All right everybody, get those crappy ties and self-made cards ready. It's time once again for the forgotten holiday known as Father's Day. Yes, the bastard cousin to the extremely popular Mother's Day. The one that people forget is the third Sunday in the month of June, not the second. The holiday where your loving family wants to fill your day with special events when all you really want to do is have some privacy to write your damn TV Squad articles!
Ahem. So, in the fine tradition of tomorrow's holiday, where you usually pay for your own dinner out, we present the five television dads who would be grateful if they received a wallet made out of dried macaroni.
Mike Brady (The Brady Bunch): When his family literally doubled overnight, after his marriage to Carol Martin, Mr. Brady went into parenting head first. There were never any favorites between his three sons and her three girls. Heck, he even spent a whole day with the girls doing things their Mom would do in a typical day. He was firm, yet he kept his anger in check. And, when all of the kids scared Alice to death, causing her to inadvertently destroy Carol's prize mask (or was it sculpture) he evenly dealt the punishment out amongst all of the guilty parties. In addition to all of that he was extremely brave. How could he not be and have that hairstyle and wardrobe that he did towards the end of the series?
Cliff Huxtable (The Cosby Show): Remember what I said about these dads being happy with a wallet of macaroni? Well, Cliff is the exception. However, he deserved great gifts from his four daughters and one son. You could tell from the first episode that he ruled the house (although Claire would probably deny that) and he didn't take guff from any of his children. Remember what he said to son Theo in the pilot episode after the boy gave a speech on how he may not be a great doctor like his dad or a lawyer like his mom? He said 'Theo. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life!! No wonder you're getting D's in everything.' It was a great turn on a sitcom staple (the father and son heart-to-heart) and probably made plenty of dads nod their heads in agreement.
Eric Camden (7th Heaven): I actually talked to my wife about this one because I wasn't too sure if Reverend Camden should be put on this list. Sure, he pushed strong family values to his children and, even though they all strayed a bit as they got older, they tended to come back to those values in the end. However, it always seemed to me that he was behind the eight ball on some of the things his kids were pulling. My beautiful wife agreed, then added that Eric always had some feeling of what was going on around him and made sure to nip it in the bud as quickly as possible.
Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show): Where the first three dads raised their children in a more cosmopolitan environment, Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry raised his son with good ol' homespun country flavor. Andy never raised his voice to Opie as far as I could remember, and he never laid down a punishment that wasn't rightly deserved. There would always be time for he and his son to play catch or to go fishing. Some of us dads probably wish we had the time to spend with our children that Andy had with Opie.
Howard Cunningham (Happy Days): Any dad that doesn't punish you after you come home from your first drunken binge (because, after talking on the porcelain phone for several hours you've pretty much punished yourself) is okay in my book. Howard also had the unique ability to extend his parenting skills outside of his family. For, you see, not only was he a dad to Richie and Joanie, but he was also an honored father-figure to one Arthur Fonzarelli as well (even though Fonzie thought Mr. C. was a bit of a dud in the beginning).
Honorable Mentions:
Charles Ingles Ingalls(Little House on the Prairie): If you can build a house with your own hands, and still have time to climb trees with your daughters, you have my vote for Father of the Year.
John Walton (The Waltons): Built in the same hard-working mold as Charles Ingles, this is a father who held his family together through some tough times (The Depression, World War II). He also let his sons and daughters be who they wanted to be. When John-Boy decided to become a writer his father didn't discourage him and force him to work at the lumber mill. He encouraged his son to fulfill his dreams.
Vick Mackey (The Shield): Yes, he killed a cop, and tried to hide Lem from the authorities, and slept around while married, but he really loved and was dedicated to his kids. He even went so far as to steal drug money so he could send both of his children to private school. Now THAT's dedication!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-17-2006 @ 1:53PM
NoLifeMcGee said...
No Enrico Colantoni as Keith Mars? He presents probably the most real and believable dad on TV, in spite of being part of an unbelievably crafty dad-daughter crime-fighting duo.
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6-17-2006 @ 1:57PM
aspasm said...
Great list - Cliff Huxtable is my favourite TV dad of all time.
I'd add Keith Mars (Veronica Mars) and Dan Conner (Roseanne) to my list of favourite TV dads. They're both so snarky but still very loving and supportive of their children.
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6-17-2006 @ 3:10PM
Mayorjimmy said...
those are the "good" dads. let's talk the funniest ones.
- homer simpson
- peter griffin
- al bundy
- red foreman
- ken titus
you want to be entertained instead of learn a lesson? this is the list.
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6-17-2006 @ 3:14PM
Coronaboy said...
Paul Hennessy (8 Simple Rules)- John was an amazing actor, I felt he deserved a mention. I miss that guy alot!
Dan Conner (Roseanne) - I have to agree, plus he was the only reason I watched Roseanne... well Sarah Chalke too :p
Red Forman (That 70s Show) - Sure he was threatening to put his foot up someone's ass, but you had to hand it to the guy, he cared about his family.
Howard Cunningham (Happy Days) - Mr. C was one of the best TV dads, nuff said.
