History Main / InTheBlood

* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "[[Recap/MidsomerMurdersS13E5 The Master Class]]", Jonas and Miriam are as twisted as Sir Michael, their father. More literally both Zoe and Sir Michael have the same allergy to alcohol.

* VideoGame/{{Hades}} has a field day with this trope. Much of the game's central themes deal with family and how not even gods can escape the lot they're born into. The main character Zagreus is clearly the son of [[EverybodyHatesHades Hades]], with a black eye with red iris, smoldering feet, hair as black as night and a royal, burning wreath, and of [[spoiler: Persephone, with the same hairstyle, one normal eye with green iris and red blood from her mother's partially-mortal heritage]]. He also inherits personality traits of both; from Hades he has stubbornness, pride and unwillingness to change, and from [[spoiler: Persephone]] he has his free-spirited nature and gentle demeanor.

* "VideoGame/{{Hades}}" has a field day with this trope. Much of the game's central themes deal with family and how not even gods can escape the lot they're born into. The main character Zagreus is clearly the son of UsefulNotes/Hades, with a black eye with red iris, smoldering feet, hair as black as night and a royal, burning wreath, and of [[spoiler: Persephone, with the same hairstyle, one normal eye with green iris and red blood from her mother's partially-mortal heritage]]. He also inherits personality traits of both; from Hades he has stubbornness, pride and unwillingness to change, and from [[spoiler: Persephone]] he has his free-spirited nature and gentle demeanor.
** On top of all this, being a game based [[UsefulNotes/Greek Mythology Greek Myth]], the gods and their relationship to each other is at the forefront of the story. As the gods of Olympus begin to support Zagreus' escape attempts, he goes from being ecstatic about getting to finally hear from his relatives to slowly realizing just how messed up his extended family is. In fact, he begins to begrudgingly respect [[spoiler: his own father, Hades, who he otherwise have no positive feelings on, for being principled, honest and forthright - the same qualities that Persephone saw in him]].
** This is a game where you play as the only god that bleeds human red blood, emerge from a bloody pool every time you time without fail, where the entirety of the plot concerns Zagreus' attempts to find his mother, [[spoiler: reconcile with her, mend your own Cthonic family and finally mend the rift between yours and the extended family you have on Olympus]], and where the theme is that you cannot escape your birthright, no matter how grim it may seem. The song that plays when you complete [[spoiler: the first part of]] the game? "In The Blood".

** Harry is noted to have inherited the potential for [[TheBerserker 'The Warrior's Madness']] from his father's line (Thor was James Potter. It was a first run at the humility thing. Long story). Most of the inherited traits are more positive, though, such as a natural inclination towards ChronicHeroSyndrome, even if he does become a KnightInSourArmour for a while. He also gets an inclination towards [[PlayingWithFire fire magic]], [[AllLovingHero thoughtless kindness]], and [[SecretKeeper secretiveness]] from his mother - to the point where he demonstrates an increasing number of her mannerisms as he gets older.
** Carol is noted early on as a remarkably gifted [[TheStrategist strategist]], with a knack for a command, and a proclivity for using [[spoiler: shields]] in combat. All of this, plus her appearance, hints that she's descended from [[spoiler: Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter]].

* ''Manga/{{Beastars}}'': The villainous Melon was the son of a female leopard who was mentally unstable and a male gazelle who was a selfish scumbag. He received the worst personality traits of both parents which was made worst by the genetics of his two parents combining very poorly and leaving him with messed up senses, little to no capacity for love or sexuality, and two sets of conflicting instincts.

** Claudia takes after Lestat, her maker; they're both vicious killers, prone to histrionics, is fond of [[EverythingsSparklyWithJewelry jewelry]], have fallen madly in love with a mortal, hold little regard for human etiquette (e.g. they're both rude at funerals), are stalkers, and on at least one occasion, are [[ThePeepingTom peeping toms]]. They both adore Louis and want him for themselves, plus they disapprove of him being a VegetarianVampire. Louis himself says that they are more like each other than they want to admit, and that they both like to identify and exploit each other's weaknesses.

** Claudia takes after Lestat, her maker; they're both vicious killers, prone to histrionics, have fallen madly in love with a mortal, hold little regard for human etiquette (e.g. they're both rude at funerals), are stalkers, and on at least one occasion, are [[ThePeepingTom peeping toms]]. They both adore Louis and want him for themselves, plus they disapprove of him being a VegetarianVampire. Louis himself says that they are more like each other than they want to admit, and that they both like to identify and exploit each other's weaknesses.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'', the title character is given a call from his mother, who after reading the tell-all book about him has come to regret her poor treatment of him. She states that having been the child of two broken and miserable people, he is by nature a miserable wretch and there's nothing he can do about it.

