Who hasn't watched some of their favorite TV shows and wished they could trade places with the characters on the screen.
Wishing we had their apartments, their jobs, their partners, or even their family.
While there is certainly a long line of fictional, television fathers who likely wouldn't win any awards for their parenting styles (Peter Griffin, Archie Bunker, Al Bundy to name a few), some TV dads could teach a lesson in parenting.
Making many of us wish that the Dad we saw on screen was our dad in real life.
Redditor Sweet-Giraffe-8084 was eager to hear who people believed to be the all time greatest TV fathers, leading them to ask:
"Which television dad is actually the best at parenting?"
"Snap Snap"
"Gomez Adams."
"Nothing but love and support for his whole family."- Maxhousen
Favorite Dad AND Uncle
"Uncle Phil."- Ambitious-Leave-3572
"CUT THE CRAP ALRIGHT CUT IT... cus I've been there. But I didn't run out on my family. I was there every day for them.. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT A MAN DOES'."
"The man had power."
"True awesome power."
"RIP James Avery."- mmaster23
"Da Dad Da Da Da DAH DAH..."
"Bandit from Bluey- hands down."- puzzle_duty
"My favorite part about Bandit and Chili is they don’t portray them as perfect parenting robots."
"They show them getting frustrated, and making mistakes, but always managing to right the ship in the end."
"That’s what makes good parents."
"Not being infallible or always being the one that’s right or wins the argument."
"It’s realizing when you’ve made mistakes too and being willing to work through it with your kids and not treating them like subordinates."- McChillbone
Fathers Day Hug GIF by Bluey Giphy
A Job "Well Done"... Pun Intended
"Bob from Bobs Burgers."
"He’s an imperfect dad but he wholeheartedly loves and supports his family and eventually admits when he’s wrong and can say sorry."- OpheliasDrowning
Boldly Going Where No Father Has Gone Before
"Benjamin Sisko."- createddreams
"A great dad to Jake amidst all the craziness and danger the Trek universe throws at him."- Quirky_Spinach_6308
"Capt. Sisko on DS9 is a great dad."
"He listens to his son, encourages him, and very loving."
"One thing I really like is he is physically affectionate, he hugs and kisses his son, says I love you."
"You never saw that in tv in the 90s, hell it's still uncommon today."- SpaceChicken2025
Star Trek Yes GIF by Star Trek Fleet Command Giphy
He Can Always See The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
"Uncle Iroh."
"Loving, wise, kind, and empathetic."
"Also a ride-or-die who is willing to put himself in harms way to protect his loved ones."- charging_chinchilla
Eddie Would Agree
"Martin Crane."
"Still taking care of his kids at 60+."- frigzy74
Boy Meets World... And One Hell Of A Dad
"Alan Matthews from 'Boy meets World."- caveman7392
"Threatening to kill the cult leader to protect Sean, even though Sean Hunter isn’t his kid?"
"That’s a dad."- IronBoomer
Will Friedel Boy Meets World GIF Giphy
If He Had A Nickel...
" Heinz Doofenshmirtz."- Jinjinz
"He always made sure that his child would never have the kind of childhood that he did."- Ill_Tumblr_4_Ya
He Should Have Had His Own Show... (Too Soon?)
"Dan Connors in the original 'Roseanne'."- brickiex2
"John Goodman is such a better actor than people give him credit for."
"That scene where he grabs his coat and walks out the back door - he didn’t say a single word, he didn’t make a single threatening face, but we ALL knew exactly what he was going to do."- Nwcray
The Rainbow Connection
"He’s not a biological father, but 'Kermit The Frog'."
"He’s the de facto parent to a rag-tag bunch of bohemians - and he does it with completely positive masculinity and care."
"He’s in many ways the ideal man - kind, responsible and reliable."- yearsofpractice
No Idea Idk GIF by Muppet Wiki Giphy
The Man Everyone Wanted To Be Their Dad On AND Off Screen
"Captain Dad aka Captain Holt."- Pinkpenguinxo2612
“'I’m teaching father the math'.”- Funandgeeky
He Said He Was Never Cool... But How Wrong He Was
"Keith Mars."
"In his own way, he is extremely passionate about being a father and sometimes maybe benevolent neglect and trust is the best parenting for a kid with Veronica’s confidence?"- moonrisequeendom_
Before He Was "Breaking Bad"...
"Hal - Malcolm in the Middle."
"Knows when to step in, knows when to keep things from Louis, firm but fair."- toon_84
Malcolm In The Middle Hal GIF Giphy
The beauty and frustration in any work of fiction is for us to briefly live in a life that seems so much better than our own.
Which is why it's important to remind ourselves that these shows are FICTICIOUS.
Even if there is certainly something to be learned for anyone who hasn't had the good luck to become a parent yet from all these men.
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