Social media is abuzz this weekend over a list of “The Top 10 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.” As you can expect, such a list is bound to be divisive, not just for who is included, but who isn’t.
So, who did Twitter users rank as the top ten best TV dads? Well, here’s the list:
- Danny Tanner, Full House
- Dan Conner, Roseanne
- Tim Taylor, Home Improvement
- Philip Banks, Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air
- Carl Winslow, Family Matters
- Phil Dunphy, Modern Family
- George Lopez, The George Lopez Show
- Andy Griffith, The Andy Griffith Show
- Mike Brady, The Brady Bunch
- Al Bundy, Married… with Children.
There are quite entries that I think would be deserving on this list, including Jason Seaver from Growing Pains, Steven Keaton from Family Ties, and Archie Bunker from All in the Family… there are so many iconic TV dads that I can imagine it’s difficult to decide who are the best ones. Heck, what are the criteria they’re being voted on? Al Bundy may have been good for a laugh, but was he really a model father? Not from what I remember of Married… with Children. But the real debate on social media right now is over the exclusion of one TV dad in particular, The Cosby Show’s Cliff Huxtable, who was, of course, portrayed by Bill Cosby.
The show was a huge hit in the 1980s, and Cliff Huxtable was an iconic sitcom father. But the legacy of the character has taken a nosedive since, however, when Cosby faced allegations of drugging and sexually assaulting numerous women. Among the accusations, one case led to Cosby’s trial and subsequent conviction for aggravated indecent assault, resulting in a 10-year prison sentence. He served three years before his conviction was later overturned.
As of Saturday afternoon, “Cliff Huxtable” was trending on Twitter, so clearly, there are plenty of people with something to say on the matter.
“Dr Cliff Huxtable is the number 1 best TV dad,” one Twitter user wrote. “I’m not talking about Bill Cosby, Not talking about the actor but the character.”
“I know that nobody will say this. But Cliff Huxtable is number 1,” said another user. “I’m not talking about the man who played Cliff. I’m talking about the TV character.”
“Separating Cosby from Cliff Huxtable is a tough ask, but the character was undeniably a great one — and an important one,” tweeted another. “He belongs on the list.”
Not everyone agreed, however.
“Who can’t forget about a rapist who played an OBGYN that conducted vaginal exams in his basement?” mocked one user.
“Cliff Huxtable *can’t* be on the list of greatest TV dads. R. Kelly *can’t* be the King of R&B, Timbaland. Chris Benoit *can’t* be one of the greatest wrestlers ever,” another user argued. “*You* might still enjoy their work, but it’s impossible to honor that work without honoring the deviant.”
Most of those weighing in seemed to support the idea that the character and the actor are separate, and a poll on TMZ shows that 60% of respondents agree that Cliff Huxtable is a Top 10 TV Dad and that the actor should be separated from the character.
