TVSquad

Not all television dads are the epitome of fatherhood. There are plenty of dads out there in TV land who, frankly, would rather be somewhere else. So, in the fine tradition of opposing viewpoints, we present the five worst TV dads.

Aaron Echolls (Veronica Mars):  Sure, to the movie-watching public he was known as a class-A actor who was kind to his fans. But, to his family, he was known as an adulterer with a violent temper who beat on his son Logan. Oh, he also murdered Veronica Mars' best friend Lilly and the abusing boyfriend of his daughter Trina (Update: well, almost). On the bright side, he has a really nice head of hair for someone his age.

Ray Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond):  Okay, how many times did we see Ray Barone play, let alone talk, to his daughter and two twin sons during the entire series run? Ray did whatever he could to avoid being near his kids as they grew up. Oh, sure, he had those sentimental moments when he remembered the birth of his children, and he would get all chummy with them after that. But once that moment disappeared it was out to the golf range or the go-cart track before he'd reluctantly take the kids to the park. I'm sure it will be Everybody Hates Raymond when his kids go into therapy for all of the screaming fights he and wife Deborah were involved in.

Homer Simpson (The Simpsons): Let's see:  he routinely forgets that he has a baby daughter (Maggie), he hired a private investigator to find out the interests of daughter Lisa,  and he constantly chokes his son Bart. He spends his days on the couch drinking beer and watching television rather than taking his kids to the zoo or amusement park. In addition, he'll vanish for days on end due to some hair-brained adventure. Put that all together and Homer Simpson is definitely not Father of the Year material.

Al Bundy (Married With Children):  The man asked his children to steal from the neighbors, for crying out loud!

Archie Bunker (All in the Family):  Archie Bunker was not a horrible father; he certainly loved his daughter Gloria and wanted nothing but the best for her. He just showed that love in very insulting, bigoted ways. I mean it was hate right from the start when Gloria introduced boyfriend Michael to Archie. And, give Michael credit:  if I was called 'Meathead' all of the time I'd punch Archie right in the face, regardless if he was my girlfriend's father. But, I guess All in the Family wouldn't have lasted so long if Archie was a sweet and lovable man.

Dishonorable Mentions:

Jim (According to Jim):  The man has no last name. How good of a father can he really be?

Tim Taylor (Home Improvement):  Whenever you need the advice of a neighbor to find out how to treat and discipline your children you have some issues. Sure, you can build a go-kart for them that runs on a fusion reactor, but that won't make your kids love you any more, especially when they're in the hospital after the G-forces make their insides look like Jello.

Daniel Webster (Book of Daniel): His one son was gay pretending to be straight, his other adopted son was boinking anything on two legs, his daughter was a drug dealer and he was a pill-popping priest who spoke to Jesus. Eric Camden (7th Heaven) walked into the front yard of his house and declared 'I am the greatest!' when he watched this show about another man of the cloth.

Richard Robert Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show):  Back in the 1960's you were considered hip when you held parties at your house full of liquor and smoking and people getting drunk over each other while your children were snug in their beds. Today, you would probably be considered a neglectful parent.