Happy Father’s Day, everyone! Because I hardly have a social life and watch way too much television, I thought it was only appropriate to do a “Best of the TV Dads” post for this wonderful holiday celebrating manhood and bestowing manhood upon to others. *DiScLaImEr: I do watch a lot of TV…like, a lot, but I also haven’t watched every show that has ever existed, so if your favorite fatherly figure doesn’t appear on this list, sorry! But…I’m probably also not sorry, because if your favorite dad is from Glee or some weird 1950’s drama, you don’t know me well enough and shouldn’t be reading this to begin with. Kidding. Sort of.
Annnnd I present to you, My Very Unofficial/Totally Biased List of the Top Ten Dads of TV:
10) Marshall Erikson, How I Met Your Mother. Soooo, in all honesty, I had nine names and needed to make an even ten. I can’t rightly argue that Marshall is deserving to be on this list… but he could! *Lawyered* Thus, deserving of the 10th spot. All in favor of little Marvin gaining more airtime? Here, here; case dismissed!
9) Sandy Cohen; The OC. Sure, Sandy may not top every (okay, any other) “Best TV Dads” list out there, but he takes in orphans, will fight for his family in a court of law and I MEAN SERIOUSLY, is the father to the great Seth Cohen. How could anyone resist having a bagel and schmear with this guy?
8) Dan Conner; Roseanne. Dan is the epitome of an laid-back, blue-collar guy who pounds the pavement each and every day to provide his family with as much lunchmeat as he can. And just when you get to thinking that Dan takes too much slack from his domineering wife and stubborn children, you realize that Dan gives it just as much as he can take it. His witty sense of humor and the fact he would sacrifice anything for his family, makes him in a league of his own.
7) Michael Bluth; Arrested Development (Seasons 1 – 3). I hate to be the one to bring it up, but can we all just admit that season four was a huge mistake? In previous seasons, Michael was the one who could hold it together, who was very perceptive of reality and who would have done anything to protect George Michael. Season four Michael Bluth is a loose seal undeserving of a the title, “Dad”.
6) Tim Taylor; Home Improvement. Part of me either has some weird, Midwest homage to Tim the Tool Man Taylor, or maybe deep-down I just love a man’s man. Regardless, Tim’s affection for tools and cars pales in comparison to his love of Jill and the boys.
5) Aaron Hotchner; Criminal Minds. For serving such an important role in the FBI, Hotch makes as much time for little Jack as he possibly can, after his mother’s untimely death. In my mind, Hotch is a much overlooked father-figure and not to mention easy on the eyes.
4) All Parenthood Dads: Adam, Crosby, Joel, and even Zeek. The show is literally about being parents, so although each man has their imperfections and character flaws, they usually shine through by the end of the episode (or arch). My personal favorites are Crosby and Joel, but each father-figure in this series deserves a sporty pat on the back.
3) Cliff Huxtable; The Cosby Show. “I brought you kids into this world, and I can take you out!” When you think of an iconic TV dad, you can’t help but think of Bill Cosby, who brought to life this character I firmly believe is the closest thing to a perfect parent any person (fictional or otherwise) could ever have.
2) Phil Dunphy; Modern Family. LOL: Laugh out loud. OMG: oh my God. WTF: why the face? Phil’s-ophy. Need I say more?
1) Danny Tanner, Joey Gladstone and Jesse Katsopolis; Full House. To be fair, this is a loaded situation: three dads are always better than one…especially when you have the ultimate triple threat of protective, goofy and a little happy-go-lucky with their kids. I couldn’t attest to this three-point attack of raising children in real life, but if any child I birth comes out as good as any one of those Tanner girls, the three dad approach may be work investigating.
Did I miss any TV dads you would have included? Happy Father’s Day to all of the real dads/father-figures out there!
Uptown Moxie 