My favorite Television Fathers

 

 

#10 - Don Wrigley - "The Adventures of Pete and Pete"

As a former TV-aholic, one of the many shows I watched religiously as a kid was "The Adventures of Pete and Pete".   My favorite character on the show without a doubt was Pete and Pete's Dad.   He was fascinated by the smallest things and often overly excited about things that the rest of us find mundane and boring.   He often made mistakes, but he meant well.  He always had good intentions.  

 

#9 - Carl Winslow - "Family Matters"

 

"Family Matters" was a long running, successful show and many of the episodes centered around Carl's relationships with his own children Eddie and Laura (Judy mysteriously left the show) and with the annoying next door neighbor Steve Urkel.  During the time "Family Matters" ran on primetime it often competed with television shows like "Full House" which was completely unrealistic, painting a picture perfect scenario of life.  I suppose by today's standards,  "Family Matters" is still pretty tame and unrealistic itself, but back in the late 80's and early 90's before the show got too ridiculous, it dealt with some very real and very tough issues.   We got to see how Carl reacted to Laura cheating on a test,  Eddie getting drunk,  Eddie wanting to skip college to be a basketball superstar, Eddie being offered drugs, a school shooting, Eddie moving out of the house, Eddie dealing with racial profiling and an assortment of the many problems Steve Urkel had.  I loved the relationship that Carl had with Steve.   He always put on the image that he couldn't stand Steve and wished that he wouldn't come over, but on the same hand,  you knew that he cared for Steve as if Steve were his own son.  

 

#8 - Fred Sanford- "Sanford and Son"

 

How can you not love Fred Sanford?  His relationship with Lamont was rather unique as it was often the son that was the teacher and the father that was the learner in many of the episodes.  You always got the impression that it was Fred that needed Lamont more than it was Lamont that needed Fred.  That's one of the things I suppose I appreciated most about the show.  It illustrated how parent's need their children as much as children need their parents.

 

 

#7 - Cliff Huxtable- "The Cosby Show"

 It was relaxed, laid back, with the kind of problems that were often easily solved.  I think it's the type of life that most men, when they fantasize about being married with kids, picture.  I think the people in life who want to be Dads often picture life with their children much like it was for Cliff Huxtable and his kids.  They dealt with problems and issues, but there was always solutions that never seemed too far away.   It was an interesting juxtaposition of realism and fantasy mixed together in one.  I feel that the problems that they addressed on the show were often realistic, but solutions seemed more than bit stretched.  I think he's the kind of father that many men would like to be, but often can't because of extenuating circumstances.

#6- Tim Taylor - "Home Improvement"

Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor never had a clue what to do, but you always knew that even if he wasn't sure how to solve a problem, he was going to do his best to solve it anyway.    He wasn't a intellectual man with the know how of how to deal with every problem that entered his kid's lives, but he was a very involved and caring father who made up for a lack of knowledge with a passion, heart and commitment for his kids.  

#5 - Homer Simpson - "The Simpsons"

 

Homer Simpson has to be one of the dumbest, idiotic and careless characters to have ever been on television.  Yet, in spite of his many flaws, you'll find few as loyal, committed and loving towards his family.  He messes up constantly and mistakes are made every second, but he'll do anything for Bart, Lisa and Maggie.   I think he is a character that would otherwise be unlikable or good for laughs at best, but because of his redeeming quality to honestly and truthfully love his family, we can't help but admire him a bit too.  

 

 

 

#4- Andy Taylor-"The Andy Griffith Show"

I have a special connection with Andy Taylor from the "Andy Griffith" show because I often saw a bit of Andy in the way my Dad fathered me.  I think you can learn a lot from television and that's why I wish that we had better programming on today.  The show wasn't spoon fed or pretentious or condescending or patronizing in any way.  It simply showed different scenarios between a father and son and different ways in which it was handled.   Andy was human,  he didn't always do the right thing.  He made mistakes sometimes and really I think that's why the show resonates so well with such a large demographic of people.   It's not just loved by the people who grew up on it.  It's loved by people that were born 20, 30 even 40 years after the last episode ended.   Times have changed, people have changed, but there is still a lot a person can pick up from watching the show, especially the interactions between Andy and his son Opie. 

 

 

#3- Jack Arnold - "The Wonder Years"

 

Jack Arnold is  a very symbolic representation of what many of us never had the intention of ending up like, but did anyway because of the circumstances life dealt us.   When I think of myself as ever having kids, I picture myself becoming Jack Arnold.    A man hardened by life, who in spite of his greatest efforts, can never get ahead.   He seemed like he was often grumpy and in a bad mood, much like I remember my father being when I was little.   Yet, as the show progressed and Kevin, Wayne and Karen got older, they began to understand how and why there father was the way he was.   It's a shame that Dan Lauria never really did a whole heck of a lot after being Jack Arnold.  He played the role so well, that it is how you pictured him to actually be.  In reality he's the type of guy that smiles and jokes around quite often.  Yet he was able to play the part of the often bitter and depressed Jack Arnold extremely well.   Jack was a man that loved his family and wanted the best for his children, but often felt that he had came short on providing them the life that he thought they deserved.   He wanted more out of life for his family than life was willing to ever give him.   He was extremely hard on himself, but yet often easier on his kids.   The episode where Kevin gets a C on his test, and Jack's proud of him for doing his best in particularly sticks out in my head. 

#2- Dan Connor - "Roseanne"

 

I don't know if there ever has been or there ever will be again a more realistic television Dad than Dan Connor.   Granted yes, the last 2 years of the show were bizarre but the rest of the series was very realistic.   He's just a simple man, trying to do the best he could for his family.   Not every problem had a solution.  Sometimes he didn't know what to do and he just threw his hands up in the air and screamed.   That's reality, that's  life.  Life doesn't come with instructions and the difficulty is often set on expert whether we're ready for it or not.   The character of Dan Connor is who a majority of us either are or would be if we became Dad's.   Moments where we feel like a God, as we have solved our kid's problem or moments when we feel like a complete failure.   Television for years often painted a very unrealistic picture of what life ought to be as a father.  When "Roseanne" came on the air, it instead reflected what life actually was and it came in the form of Dan Connor.

 

 

 

#1 - Philip Banks - "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air"

 The balance of being loving and nurturing, yet affirmative and disciplinary is not an easy one to find.   That's why "Uncle Phil" is and always will be my favorite television father.  He wouldn't let Will or his children get away with anything.  He held them accountable for their actions, yet he also taught them to stick up for themselves as well.  A lot of people are rather praiseful of Will Smith and the character he created on the show, but I think that James Avery really stole the show with his performance as Philip Banks.