* Creator/AgathaChristie was a big fan of this trope, often referring to families having a "taint" in their bloodline. But as she was one of the first mystery authors to consider the impact of psychology on a person's mind, [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny she gets something of a pass]]. It's also partly [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that many of her novels feature the British upper class; marriage between relatives (ranging from distant to first/second cousins)in that class was somewhat common to keep the bloodline "pure," and mental instability/illness is a proven side effect of closely-related people marrying and having children, as there's simply not enough genetic diversity to defend against mutation.

** In "Birthright", a man who never knew his father found his journal detailing his killings and decided to become his copycat. However, his half-brother by one of his father's victims who escaped appears to be a decent guy, albeit a bit of a bum, with no murderous tendencies.

** In "Birthright", a man who never knew his father found his journal detailing his killings and decided to become his copycat.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'':

* In P.C. Hodgell's Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath series, Shanir (magic) powers are inherited genetically among the Highborn race. Incestuous breeding programs in the past to breed stronger Shanir have led to some very damaged bloodlines, exacerbated by dwindling numbers (and probably causing them, too, due to impacts on fertility). Heroine Jame and her twin brother Torisen are of the "royal" house of Knorth, inheriting both powerful abilities and the possibility of insanity; Torisen constantly worries that he carries the Knorth madness and worries he'll become his father. One of those abilities is also InTheBlood; blood-binding. Anyone who consumes their blood will be bound to them mind, body and soul until death and beyond. Creepy stuff.

* Near the end of the ''[[Series/NorthAndSouthUS North and South]]'' trilogy, the recurring villain (and increasingly AxCrazy Elkanah Bent is revealed to have been conceived when his mother's father raped her. Upon learning this, another character freaks out and ends an inner monologue with ".,his blood, his brain poisoned by his birth."

* ''Series/{{Bones}}''

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** This show has a somewhat more realistic example of this: Xander ends up cancelling his wedding because he fears turning out like his parents (his father, especially), who are abusive alcoholics.
** In ''Angel & Faith'', Faith's own father tells her that, no matter how much she tries to change or how much she tries to be one of the good guys, she will ''always'' be in trouble simply because she is a Lehane, which drives Faith into a brief HeroicBSOD.

* The ability to have powers is, obviously, inherited by all magical species in ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''. Crossing that blood with mortals is [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity very]] [[TheVirus dangerous]]. The series also has half-demons. Demons often have offspring with humans because they can inconspicuously reside in human society. For half-demons, the temptations of evil are very strong, but if they really want it, they can be good too, because they have human souls and can feel human emotions.

* ''Series/CriminalMinds''

* Langston in ''Series/{{CSI}}'' assures [[spoiler:the adopted step-son of SerialKiller Paul Milander that In The Blood doesn't exist (especially since they aren't blood relatives and Milander never acted like a serial killer to his family) and that there is no record of a serial killer's children becoming killers themselves in RealLife. Meanwhile, Langston himself is worried that ''he'' might have inherited a violent streak from his father.]]
* ''Series/Daredevil2015'': The fourth episode of season 1 is titled "In the Blood" and puts heavy focus on the Russian gangster brothers Vladimir and Anatoly Ranskahov as they deal with the problems the masked Devil of Hell's Kitchen is causing to their alliance with Wilson Fisk.

* ''Series/IntoTheDark'': In "[[Recap/IntoTheDarkS2E12BloodMoon Blood Moon]]" Luna becomes a werewolf because his father was one as well.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': A recurring fear for [[ActionGirl Olivia]] [[BrokenBird Benson]] is that deep inside her is a violent, sadistic criminal spawned by her rapist father. John Munch has also voiced concern at least once that he may end up committing suicide like his father. There was also an episode where a man who was violently molested by his father worries about becoming just like him and his felon brother -- and does so.
** Munch's fear isn't unreasonable: his uncle Andrew (played by Jerry Lewis in an episode) had mental problems, and that sort of thing, which can result in suicide, can be heritable. Goren on ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' has the same concerns due to a family history of schizophrenia.
** Also, Olivia went through a very complicated situation where it seemed her fears were coming true... [[spoiler:and not through ''her'', but through her half-brother Simon, who was accused of raping a handicapped woman who later killed herself. He was framed by the victim's sister, though.]]
** One episode has the defendant's lawyer claim he was genetically predisposed to rape. His father was also a rapist, and in fact [[ChildByRape conceived him this way]]. The jury didn't buy it though.
* There's an episode of the original ''Series/LawAndOrder'' ("Born Bad") where a teenager on trial for murder has his parents put this forward as a legal defense -- due to a unique genetic condition, the teen is predisposed to a life of violence, and thus not wholly responsible for his actions. [[spoiler:This backfires in the most ''spectacular'' way possible, as the teen himself decides to plead guilty after hearing ''his own defense'' talk about how he's destined to be a violent criminal.]]
* ''{{Series/Legion|2017}}'':

--->'''David''': Wow. This is how they met? My parents. In a mental hospital. I guess it just runs in the family.

