With Father’s Day upon us, scores of us put-upon parental types demand to know: Where have all of TV’s good dads gone? And no, we don’t mean the fine, quietly strong, upstanding citizens like Ward Cleaver and Mike Brady. Those vintage sitcom archetypes vanished from the prime-time landscape long ago, and it’s probably for the best. They were almost too steadfastly wise and perfect; all we flaw-riddled dads could ever do is curl up in a fetal position and cry “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!”
But is there no middle ground? Over the years, the pendulum has swung too far the other direction, and somewhere along the way, Cliff Huxtable was replaced by Al Bundy. Now, the typical sitcom dad is a doughy, good-natured but dimwitted goofball like Homer Simpson. In terms of entertainment value, these guys have it all over their stoic predecessors. They’re the butts of jokes. They get the laughs.
And I suppose they serve some value in that they make our real-life screw-ups seem much more tame in comparison. But as shining beacons of fatherhood, they fall woefully short.
And don’t expect an influx of commendable sitcom dads any time soon, mostly because the networks have practically abandoned sitcoms.
So what about dramas? Well, we’re not getting many positive images there, either. Ever since mob dad Tony Soprano came on the scene, television has been infatuated with antiheroes. Thus, we’ve been delivered dads along the lines of Vic Mackey (“The Shield”) and Tommy Gavin (“Rescue Me”). The first is a crooked cop, the latter a boozing, cheating firefighter.
Believe it or not, there are some exemplary dads on the tube these days — if you search in the right places. The short list would have to include Julius of “Everybody Hates Chris,” the strict penny-pincher who has taken on multiple jobs at times to support his family; “Ugly Betty’s” Ignacio Suarez, who came to America to give his daughters a better life; and perhaps even Noah Bennet of “Heroes,” who is willing to do absolutely anything to protect his daughter, Claire.
But my TV Father of the Year Award would have to go to Coach Eric Taylor of “Friday Night Lights,” who continually exudes a winning combination of strength, compassion, a solid work ethic and moralistic fiber.
It’s not that Coach Taylor never messes up. But his toughness is offset with an admirable brand of tenderness. Coach Taylor also serves as a father figure to his players, offering up valuable life lessons on a daily basis, teaching his guys the value of teamwork, discipline and commitment.
Apparently, some TV fathers still know best.
