CRITIC'S CUT: The Best (and Absolute Worst) TV Dads

By: Mar. 18, 2013
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BWW TV World is thrilled to present our weekly Critic's Cut: slicing the best (and the worst) moments of pop culture into ten little digestible pieces.

Critic's Cut runs every Monday, presenting television's 'Best Of' moments, characters, shows, and more!

This week's edition presents some of the best - and absolute worst - fatherly figures in TV history. Check it out below!


The Best

5) Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni)
VERONICA MARS
Mars may have made a few mistakes - such as accusing one of his hometown's most infamous tech tycoons of murdering his own daughter - but to try and claim he's not one of the most dedicated and devoted fathers is pure bunk. He trained his daughter, teenage sleuth Veronica, in the ways of the P.I. That's pretty cool.
Photo by: CW Network/Everett/Rex USA

4) Burt Hummel (Mike O'Malley)
GLEE
He may not have been immediately okay with his son Kurt's homosexuality, but throughout GLEE's four seasons, Burt has, arguably, grown more than any other character on Ryan Murphy's musical dramedy. He eventually learned to accept his son for who he was and wasn't, forcing him to move to New York to pursue his dreams, whether or not it was a conventional or 'safe' decision.
Photo by: Fox


3) Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley)
Happy Days
He wasn't just a dad to his own kids, 'Mr. C' acted as a father figure to their friends as well. Devoted to raising his kids in a moral household, he continuously pushed for what was best for them, even if it was difficult or daunting.
Photo by: Everett Collection/Rex USA

2) Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby)
THE COSBY SHOW
The faux-mockery of Cliff's parenting ways is mildly in the vein of Roseanne - aka, one of the other best parents on television ever. Huxtable proved to his kids on a weekly basis that anyone can make it with some hard work, and a little kind condescension.
Photo by: Moviestore Collection/Rex/Rex USA


1) Danny Tanner (Bob Saget)
FULL HOUSE
Aside from running what's basically a boarding house for all of his relatives, Danny Tanner was just fun. He did it all as a single parent: providing his kids with a sound moral basis, even if he did have a little help from Uncle Jesse and Joey.
Photo by: ABC


The Worst

5) Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill)
MARRIED...WITH CHILDREN
Does your dad sit around with his hand down his pants when he's not selling shoes? Aside from his alleged impotence with wife, Peg, just look at his kids, Bud and Kelly. Based off those two alone, it's clear Al was more into doing nothing that instilling the annoyingly painful life lessons that every kid should (probably) have.
Photo by: SNAP/Rex/Rex USA


4) Hank Hill
KING OF THE HILL
His inability to support his son, Bobby, and his interests that aren't completely in line with the stereotypical male gender is aggravating and equally hilarious. His staunch conservative viewpoint made for the perfect way in which to make Bobby, who enjoys gardening and dancing, feel inadequate in basically every way. I'm foreseeing severe identity issues in his animated future.
Photo by: c.20thC.Fox/Everett/Rex USA


3) Peter Griffin
FAMILY GUY
Can we potentially even count the ways in which the patriarch of the Griffin family is one of the worst fathers ever? He attempted to breast feed his infant bent on world domination, ruin the lives of his family on a weekly basis with his asinine and idiotic ways that (admittedly) make for great animated TV, oh, and his daughter is basically nothing more than the butt of a joke to him. Dad of the year, right here.
Photo by: 20thC.Fox/Everett/Rex USA


2) Don Draper (Jon Hamm)
MAD MEN
Well, first of all, is this guy even home? Talk about an absentee father. His multiple affairs and love for his job keep him in New York City more often than not - and it certainly doesn't help that he's a barely-functioning alcoholic who's also just plain mean.
Photo by: AMC


1) Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini)
THE SOPRANOS
Well, if this isn't self-evident, I don't know what to tell you. Aside from the fact that he's a jackass, he also subjected his children to the daily doings of MOBSTERS. Every kid should grow up in a household where bullet wounds and burying dead bodies are the norm, right? Right?
Photo by: HBO/Everett/Rex USA



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