My Top 5 Fathers
My Top 5 Fathers in Television
The last blog identified some of the negative depictions of fathers in visual media. Contrasting the negative with positive, I will mention some of the positive fathers in TV and Cinema. Growing up not seeing many positive fathers in media, I needed to do some research. I will eventually go back and watch shows and movies I never had the chance to watch. Some shows were before my time or never available on basic television programming like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or Breaking Bad. I vow to finish both shows in their entirety because they are both great shows with respectable father figures. We all know Uncle Phill and how he accepted his nephew, Will Smith, and all of the baggage he brings into his home with tough fatherly love. Walter White, on the other hand, a dad who finds out he has cancer and decides to use his gifts as a chemist to make extra money for his family by any means necessary.
5. Walter White - Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is an American Crime Drama that puts a father in all kinds of uncomfortable situations to support his family after his inevitable passing from terminal lung cancer. Walter White a former high school chemistry teacher, makes a dramatic career change. Walter dives headfirst into the drug world as a methamphetamine dealer. As the show progresses you see Walter becomes more ruthless from the pressure and the risk of his criminal side job. Taking on the name Heisenberg to mask his identity from his family life and the DEA. The reasoning behind Walter’s motive is noble but takes a toll on the relationship with his family. Landing Walter at the 5th spot, but he is an unforgettable father in one of the best shows to ever air.
4. Bob’s Burgers
Bob’s Burgers is an American animated sitcom that aired in 2011. Immediately you notice Bob’s tolerance to his outrageous family and each of their unique quirks. As a father of three, Bob does a good job providing for his family’s needs running his burger restaurant. At the same time, he balances time for each child and their problems as adolescents, the radical nature of his youngest daughter, and still maintaining a healthy relationship with his wife. Bob has a lot to juggle as a dad and that is what makes him a respectable father.
3. Carl Winslow
Carl is a dedicated police officer, who has to handle the streets as well as his family and then some. Carl is well known for raising his temper during his family and especially his neighbor, Urkel’s shenanigans. If only he could stay calm he would have made it higher in this list, but he does a good job attending to everyone’s needs even if they are not his wife or children.
2. Christopher Julius Rock
Julius, a father who can put a price tag on anything. Is a responsible and hard-working dad, who is known for working two jobs to keep his family afloat. It is hard to raise a family, especially in Brooklyn where there are many opportunities for things to go wrong. Julius does what is best for his kids with the help of his wife, Rochelle who gets him to spend the money when he attempts to be cheap. Allowing their eldest son, Chris to get the best education possible. Julius has his weaknesses (being cheap) but he always cooperates with his family to give the best even if he needs a little push.
1. Jack Pearson
This is Us is a new television series that aired in 2016, but it is new to my family. I was surprised by the love surrounding the show, especially by the father Jack. Jack is a father of three, triplets but one was stillborn, but the Pearson family still feels like they are meant to have three children. So they adopt an African American son who was abandoned at a fire station and brought to the hospital the day before. It can be hard to love a child that is not yours equally to your birth children and Jack cared for his adopted son as if he was his own. What makes Jack such a great dad is the way he appears when his children need him, even through flashbacks and hallucinations.
I hope you liked my top 5 favorite dad in television. Who are yours?