TV Dads…

The only thing better than your own Father is the Fathers we love through TV. This post will be different in a sense that instead of counting down, we will be working our way down the list of famous TV Dad’s I thought were epic in their own right.

1. Red Forman– The symbol of tough parenting, whether it’s telling Eric to do a chore, get job or that’s he’s going to put his foot in-well you know where if you watched That 70’s Show-Red represents the no nonsense, take charge parent who puts his family first even if it doesn’t make him the most popular person in his household. Red also works just hard as his mouth runs to create a good life for Laurie (where’d she go anyway?), Eric, and Kitty, which harkens back to a simpler time where the man provided for his family. Red, although not the most affectionate person, seems to always be willing to make a situation right for his wife Kitty-just stay away from him when he does! Red is Eric’s harshest critic, however, as seen in the episode ‘Eric Gets Suspended’ he threatens Bob who was calling Eric a bad influence on Donna. When watching ‘That 70’s Show’ as a kid, you might think, ‘my God Red! Why do you got to be so tough?’ but as you watch as an adult and you see the stupid things Eric does (whether Red catches him or not) you might say to yourself “I’d put my foot in his-well you know where!-too!”

2.Burt Chance– The father of Jimmy Chance and husband to Virginia Chance on the TV show ‘Raising Hope’.  Burt is the youngest father on the list, being only seventeen when he became a father to Jimmy and thirty-eight when the show started.  He tends to be more immature than the rest of the fathers on the list, but beneath that is a big heart of love and fatherly advice.  For example, on the episode ‘Sheer Madness’ he warns Jimmy about holding in gas, being that you can only squeeze that little muscle so many times and you don’t want to wear it out when your in your twenties.  As noted previously, Burt was only 17 when he had Jimmy, although he and Virginia didn’t have a lot of money and couldn’t always give Jimmy the best things, you can clearly see they raised him with the most important thing a child needs and that’s love.  Burt is the owner of a small landscape company where he employs his son Jimmy and the two work as a father son team, just don’t let him see you peeing in the bushes cause he’ll push you in.  In the episode ‘The Sniffles’, Burt can not afford to provide health insurance for Jimmy and Hope, Jimmy wants to get a part time job to pay for it, but Burt doesn’t want him to.  You later find out Burt was working a second job for his rival landscape company to be able to provide the insurance for Jimmy and Hope, he explains to Jimmy that’s he feels like it should always be his job to provide for him and his granddaughter Hope, not just as his boss, but as his father.  He didn’t even want the insurance for himself, but it was something Jimmy wanted, this just shows how far and how low Burt was willing to go for his son.

3. Homer Simpson– Homer Simpson of ‘The Simpsons’ is an example of parenting to the extreme. Homer represents what every parent might sometimes wish they could do or perhaps even do if the situation could be solved in thirty minutes. Such as buying your daughter a pony, getting many different jobs each day, or just saying “Why you little-” to the jerk of a son. Despite Homer’s many flaws in parenting, he does show genuine care for his children. Such as being truly ashamed when he embarrasses them, showing support for what they want to do, and really tried to be a better Father than his Father, Abe was to him. Another example would be when Maggie was born, Homer never wanted his third child when his wife Marge was pregnant with her because it forced him to go back to work at the soul-crushing Power plant, however, when Maggie was born Homer loved her instantly. When Bart and Lisa ask why there are no pictures of Maggie in the house, Homer simply replies “I keep them where I need cheering up the most” and you see that is at the Power Plant where his work area is full of Maggie’s pictures.

4.Carl Winslow- Carl is the Father of Ed, Laura, Judy (where did Judy go after three seasons?) and the husband to Harriet Winslow on the show ‘Family Matters’. He later even becomes an adoptive Father to 3J as well. Carl, although short tempered, is a very humble and kind person which reflects in his parenting. Carl, out of all the Fathers on this list, seems to be the right balance between firm and lenient. You can always see that he does everything out of love for his family, despite that fact that he often clashes with his son Eddy, due to the latter’s rebellious nature, he is always there to help his son out and be supportive of his decisions. Carl works as a police officer and by the end of the show’s run works his way up to being Captain. He does this by simply being good at his job, working hard, regardless of other’s being promoted before him by being suck-ups, Carl does not want to do that for a higher position, instead wanting to be viewed as the best man for the job. Steve Urkel, the bane of Carl’s existence, constantly annoys him and costs him plenty of money in damages to the family home over the years. Despite this, Carl develops a fondness for Steve as the show progresses and is always there to back him up. Becoming a father-figure to Steve is very endearing for the viewers to watch, especially when Carl goes to parents day at Steve’s college because he knew it would mean a lot to the young man.

5. Dan Conner- Dan Conner portrayed so epically by John Goodman, is the epitome of an easy-going Father on the 90’s classic ‘Roseanne’. Although is not a strict parent by any means, his children (Becky, Darlene and DJ) know that if they make him angry, they’ve really done it! Dan always shows support for everybody in his family, despite not always agreeing with what they do, such as both Becky and Darlene getting married young, he always lends a helping hand regardless if it isn’t up to his standards. What Dan really represents is the true blue collar Father who dealt with real issues during the show and didn’t have a perfect fairy-tale home, job or what most “TV Fathers” had. Dan handled each situation highlighted each week with humility and perseverance unique to his own Fathering ability. What makes Dan different from all the other Fathers is the undeniable chemistry he and Roseanne had on TV, you truly believed and hoped the best in these two lovable characters. Dan’s love is what really makes Roseanne’s character for the simple fact that she, although very abrasive, can be equally as lovable too.

Who were your Top Five TV Dads? Leave a comment below as I love hearing from you!

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

xoxo