--- description: From Walter White to Archie Bunker, a history of TV fatherhood. title: The Best (and Worst) TV Dads image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc21b9a0feda42a4f/698697963bc999c9381a4154/cosby-show.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Best (and Worst) TV Dads by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 14, 2014 12:00 PM CUT  THE COSBY SHOW -- SEASON 6 -- Pictured: Bill Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff 'Cliff' Huxtable -- Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank THE COSBY SHOW -- SEASON 6 -- Pictured: Bill Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff 'Cliff' Huxtable -- Photo by: NBCU Photo BankNBC&mdashGetty Images by [TIME Video](/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 14, 2014 12:00 PM CUT Father’s Day is just about here, so here’s TIME’s roundup of the best (and some of the worst) fathers that have graced the small screen. From Bill Cosby to Archie Bunker, all classic dad traits are on display — from unquestionable authority, to care and compassion and all the other characteristics that make a good father. So, as you think of your old man this Father’s Day, whether he’s more Peter Griffin, or Homer Simpson, or even Al Bundy, he’s the man who raised you. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2873224/best-tv-dads/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2873224/best-tv-dads/"},"headline":"The Best (and Worst) TV Dads","datePublished":"2014-06-14T12:00:37.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:24:55.880Z","description":"Some are great role models, some not so much.","url":"https://time.com/2873224/best-tv-dads/","keywords":["Television","Pop Culture"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc21b9a0feda42a4f/698697963bc999c9381a4154/cosby-show.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Video","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-video/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc21b9a0feda42a4f/698697963bc999c9381a4154/cosby-show.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Cosby Show","caption":"The Cosby Show","creditText":"NBC&mdashGetty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2873224/best-tv-dads/","name":"The Best (and Worst) TV Dads"}}]}] ```