With Father's Day almost here, its time to pay tribute to the men who really raised most Americans: TV Dads.
No matter the generation you grew up in (assuming of course its not the godforsaken current generation growing up without any TV dads just a whole bunch of dad influencers), TV dads were important sources of guidance.
Sure, you knew it was just a TV show but that didn't stop you from heeding their important life lessons or latching on to their pearls of wisdom or even taking note of what disappointed them.
I'm lucky to have an incredible dad but there were plenty of moments growing up watching TV where I wished part of TV Dad land was real life.
So without further ado, here are best TV Dads of All Time for this week's Top 5 Thursday:
Top 5 TV Dads
5. Mr. Arnold
- The dad from Wonder Years was the closest thing to a real dad I've ever seen on TV. Perpetually grumpy, barely approachable, full of consternation but occasionally warm hearted and gregarious. Don't piss off Mr. Arnold though, the man has little time for shenanigans, just let him read his paper and eat his dinner in peace.
4. Ned Stark
- Sure, Ned Stark may have only lasted a brief period on Game of Thrones but his dad skills were obvious to everyone. From lovingly raising a bastard to taking in Theon to handing out puppies like candy, Ned knew how to dad. Plus, he was a #girldad, empowering his daughters to choose their own path whether that was eventual royalty or stone cold assassin.
3. Andy Taylor
- For a long time, Andy Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show was the mold for all dads. Patient, kind, empathetic but also willing to instill the right values and toughness into little Opie. As time has passed, he has slipped on this list because in 2021, there must be some skeletons in old Sheriff's closet. Mayberry has to know some dirty Taylor family laundry, someone get Otis the Town Drunk on an IG Live stat.
2. Uncle Phil
- His tough but fair approach to raising Will, Carlton, Ashley and Hilary remains a classic example of paternal leadership. From two wildly different boys to two polar opposite daughers, Uncle Phil may as well have been short for Uncle Phil Jackson. And on top of that he had to stay on top of the butler to boot.
1. Tim "The Toolman" Taylor
- Now that I'm a dad, I know there are two fundamentally important goals for living your best dad life. 1) Nailing the moments to instill the right values/lessons into your kids. Its a part you wait your whole life to play and once the action is live, you have to nail the right time to lecture. 2) You want to be the dad other kids want to play with. Whether thats a rousing game of tag, or pitching BP or doing the funniest voices possible while playing dolls, you have to be prepared to play at all times. The Toolman checks both of those boxes. Thank you for your guidance, Tim.