Danny Tanner is what you picture when you hear “TV dad.” He’s one of the most dedicated and determined parents from popular fiction, and most likely holds the record for most heart-to-heart talks ever carried out in front of a live studio audience.
Uncle Phil isn’t just a great father to his kids, but to his nephew-in-need as well. Fans of the show know that Phil’s a softy at heart but won’t hesitate to bring the hammer down when his kids are out of line.
This man is the glue that holds his highly dysfunctional family together. He never loses focus on properly raising his son, though, who is incidentally the most well-adjusted character in the whole series.
Game of Thrones fanatics know that the kids from House Stark aren’t anything to scoff at. The respect their name commands, the morality and strength of the children, their honor--all the result of being brought up by Ned Stark.
How far would you go to spend more time with your kids? If you were as good a father as Daniel Hillard, you’d go so far as cross-dressing and assuming a new identity just to get the chance to pick up after your kids.
If you’ve seen any of the Taken films, you know Brian Mills will and has gone through hell to protect child and loved ones. His family is in peril more often than most, so thank goodness they have such a qualified protector to save them and/or exact violent justice.
In what’s basically the fish equivalent of Taken, Marlin shows an unparalleled degree of parental dedication and bravery to save his son after he's fish-napped. He might be a little overprotective for a dad, but that doesn’t seem like such a bad thing once you’ve been yanked from your ocean home and placed in an aquarium.
A good dad always has good stories, and Edward Bloom’s are the best. They might seem like fantasies or lies, but everything he says is, in one way or another, the honest truth.
In this film, the story of a loving and dedicated father is told in the most tear-jerking way possible. But despite all his setbacks and the bleakness of his situation, Chris Gardner never loses sight of what really matters to him: providing for his son.
Atticus is probably one of the most beloved characters ever created. He’s upstanding in every way and personifies the values he teaches to his children. He always knows the right thing to do and is willing to do it, even if it’s thankless and unpopular. That's a parental role model every child deserves to have.
While a lot of people would agree that their fathers are similar to Ray, placing such a character on television gives us a heightened appreciation for their witty personalities and lovable annoyances.
For the working class, Dan Conner represents dads everywhere. However, Dan Conner may be a bit more easygoing than most fathers we know!
I don’t know a single person who would say that having George Lopez as a dad wouldn’t be amazing. He’s hilarious all the time, which makes the sting of being a teenager just a little bit more bearable.
Tim Taylor is the dream dad for any boy who loves getting into mischief! The ups and downs of the teenage years would have been well-soothed by his humor and light-hearted nature.
While wives can relate to the frustration of a husband who is obsessed with sports and video games, children can relate to a strict father. Why is he on our list then? It’s unrealistic to have a father with no faults or rules. What we desire is one who is loving no matter what. Michael Kyle fits that description perfectly.
This hardworking, clever father did his best for his family. We can only wish that every child could be as lucky!
Red Forman is a rough-around-the-edges TV dad. He struggles with saying “I love you” or expressing any emotion, for that matter. However, he will always hold a special place in our hearts for his dry humor and reluctant love.
Mufasa may had died when Simba was young, but that doesn’t take away from the amazing parenting he did before that. He tried to teach his son the value of life and the importance of everyone’s role in it.