--->'''Gabrielle''': My grandmother had the sickness. She was, uh... ''vrăjitoare''. [[note]]Romanian for "witch."[[/note]] Spells, moods, she spoke in tongues. I remember her eyes. Miserable and giddy, like a happy death. My mother was 16 when the sickness hit her. In the witching hour, she woke up laughing. Didn't stop for 14 days.\\
'''Syd''': You're talking about mental illness.\\
'''Gabrielle''': Such a clinical name for something so raw. Like an animal with its heart on the outside.\\
'''Syd''': It's so odd, I never thought of that. It's hereditary, what's wrong with [David]. Why he's like this.

* ''Series/{{NCIS}}''

** In ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Blazing Blade]]'' we have minor villain Erik, son of the corrupt Marquess Darin. In the next game in the continuity, Erik has grown up to be exact same tyrannical ruler his father was, and repeats his predecessors' mistakes [[HistoryRepeats step by step]], even going so far as to kidnap a little girl (for different reasons, but still). This is bothersome as Darin wasn't truly evil until he met Ephidel and Erik seemed repentant after being defeated by Eliwood and Hector.

** Lestat de Lioncourt acknowledges that he inherited his father's temper, and considers it a curse. Lestat's father had beaten him when he was a boy. Later as an adult, Lestat physically abuses his boyfriend Louis de Pointe du Lac and his vampire daughter Claudia.

* Agent 47 from the ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' series is a genetically engineered assassin, created from the DNA of 5 of the world's most dangerous criminal masterminds. Except he's a cold-blooded assassin, not a power-hungry megalomaniac, so the analogy doesn't seem to quite work out.

* Cited by name, then later {{justified|Trope}} in ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'': Helen notes that she didn't always want to be a mad scientist, but then notes the trope name. Justified later in that [[spoiler:[[CloningBlues Helen is a clone of her mother]] -- so it wasn't just in the blood, but likely during the whole child-making process]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries:'' After [[CloningBlues Bizarro]] [[HeroicSacrifice stays behind]] so that Superman and Lois can escape:

* In ''Series/{{Flashpoint}}'' both Jules and Sam are examples of this. Jules' father is/was a cop and Sam used to be in the military before joining the SRU and his father is a General.

* ''Series/{{Justified}}'' does not state this trope but is highly influenced by it.

** Being another member of the Demon Hunter's Association, the Ryogi family's daughter from ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' also received powers from supernatural blood.

* Ohio Valley Wrestling had '''S'''mother's '''T'''wisted '''D'''aughters: "Second generation female sensation wild eyed southern girl Jessie Belle Smothers, [[OverlyLongTitle beauty brawn bloodline breeding of a champion]]" and Isabella Smothers, the supposed spawn of Tracy Smothers.(also a supposed third in [[Wrestling/SoloDarling Christie Belle]], but they don't talk about her much)

* Averted with the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth''. [[spoiler:Richard]] Rahl spends several books explaining that he's nothing like Darken Rahl. It turns out that way back when, the Rahls were some of the champions of order and good, but were corrupted by several thousand years of uncontested rule. [[spoiler:Richard]] takes after the parents who raised him, not his genetic ancestors. However, there are Rahl traits -- like arrogance, determination, cleverness, and absolute ruthlessness, that the character in question develops over time.

* ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'': Even when Cyrano reacts with shock at Roxane's intention to remain with them during the battle, and she responds, ''"Monsieur de Bergerac, I am your cousin."'' lampshades this in a positive context, [[BrokenAce Cyrano]] and [[DaydreamBeliever Roxane's]] [[BeautyEqualsGoodness obsessions]] and [[MasterOfDelusion denial]] [[LoveMartyr of reality]] fit them better with the sinister implications of this trope.

* ''VideoGame/MyChildLebensborn'': One of the reasons given for the community's rejection of the child is many people believing that the child will inevitably grow up to betray Norway because their father is a (long-departed) soldier from UsefulNotes/NaziGermany's occupation forces and their mother a local woman who was in a relationship with him.

* This is why the Medic in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' is a MadScientist; this whole family is full of them, according to WordOfGod.

** Being another member of the Demon Hunter's Association the Ryogi family's daughter from ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' also received powers from supernatural blood.