Friday Five: 5 Greatest TV Dads of All-Time

Some times we wish they were our dads, other times we are glad they aren't. Regardles, TV dads have played a significant role in many of our lives. Maybe it was the time Uncle Phil embraced Will in "Papa's Got A Brand New Excuse," the 30th time Al Bundy shared his Polk High football glory story, or every Danny Tanner lecture, but some TV dads connect to us on a very special level. 

Check out the 5 Greatest TV Dads below

Phil Dunphy
Modern Family (2009-Present)
Portrayed by Ty Burrell

​A reasonably successful real estate agent, Phil is, in many ways, an overgrown child. His main goal in life is to ensure that his kids and their friends see him as being cool. That's his "thang," as he says, calling his collegiate approach to parenting "peerenting." Phil has a penchant for bad jokes and worse puns, but thinks of himself as hilarious.

Dan Conner
Rosanne (1988-1997)
Portrayed by John Goodman

Dan was a loving, easygoing, funny, witty family man who at the began jobless, but eventually found his niche as a drywall contractor. He put up with Roseanne's antics, reluctantly, but at the end of the day, he was the blue-collar family man that we all really wanted. 

Philip Banks
Fresh Prince (1990-1996)
Portrayed by James Avery

Phillip "Zeke" Banks, also known as Uncle Phil, is a very quick tempered character who was the uncle to Will Smith, and father to Carlton, Hilary, Ashley, and Nicky. He tended to lose his temper due to Will and Carlton's habit of annoying him and Hilary's stupidity and immaturity, but he seemed to love quite literally tossing Will's best friend, Jazz, out of the house. Though, most impressively, he never seemed to realize that his wife became a totally different woman after season 3. 

Red Foreman
That '70s Show (1998-2006)
Portrayed by Kurtwood Smith​

Reginald Albert 'Red' Foreman is an extremely conservative Navy War Veteran, who can also be a strict disciplinarian when necessary, especially to his "dumbass son," Eric, who he often threatens to "put a boot up [his] ass."  Although he was father to only Eric and the estranged Laurie, he truly was a peaternal figure to Kelso, Hyde, Donna, and Fez. 

Randy Marsh
South Park (1997-Present)
Voiced by Trey Parker

Randy is a 45-year-old geologist, making his first appearance in the series while monitoring a seismometer in the episode "Volcano." Aside from briefly taking a job as an associate at a Wal-Mart-like discount store, and the proprietor of South Park's bankrupt branch of Blockbuster Video, Randy was employed as mall security during the Black Friday weekend to earn extra money for Christmas, however it was revealed that he planned the job as a cover to infiltrate the mall before the stampede of shoppers. He was promoted to 'Commander Marsh' as the former lead security promoted him after he was stabbed by a shopper. Randy has been portrayed as having this profession for the entire duration of the series. He also serves on the city council, specializing in the town's parks and public grounds. He was briefly fired from his geologist job near the end of the 12th season, and quit briefly during the end of the 14th season, but has since been-rehired both times. Randy has black hair, a mustache, and a cleft chin. He carries a few pens in one of the two front pockets on his light blue, collared, button-up shirt, and wears dark gray pants. Randy dropped out of high school, and was a member of a boyband in his teens, but he has mentioned that he attended college, and has been indicated to hold a doctorate. A recurring character trait of Randy's is his being prone to overreacting and obsessively seizing upon irrational ideas and fads, whether by himself or as part of a large contingent of the town's adult population. Oh, and his secret identity is the teen-pop sensation, Lorde.