Father knows best — on television, at least, where there are fabulous dads galore, appearing in dramas, sitcoms and even teen murder mysteries. (F.P. Jones, that last one’s for you and your constantly-inperil kids Riverdale.)
The wise and loving dad has been a programming staple since the inception of TV, especially in classic comedies, like It’s okay to leave it to Beaver(1957-1963) Andy Griffith Show(1960-1968).
Andy Griffith played the role of Andy Taylor, father to Opie, in the latter.Ron Howard) and sheriff of the small town of Mayberry, North Carolina. Howard was just six years old when Opie was landed. Griffith knew this fact while working with Griffith.
“He treated me really well, but he made it a learning experience, not in a stern, taskmaster kind of a way, but I was really allowed a real insight into creativity and how things work and why some scenes were funny and others weren’t,” the Apollo 13Director stated in 2010. “That insight has served me really well over the years. Andy was really kind to me, always playful and fun, but, by the same token, he wanted to get the work done.”
No discussion of TV dads is complete without the ’90s, however, which gave the world beloved characters like Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson) from Family MattersFrank Costanza (Jerry Stiller), and Frank Costanza Seinfeld.
“My years on Family Matters were precious to me,” VelJohnson told The Hollywood Reporter2015 “During the run of the show, I saw many births, deaths, weddings. … The actual family on the show became my family. We still talk to each other to this day.”
Stiller, another giant of the TV dad kingdom, at first passed on the role of George’s father, claiming that he had never heard of SeinfeldThe show was already a huge success when he joined it. After he was offered the role, however, his portrayal as Frank became a hit with fans.
“We never gave Jerry Stiller a note,” Jerry Seinfeld said during a 2020 appearance on the “What a Joke With Papa and Fortune” radio show. “I never adjusted his performance once. Whatever he did, that’s it. We’re putting that out there. I don’t know why he did it like that. I don’t know why he screamed on that line. It doesn’t matter. It’s funny. So funny.”
Keep scrolling to see a list of some of the greatest fathers in TV History:
