Best TV Dads

My wife has a huge crush on Alan Matthews (William Russ) and I can't say I blame her. What's not to like really? He holds down a steady job as a supermarket manager whilst still making time for his kids, he is passionate about his wife, and he used to be in the navy. While sometimes quick with his temper, he rarely over-reacts and is generally fair when punishing the children.

He always had words of wisdom for his sons - whether it be advice with girls or school - and a fathers love for his only daughter.

Tim Taylor (Tim Allen) was a man's man. The do-it-yourselfer to the extreme. The car fanatic. Tim "the toolman" Taylor was the hyperbole of the handyman father. Always tweaking things around the house to make them better and refusing help of professionals - with hilarious consequences. Aside from hosting Tool-time, Tim always made time for his family.

While his advice is sometimes a hand-me-down from the fountain of knowledge that is Wilson, Tim always finds a way to help his sons through tough events. Advice with girls (always the cornerstone of a tv dad), sticking up for his kids, or supporting them in the hard-times - Tim may have had some shortcomings, but not as a father.

Winning a Golden Globe for his performance, Tim Allen immortalized the tool man one of the great tv dads.

Ah Dr. Huxtable (Bill Cosby) - who else could raise a house full of women, while still keeping the son in check, like you? Breaking down stereotypes, Cosby created a family everyone could aspire to be like. At the helm of the creation was the father, Heathcliff Huxtable. A man you could picture being your own father for the long, drawn-out stories alone. A loving of jazz, a former track-star, and an adoring husband - Dr. Huxtable was a well-rounded man who never lost site of what was most important; his family.

The Cosby Show was wildly successful, with its roots in education and family values. Winning two golden globes for his role as Dr. Huxtable, Bill Cosby will always be remembered as the dad that every young man could aspire to bed.

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emmalarkins
KimGiancaterino

Cartoon dads deserve a nod and I think Hank Hill (voiced by Mike Judge) is the best. Challenged with the task of raising an only son with a multitude of personality traits, Hank does the best job any man could do in pointing Bobby on the straight and narrow. Dealing with the whacky problems of his drinking buddies, housing a niece in need of family, and avoiding all the mistakes his own father made, Hank was the nice guy who could still lay down the law.

Showing Bobby that honesty and hard-work will pay off, even though Bobby is prone to take shortcuts, Hank was a role model. Although he was quiet and had difficulty expressing to his son that he loved him, he clearly did and such acts as showing interest in his comedy routines and defending him when people made fun of his eccentricities.

Hank could be faulty with having an unhealthy love for propane and his job, but he was a great father and husband - no matter how awkward and unexpressive he was.

What more could a boy ask of a father than a man who provides for his family, defends the unjustly accused, and will put his family before anything else in the world? Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) was the cool dad. The dad who surfed, swooned, loved film, and was devoted to his loving wife.

If the mark of a good father is honesty and openness then Sandy Cohen was one of the best. Never hiding behind closed doors and always telling his son (Seth) and adopted son (Ryan) things as they were. While he butt heads with them from time to time he still managed to impart life lessons and never falter in his role as a dad.

Sure the Cohen family was riddled with problems - from Kirstin's drinking problem to Seth's... well seth's just problems in general - but Sandy was the backbone, the glue the held the family together when things were tough.