While OG dads will always be our favorite, just for the sake of fun, let’s take a look at some of the best TV dads as ranked by people on this Reddit thread. Sure, they are scripted, and yes, they are not real. However, their dad qualities shine so hard that some of them can be named the most iconic father figures to have ever existed. So, why don’t we take a look at people’s choices for best dads on TV?
Right, so for starters, we have to give a disclaimer - not all of these iconic characters are actually human. Now, this might make you think that an animated character could be absolutely whatever the creators wish them to be and that it’s an unfair competition. Yet again, the creators have put so much thought into creating these father figures that we cannot help but fall in love with them and look at them as if they were real-life parents to the little rascals in their cartoon worlds. But, since this list is primarily about TV series, you can also be pretty sure that you’ll find actors portraying everyone’s beloved, probably the best dads ever (just don’t tell our own dads that we said this!). So yeah, there’s Uncle Phil, Gomez Addams (now that’s a wholesome father figure!), Captain Ben Sisko, and many more featured on our list, and once you’ve taken a look at all of these submissions, you might want to do a rerun of half of the series mentioned here, just for these awesome dads!
So, ready to meet the best TV dads of all time? If so, you know the drill! One thing, though, these dads are ranked based on their rankings on the Reddit thread that we mentioned earlier, but if you disagree with the positions, give your favorite TV dads a vote!
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Gomez Addams – The Addams Family
frabjous_goat replied:
"In the 1960s series, when it was time to send the children to school, Gomez was reluctant to do it, because he'd miss them running around the house all day. Morticia reasoned with him that the kids needed an education, but he was worried and pacing the whole day. I loved that so much. Usually, moms were (and still are) the only ones presented as having that kind of attachment to their kids. Dads just want to be with their children, too."
My ideal romantic relationship, lol. Not necessarily the gothic stuff, but just how devoted they were to each other. No matter what was going on, they always tried to keep the passion up and were always on each other's sides. No one messed with either one without incurring their wrath.
Arthur Weasley – Harry Potter
Jarl_Torulf replied:
"What is your life's ambition?"
"To find out how airplanes stay up."
Bob Belcher – Bob's Burgers
mahoujosei100 replied:
"He learned all of the Equestranauts lore and then infiltrated a brony convention— in costume— just to get Tina’s pony doll back."
He shaved off his mustache, put it in a bag, and was willing to give it to his nemesis Jimmy Pesto so Tina's crush (Jimmy Jr.) could come to her birthday party.
Terry Jeffords – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
highahindahsky replied:
"He is a dad to Cagney, Lacey and Ava but Holt is a dad to Amy and Jake"
Uncle Phil – The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Club
BlueFlagHonestly replied:
"First things first Rest In Peace Uncle Phil."
Uncle Phil was great---intelligent, loving and gentle, but also strong enough to throw your damn a*s out the front door.
Bandit Heeler – Bluey
Gingerinotrio replied:
"Best Dad. Best Husband. All the way."
Phil Dunphy – Modern Family
plantznpupz420 replied:
"The episode where Haley was asleep in her room and he thought she ran off. SENDS ME INTO TEARS. He reminds me a little of my dad and that episode just sent me lol. Such a great dad."
The one where Haley was dating the old jeans salesman and Phil couldn’t take it
Dan Conner – Roseanne
"He gained so much respect from me when he stood up for Jackie when her boyfriend beat her. Plus, I just really love John Goodman."
Red Foreman – That '70s Show
TheKilmerman replied:
"Absolutely. As hard and tough as he is and as much as he liked to complain about it, he opened his home to the kids and even took them in when they had nowhere to turn to."
Charles Ingalls – Little House On The Prairie
"Hard worker, builder, farmer, survivor. Oh and kind and sweet husband!"
Hank Hill – King Of The Hill
MisterShneeebly replied:
"I love that Hank feels like such a real guy. He doesn’t naturally get Bobby in a lot of ways, but unlike his own father, he accepts Bobby for who he is and works on coming to terms with it rather than trying to change others."
Hank, for all his limitations, was a good person at heart and just wanted to help--even if it annoyed the hell out of him. Definitely good father material.
Homer Simpson – The Simpsons
"I know this is gonna be controversial, but I’ve rewatched the show SO MANY TIMES (it’s my fav of all times) and even though he does so many stupid things, at the end of the day he just wants their kids to be happy and not make the same mistakes his dad made with him.
Also, I THRIVE for the chapter where he’s remembering when Maggie was born, and he was having a harsh time with work. At the end the kids ask where are all of Maggie’s photos and he says that they are where he needs them while showing that he had them at the plant covering a sign that has “do it for her” written on it with the pics."
Rupert Giles – Buffy The Vampire Slayer
nohbdyshero replied:
"Very true except for the episode where he poisoned her to take away her power for a test. But in the end, he told the council to screw right off."
One of my absolute fave characters on the show, I love him. Go RUPERT 😅🤨
Uncle Iroh – Avatar: The Last Airbender Season
FireFighterP55 replied:
"Iroh letting Zuko do basically whatever he wanted before we learned of his scar, really highlighted how much of a saint he was to Zuko's life. Didn't seem like good parenting at first glance, but it showed how hard Iroh was trying to be the father Zuko deserved.
And there's of course him finally putting his foot down in Season 2. That wasn't just him helping guide Zuko, that was him not wanting to lose another son.
'I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! Who are YOU and what do YOU want?'"
