frankie's standard comment on anything else is dry, sarcastic, bitter, cynical or generally "I'm too cool for this".
- Middle Child Syndrome: Frankie starts to show this during Season 2 as a rebellious Black Sheep Deadpan Snarker (who's possibly trans but at the very least is very gender nonconforming) and this is taken up a notch in Season 3 when her frustration at Sam's refusal to explain why she left Xander and raised the girls alone prompts her to run away.
- Soapbox Sadie: Frankie is the most socially conscious of the Fox family and also the most serious, even as a teenager. Whenever political issues come up, she'll make pro-feminist statements, plus supporting other leftist causes.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to her sister Max's girly girl (at the very least, as it's indicated Frankie's possibly in fact transmasculine), with short hair at first (she lets it get longer later, though not too much) and rejection of feminine gender norms as Frankie wears more boyish attire often.
Duke
Duke Fox
Portrayed By: Olivia Edward
- The Baby of the Bunch: Duke is the youngest of Sam's three daughters, and is treated very fondly by pretty much everyone.
- The Cutie: Duke, being the littlest of Sam's kids, is naturally this. She's the sweetest, an adorable little girl (although she grows over the course of the series, naturally) and is the most lighthearted, innocent character.
- First Period Panic: Duke, after running into her grandma's car while skateboarding, worries that she's been injured as she gets her period until Frankie realizes what's going on and gets her a tampon.
- Innocent Swearing: Happens once in front of Sam, who smiles at being there for her little girl's first swear.