Ward Cleaver (Leave It To Beaver) - How could you forget Ward? I thought he was another great TV dad.
Honorable Mentions:
Tony Micelli (Who's The Boss?)
Michael Keaton (Family Ties)
Jason Seaver (Growing Pains)
Sean Finnerty (Grounded For Life)
Eric Camden (7th Heaven)
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6-17-2006 @ 5:45PM
Billy Epright said...
My favorite TV Dad is Lucas McCain father of Mark McCain. Played by former baseball and basketball athlete Kevin Joseph 'CHUCK' Conners. Tough job raising a boy without a wife in the '1880's.
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6-17-2006 @ 6:42PM
Adam said...
Keith Mars from Veronica Mars should be on there as well as Johnathon Kent from Smallville. John Scheider was remarkable in that role.
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6-17-2006 @ 6:47PM
Lacey said...
1. Paul Hennessy - 8 Simple Rules. He was SUCH a good dad, and though he and his daughters argued all the time, he loved them, and they loved him. And he was a good husband too.
2. Alan Matthews - Boy Meets World. I loved this show, and I thought that he was such a great dad. And again, a good husband.
3. Red Forman - That 70's Show. Red reminds me a lot of my grandfather, lol, so I can't help but love him.
4 Tim Taylor - Home Improvement. lol, I loved this show, and Tim was a bit of a goofball, but he was also a good dad.
5. Danny Tanner - Full House. Danny was a great dad, even though he had a lot of help.
Honerable Mention:
Bob Pinciotti - That 70's Show. He loved Donna and really cared about her. However, didn't make the list due to the mysterious and unexplained dissapearance of Donna's younger sister Tina.
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6-17-2006 @ 7:52PM
Lisa said...
Keith Mars
Really great, one of the best ever
Tommy Gavin
I was touched to see how much he cares about his kids. It's so sweet to see him with them.
Tim Taylor
One of the few sitcom dads who was a good one!
Homer Simpsons
Those "I love my kids" moments were just touching.
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6-17-2006 @ 9:38PM
Toby OB said...
Going back a way, Jim Anderson of "Father Knows Best" should have at least been mentioned. Robert Young in the role had lots of great advice for his three kids.
Herman Munster was always willing to do whatever it takes for his son Eddie and his niece Marilyn (even if she was "ugly").
My knee-jerk reaction was for Robert Petrie of the Dick Van Dyke Show. But then as I thought about it, I figured he didn't deserve to be on the list - forcing his wife to go to a party even though she could tell their son wasn't feeling well; letting Richie get picked on - by a woodpecker; and just saddling him with the middle name of "Rosebud" (even if it did have a cool explanation.)
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6-18-2006 @ 2:52AM
Urbey said...
You may have put the father from the show into the category of Honorable Mention, but you've dishonored the author of the Little House on the Prairie books, Laura Ingalls-Wilder, by misspelling her name so badly.
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6-18-2006 @ 6:26AM
jeff stiefer said...
No Homer, no list...
Homer is the perfect father for Bart and no TV dad list is complete without him. Shame, TV Squad...shame. : )
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6-18-2006 @ 12:07PM
Rich Keller said...
I did not dishonor that person's name. If they feel so then her estate can sue me. The Ingalls name was corrected.
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6-19-2006 @ 12:35PM
Lynn said...
You chose Rev. Camden (ugh) but left off the wonderful Keith Mars??? For shame!
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6-19-2006 @ 2:11PM
Erika said...
Charles Ingalls was THE BEST! Definitely more than an honorable mention.
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6-19-2006 @ 6:59PM
linda said...
keith mars!!!!he is the best if not him who else?????he is the one!the one who can kick the ass of the boyfriend of his doughter and make here feel safe!!!!!i love keith mars!(sorry for the errors but i am italian)
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6-19-2006 @ 7:03PM
CJ said...
I definitely think that Keith Mars deserves a spot here. But my biggest qualm is Dan Conner from "Roseanne" missing. He, to me anyways, is one of the most realistic dads on TV... a protective man's man who can just as easily kill his kids as kill for them. Maybe cuz he reminds me of my dad.
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6-19-2006 @ 8:32PM
Karen said...
Eric Camden? Are you serious? The guy who badmouths his daughter Mary, spies on his kids regularly, specializes in emotional blackmail, and seems barely aware that his twin youngests are even alive? One of TV's best dads? Man o man o man. We are working on some seriously different criteria.
I third (or fourth?) the Keith Mars nomination. He's a dream dad.
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6-17-2007 @ 12:21PM
Griff said...
Those are pretty good, but we're forgetting one of the all time greats......Brian Keith in Family Affair (the original single dad)
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6-19-2007 @ 3:32PM
Bmf07 said...
Eric Camden is a great dad who listens to his children and helps when needed. Just because he doesn't ask his kids if they want help? Should he have asked Mary if she needed help when she trashed the Gym? Or Ruthie when she was helping their Muslim friend? Or Simon when he killed a guy? What about Matt when he was smoking? We need more dad's who are willing to help their children no matter what.
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