The best TV parents of all time

Claire and Phil complement each other so beautifully. Claire is organized and responsible, while Phil is a dad joke personified. They make a great team, and Haley, Alex, and Luke are lucky to have such caring parents. They’re the perfect balance of cool and embarrassing. 

Every group of teenage friends also comes with a set of parents who act as the parents to the entire group, not just their own kids. And no TV parents better exemplify that dynamic than Kitty and Red. They were those important parents who cared and understood while reminding everyone of the difference between right and wrong. They were also hilarious. 

Lorelai Gilmore is the ultimate cool mom but in the very best way. Too often, cool moms cross over into friend territory and stay there, but Lorelai knew when to return to mom territory, and she never backed down. She cared about the type of person Rory turned out to be, and she was always there for her daughter when she needed her. 

Parents who take in another kid are worth celebrating. Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv were automatically a step above the rest for taking in Will, but their clear love for each other and all their children made them impossible not to love. 

Danny Tanner wasn’t just the dad to three girls. He was America’s dad. He recognized he needed help raising his kids after the death of his wife, but he never stepped back to let everyone else parent his girls. Danny Tanner was the best. He even cared about Kimmy, no matter how much she irritated him. 

A common trope among television series, Sandy Cohen also housed kids who didn’t belong to him. When Ryan needed a place to stay, he offered one. He was the moral compass of The O.C., and he was a father to everyone, not just Seth and Ryan. 

Yes, Johnny and Moira are absolutely ridiculous, particularly Moira, but when push comes to shove, they don’t abandon their family. They realize it’s never too late to become a family again, and by the end of Schitt’s Creek, they’re as close with their kids as can be. 

One of the most emotional television shows of all time, This Is Us beautifully portrays the complicated dynamics between family members. It shows that even if your relationship with your parent as an adult isn’t perfect, you can still reflect on your childhood and appreciate your parents for providing a safe, stable, loving home, just like Jack and Rebecca did. 

Most adults on Glee are problematic in one way or another, but Burt Hummel is the least of all of them. He’s a kind, loving, accepting father who does his best to connect with his son despite significant differences in their personalities and interests. 

Amy and Alan Matthews were comfort parents in the ‘90s. If you turned on Boy Meets World, you knew you could count on those two to provide support for their children and offer a life lesson or two. We may not have realized it at the time, but Amy and Alan were as important of characters in Boy Meets World as any of the kids. 

The Brady Bunch was one of the first examples of a blended family on television, and the show made no bones about it. It was in the theme song, for goodness sake. There were certainly bumps along the way, but Mike and Carol blended their family into a loving, supportive group.  

George Lopez was a caring, down-to-earth dad who always brought levity to parenting. He guided his kids and kept them from being too dramatic. He’s also responsible for getting millennial children everywhere asleep. Everyone woke up at least once to his theme song playing in the middle of the night. 

Everyone else in his family was kooky as all get out, but Michael Bluth managed to be a rational, supportive father amidst the death of his wife, the incarceration of his father, and the crumbling of his family business. Sure, George Michael was a little odd and had a thing for his cousin, but he still had a good dad. 

Freaks and Geeks ended criminally early. We deserved to know more about all the characters, including Harold and Jean. These two were an average couple, but they were a shining example of parents who actually wanted to spend time with their children. And they sat down for family dinner every night, even inviting their children’s bully to the table. Great Parents Award winners. 

Completely separate Bill Cosby from Cliff Huxtable for a moment. Cliff and Clair were great TV parents. They were funny and sweet, and though some of their parenting methods were a bit unconventional, they raised good kids. Growing up in their household would’ve been all sorts of entertaining. 

Carl and Harriette Winslow were another classic TV father and mother who kept their house in order and their kids in line, an impressive feat considering their door was always open. They deserved special recognition for putting up with Steve Urkel’s constant presence, although they could’ve prevented it by simply locking their house. 

Lisa and Ray don’t get enough recognition for their efforts. These two were willing to sacrifice anything for their daughters’ happiness. And although their parenting styles were totally different, they respected each other and took on the responsibility of caring for another child. 

Yes, Gomez and Morticia earned every appellation given to them in their theme song, but they were still good parents. They embraced their children’s unique qualities and always encouraged them to pursue what made them happy, even if it was a bit deranged. 

We don’t see Terry interact with his kids much on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but he talks about his girls so often it’s clear how much he cares. He also proves how good of a father he is by parenting the entire squad and always ensuring they’re safe. 

The ultimate television duo, these two were elated to become parents, and they made fantastic ones. Lucy was a particularly good parent, taking care of everyone and everything around her without neglecting her precious Little Ricky. And Lucille Ball herself deserves credit for normalizing seeing pregnant women on TV.