Donald Duck – DuckTales
"I know he's the boys' uncle, but he is a great parent. He protects the boys like his own kids and is willing to risk his own safety for them. Even tho he is literally the unluckiest duck out there, he would do anything for Huey, Dewy and Louie."
I'm not super great with Donald Duck lore, but a Tumblr I follow has posted in the past that Donald is the only one who can tell the boys apart at a glance and I really like that little detail
Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz – Phineas And Ferb
"Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. Sure, he's evil, but he loves his daughter. He will spend decades hunting down a rare doll just because she once said that she wanted it. He'll also zap an older guy into another dimension for hitting on her."
Think about all the trauma his parents gave him but he did not continue the cycle with Vanessa. He sometimes babied her too much but he only was trying to give her all the good memories he didn't have.
Eddard Stark – Game Of Thrones
gourmandais replied:
"I'd agree but a good father keeps his head in every situation."
I never really understood why he couldn't trust his wife enough to eventually tell her about John. Even if he was too scared to do so, could he not just say he adopted this child from a friend who died from his battles or something? Anything would have been better than telling your wife... and letting the world believe... you cheated on her when you didn't. Could have helped a lot of issues for both her and John.
Hal – Malcolm In The Middle
iwant_torebuild replied:
"Hal was a very good father in the sense he loved his boys... But NOT a good father in many other ways. I mean he didn't even know he switched Jamie at the park for another baby lol. But he tried his best. However, his marriage is something to be envied."
It's clear that Lois is the one who is really in charge of the household. As she was always the callous and heavy handed parent while Hal was very neurotic and sometimes neglectful parent who often delegated his parental duties to Lois.
Captain Ben Sisko – Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Adventurous-Till2924 replied:
"He's wasn't just Jake's dad. He was a dad to everyone on that station."
He was an excellent father--to his son, to his crew, to everyone in the galaxy. He served and sacrificed his entire adult life and even beyond time itself, when he accepted his place in the Celestial Temple.
Andy Griffith – The Andy Griffith Show
AtheneSchmidt said:
"Opie Tayler would never have turned into such a great kid without his Pa."
LanceFree replied:
"Five or six years ago, Ron Howard’s real dad died, and I was certain he had died years before that. Nope, I was thinking of Andy."
Danny Tanner – Full House
beekee404 replied:
"I feel like he's the normal amount of typical overprotective but still trusting towards his kids. I know people may cringe at the sappy scenes with the background music but I personally really appreciate that kind of wholesomeness."
Bob Saget did a phenomenal job with this role. He was funny, but he genuinely seemed to care for the kids, not just as an actor. He managed to make a young widower single father into someone you could believe was constantly worried for his kids, neurotic about the house being clean, mourning his late wife, and being a genuinely funny guy! We really lost a talented man when he passed 😞
Wyatt Teller – The Big Bang Theory
"I’ve seen you do a lot worse with a lot of stupider"
Penny's last name remains unknown: https://tvline.com/2022/10/11/big-bang-theory-penny-last-name-teller-explained-kaley-cuoco/
Joel Miller – The Last Of Us
The way he protects and cares for Ellie despite the trauma of losing his daughter is beautiful. I can't wait to continue watching them grow closer as Joel finally let's down some of his barriers.
Jay Pritchett – Modern Family
Carl Winslow – Family Matters
colmatrix33 replied:
"Yes. The man is literally in a commercial as the Prototypical TV dad!"
I would say that the reason he was a caring and charismatic police officer on Family Matters is because of his performance in Die Hard. They are his two best known roles, and he seems to play it the same in both.
Steven Keaton – Family Ties
pub000 replied:
"This was the first TV dad that popped into my head when I read the question. Now I need to google where I can watch Family Ties episodes."
Fred Andrews – Riverdale
yesssssssss he literally jumps in front of a serial killer for his sonnnnnnnn
Alan Matthews – Boy Meets World
bohdiandneeka replied:
"Absolutely! What a solid, realistic(ish), role model."
Keith Mars – Veronica Mars
theevilgiraffe replied:
"The best father-daughter relationship on TV. Love them so so much!"
Sandy Cohen – The O.C
inspirationalravioli replied:
"YES!! His eyebrows alone could parent me better than my real dad."
Jack Pearson – This Is Us
Dr. Jason Seaver – Growing Pains
woolalaoc replied:
"I loved his "my kids aren't perfect" approach to parenting. him and dan corner."
Al Bundy – Married With Children
shurdi3 replied:
"That's Al four touchdowns in a single game Bundy to you!"
He was a horrible father---funny, but not a good father by a long shot. The family was awful. That's what the entire premise of the show was.
Jack Geller – Friends
yea he is except when he uses monicas childhood belongings to protect his car
Burt Hummel – Glee
"Overwhelmingly supportive of his son, but not afraid to set him straight if he was in the wrong."
Maes Hughes – Fullmetal Alchemist
Space_Ferroth replied:
"It's a terrible day for rain."
Commander Adama – Battlestar Galactica
"He would have stayed in that system forever to find his son."
Eric Taylor – Friday Night Lights
"Served as a fair-but-firm father figure for like half of the Dillon Panthers and the East Dillon Lions."
I'd add Jack Bristow from Alias, Jed Bartlett from West Wing, The Mandalorian and Noah Bennett From Heroes.
How did Marshall or his dad Martin Erickson from How I met Your Mother not make it to this list?
I'd add Jack Bristow from Alias, Jed Bartlett from West Wing, The Mandalorian and Noah Bennett From Heroes.
How did Marshall or his dad Martin Erickson from How I met Your Mother not make it to this list?
