Top 7 TV Dads

I hope you enjoyed my piece on TV Moms because now it's TV Dads' turn to take the spotlight! Along with the iconic TV mothers we all know and love, more than likely they have a male counterpart (unless they're single mothers). As much as mothers shape our lives, fathers are just as important. Fathers are there to love, protect and teach the children the way in terms of what they want for them. For us daughters, our fathers are our first love because they are literally the first man to ever love us. And for sons fathers are their role models, their first teacher in everything.

Now I want to make this note: I will not be putting Bill Cosby up here. I know he was America's favorite dad for seven years and some more after that but because of the allegations against him involving rape and sexual assault he will not be included in this list.

No #1: Dan Conner

Dan Conner is probably one of the most beloved TV dads out there. Married to Roseanne Conner, he is the father to Becky, Darlene, DJ and Jerry. He works as a drywall contractor and then later on in the show moves on to work for the city. He is the kind of father that is fun-loving, laid back and basically an all-around chill dad until something happens to/with the kids, then he turns into protective Papa Bear, especially over the girls which is well expected. He loves sports, loves his beer and seems to favor Darlene because she likes sports the most. He also likes to hang out with his buddies from work when he can. He also likes to work with his hands, which explains why he spends so much time in the garage when he’s home. Dan is the type of man who believes that he should provide the most income for his family. When his other attempts to bring in income fail, he takes it to heart and feels like a failure as a man. Dan Conner has one of the biggest hearts I know, always willing to help out when possible and cares for his family.

No #2: Carl Winslow

Carl Winslow is the father of Eddie, Laura and for the first four seasons, Judy. Carl and his family live in Chicago. Carl is a police officer in Chicago while Harriet works various jobs throughout the series. Carl is a loving father to all of his kids but he seems to butt heads the most with Eddie. One of Carl’s biggest love is food, which is a theme within the series especially when gets put on diets and he tries to cheat. One of Carl’s trademarks is that he seems to like to yell and sometimes for no reason. He has quite a temper on him and so sometimes family members try to hide things from him so he won’t yell. Carl also gets annoyed by Steve Urkel, the nerdy neighbor boy that is obsessed with Laura but soon he lets Steve move in after his parents pretty much abandoned him. Carl has a big heart and always puts his family first no matter what.

No #3: Red Forman

In the words of Red Forman, "Your ass just became available and my foot is looking for a room." It’s what he is known for among other things. Red Forman is Kitty’s husband and the father to Laurie and Eric. Red tends to favor Laurie over Eric, mostly because Eric would rather watch Star Wars than learn how to catch a football. Red tends to overlook Laurie’s flaws, one of them being promiscuity. He refuses to see Laurie as an adult, which makes it easy for Laurie to manipulate him to get whatever she wants. Red seems to be harsher on Eric than Laurie, which could explain Kitty’s coddling of him. Red is disappointed in the fact that Eric is not very good at sports and that he prefers to play with his G.I. Joes rather than do more masculine stuff like football, cars, etc. It also upsets Red that Eric isn’t really amounting to much of anything which hurts his pride both as a man and as a father. Red, like all fathers, only wants what’s best for Eric and hates the fact that Eric is being coddled unlike him who was drafted at 18. The way he expresses love, Eric takes it as contempt. Red is the perfect example of an old fashioned man who is set in his ways and believes in the "kick in the ass" parenting technique. He expresses his love by giving tough love, which is the belief of most old-fashioned gentlemen. So if you’re someone that is sensitive, Red Forman isn’t the dad for you.

No #4: Danny Tanner

Of course we can't forget our OCD, clean freak dad from San Francisco. Father to three girls DJ (Donna Jo), Stephanie and Michelle. He became a single father when his wife Pamela was killed by a drunk driver. His wife's brother Jesse moved in to help raise the girls and so did his friend Joey. Danny is a loving father who tries his hardest to be both mom and dad to the girls. Danny is also very big on cleanliness, always cleaning when he gets the chance. He always tries to promote peace between his daughters, especially DJ and Stephanie since they share a room. He is also a working father so he depends on Jesse and Joey to take care of the house and so sometimes they know more stuff about the girls than he does, but he does try to be around. He also annoys the family with his obsession with cleanliness, especially Jesse. He is a loving father whose daughters are his world and are willing to do anything for them.

No #5: Jesse Katsopolis

Have mercy! We all know Uncle Jesse at the beginning of the series to be kind of be a wild child. An aspiring musician, Jesse moved into the house to help Danny raise his nieces DJ, Stephanie and Michelle. Eventually he meets Rebecca Donaldson and he finally settles down and kind of retires his wild child persona. Eventually she gets pregnant and gives birth to twin boys Nicky and Alex, therefore turning our favorite uncle into a father. He is a playful and loving father. Further down the series he becomes more committed to his family than his music, working as a radio host and becoming an owner of a club to support his family. Uncle Jesse, although well meaning, can sometimes take bad situations and make them worse due to his lack of parenting skills despite having helped raise his three nieces. But he is a loving and devoting father not only to his sons but his nieces as well. Have mercy, can he be my uncle please?

No #6: Uncle Phil

Now here is one of the most iconic dads ever to grace the TV screen. Phillip Banks is a senior partner in a law firm who lives in an affluent neighborhood in Bel-Air. He is father to Carlton, Hilary, Ashley and Nicky. For most of his life, Phil was involved in the civil rights movements, earning him an honor with the NAACP. He is happy with his job as an attorney. One of the running jokes in the show was his pot belly and the fact that he loves to eat. Now once it comes to his children, Phil didn't joke around. He is protective of them, especially Ashley and has it made it his top priority that they all make something of themselves. As a disciplinarian, Phil can sometimes go overboard. His punishments can seem cruel and unusual, but his anger is justified. And despite the fact that his nephew Will is only related to him by marriage, he does genuinely love and care for Will as a son and becomes a father figure to him as the series progressed.

No #7: Al Bundy

Nothing says Al Bundy like coming home on the couch, unbuckling your pants and shoving your hand down there. Yes, that is Al Bundy. Married to Peggy Bundy, he is the father of Kelly and Bud. One of the running gags of the show is that Al used to be a star football player but because of an injury his football career ended and now he's a shoe salesman that constantly deals with pushy heavyset women which is one of the main topics of his jokes aside from picking on his neighbor Marcy Rhodes and his own wife. Despite the fact that his wife and children use him as an ATM and often makes snide comments about them, he truly does love and care for his family. He always puts the kids first and tries to take an interest in their lives but his poor quality of life gets into the way of that. He's the kind of father where if you're looking for attention, he's not gonna give it to you, so if you like attention, Al Bundy ain't the daddy for you.