Best and Worst Single Fathers on TV

Much publicity is given to the sufferings of single mothers, yet little is ever written about single fathers. These men have the same obstacles as their female counterparts, such as providing child care, adjusting to one income rather than two, transportation to various events for their children, and so on.

Though you see very little news coverage of single fathers, television has a rich history of shows in which the main character is a single father. Some of these characters have been admirable examples of single fathers, patient men who are soft-spoken and choose experienced family members or quiet friends to assist in household chores.

Unfortunately, some single fathers depicted on TV would serve as poor role models for any man trying to raise his children alone. They have placed their children in risky situations or choose unwise household assistance.

Here are the five best and five worst single fathers on television.

Best:

Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show: Mayberry's laid-back sheriff (played by Andy Griffith) was the perfect father for Opie (played by Ron Howard). He brought in his Aunt Bea (played by Frances Bauvier) to cook and care for Opie. He was loving most of the time, stern when he had to be, and modeled the importance of a sense of humor.

Tom Corbett in The Courtship of Eddie's Father: The magazine publisher (played by Bill Bixby) was a soft-spoken father for son Eddie (played by Brandon Cruz). He hired easy-going Japanese housekeeper Mrs. Livingston (played by Miyoki Umeshi) to cook and clean, and tried to keep his hippie partner and secretary from having too much influence on Eddie.

Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies: The patriarch of the Appalachian clan (played by Buddy Ebsen) struck oil and moved to Beverly, but he never allowed his attractive daughter Ellie May (played by Donna Douglas)to lose her country charm.

Luke McCain in The Rifleman: The rancher (played by Chuck Connors) instilled a quiet confidence in his son (played by Johnny Crawford)as they dealt with rough company in the West.

Robby Ray Stewart in Hannah Montana: The widowed country singer (played by Billy Ray Cyrus) exhibits a sense of humor as well as the father and manager of daughter teen idol Miley/Hannah (played by Miley Cyrus). Sometimes, though, he comes across as a little too strict on son Jackson (played by Jason Earles).

Worst:

Merrill Stubing in The Love Boat: The captain of The Princess cruise ship (played by Gavin McLoed) found out he had a daughter (playd by Jill Whelan). Instead of retiring or getting a job on land, he made the poor girl work on his ship and subjected her to the likes of Gopher and the womanizing Doc.

Ned Flanders in The Simpsons: After his wife Maude was killed at a sporting event, the devout Ned continued to mold Rod and Todd into lifetime geeks. He put parental locks on every channel on his satellite dish and was upset when Marge took the boys to a children's fun center.

Danny Tanner in Full House: Instead of bringing in an experienced relative, the TV host (played by Bob Saget) chose to move in his wild young brother-in-law (played by John Stamos) and his kooky boyhood pal (played by Dave Coulier). No sane father should bring in two young males to rear his three daughters.

Tony Micelli in Who's the Boss?: The former baseball player (portrayed by Tony Danza) found work as a housekeeper for the female president of an ad agency. In spite of the fact that she has a son, Tony moves his daughter in with them. Even an ex-jock should have foreseen the consequences of unrelated boys and girls sharing the same house.

Rick Marshall in The Land of the Lost: This adventurous father (played by Spencer Milligan) took his young daughter and son whitewater rafting, where they become lost in a prehistoric time warp. Then in season three he returns home, and his kids are left behind.