If we listed only the "best'' TV dads, most of them would probably be from the 1950s. Back then, elevision was more interested in portraying ideality than reality. Here's a selection of the most memorable fathers, for good ("The Andy Griffith Show'') and for ill ("The Sopranos''), from the past ("Leave It to Beaver'') and from the present ("Friday Night Lights'').
Played by Robert Reed
He got a perm, which permanently cemented his position on this list. But Mike Brady was also committed to making his blended family work out in the early 1970s, at a time when real blended families needed some reassurance. An architect, he was ethical and lucid, but never sanctimonious. And unlike many TV dads, he actually seemed to like being around his kids.
Played by Brian Keith (left) and Sebastian Cabot
Was there a gay-dad subtext to the 1960s series "Family Affair"? Maybe, maybe not. But these two men gave their all to the three orphaned kids, Buffy, Jody, and Cissy, despite their cutesy names. Uncle Bill was in charge of financial well-being and moral guidance, while Mr. French provided the nurturance. They brought a little untraditional family atmosphere to Park Avenue in the late 1960s.
Played by Jerry Stiller
George's father was neurotic and pent-up, like his son, but he was an original thinker. In response to the commercialization of Christmas, he invented Festivus "for the rest of us," with its ritualistic Festivus pole and after-dinner "Airing of Grievances." With Kramer, Frank also came up with the "manssiere," a.k.a. the "bro," a male bra to support his breasts. The man was unique.
Played by Bill Cosby
A feisty father of five, Dr. Cliff was like a big kid himself, ugly sweaters and all. And he led one of TV's first upper-middle-class African-American families. He remains iconic: Last month, comic commentator Wyatt Cenac declared on "The Daily Show" that Barack Obama was Cliff Huxtable. "They're both married to hot lawyers, they both work out of offices on the west side of their houses, and both have unrealistically cute daughters."
Played by Peter Gallagher
Those eyebrows, so weighted with compassion and honesty, don't hurt. But Sandy is memorable for raising Seth with such good humor, and for taking the troubled teen Ryan under his wing. He acted on his ideals, and he never bought into the extravagant lifestyle that surrounded him.
Played by Hugh Beaumont
Dude sure liked to read his newspaper. But his role in the family was generally as the moral compass, the man of the house, the firm hand. Ward was the stereotypical 1950s white-collar TV dad - a bit of a cipher, with a personality built on clichés of domesticated masculinity. It would be funny to see Ward in today's social and cultural environment. How would he deal with Beaver's first tattoo?
Played by James Remar
Here's the thing about Harry, who only appears on the show in flashbacks. He knew his adopted son was an innate killer, so he decided to make the best of the situation. A detective, he helped Dexter adapt his pathology for the social good, by teaching him to kill only serial killers who had slipped through the justice system. OK, so it's kind of creepy, and even Harry knew that; his work with Dexter drove him to suicide. But still, Harry was a special guy.
Played by John Mahoney
He was grumpy, but he was also the salt of the earth. While his sons, Frasier and Niles, were sophisticates, Martin was a beer-drinking ex-cop with no patience for their pretensions. He was always around to keep them real, and underneath his irritation about his sons was a fierce sense of pride.
Played by Harry Morgan
Henry Blake had his moments, but Potter was more consistently like a father to the 4077th. He was regular Army, but he quickly loosened up and treated his men and women like family. At the end of the day, he was a lovable mensch who was wont to say things like "What in the name of Marco blessed Polo is going on here?" And he hated Frank Burns, always a plus.
Played by Fred MacMurray
There was something endearingly clueless about engineer and widower Steve Douglas. He took in domestic chaos with calm detachment and bemusement. He also took in Ernie, when the boy was put up for adoption. Of course, Steve couldn't have succeeded without the contributions of Uncle Charley, who is legally deemed a "housemother" to complete Ernie's adoption.
Played by James Gandolfini
OK, so he was a bad man. A sociopath, in fact. But this list isn't about morality. It's about memory. And who can forget Tony's paternal instincts, which extended beyond his son, A.J. - whom he rescued from drowning - and his beloved daughter, Meadow to his protégé, Christopher. OK, so he killed Christopher. No one's saying he was perfect.
Played by Dick Van Dyke
Life with a father who is a comedy writer? As Tina Fey might say, "I want to go to there." With Buddy and Sally in the writer's office of "The Alan Brady Show," Rob was creative and funny. Outside of the office, he was a goof who got into as many bad situations as his wife, Laura. Far from the TV dads who never stray from good taste and correct behavior, he was a work in progress.
Played by Kyle Chandler
The thing about Coach Taylor is that he's not just paternal to his two daughters. He's like a surrogate father for the guys on his football team, especially those in need of firm, compassionate leadership. He'll go to bat for the kids he likes, even when one of them - Matt Saracen - is romancing his daughter. He can be stubborn, and he can be irrational, but he never drops the ball when it comes to paternal passion.
Played by Andy Griffith
He had a son named Opie, which is just too cute. A widower, Andy was a friend to Opie, but he was also a role model and a guide. He was wise enough to see the beauty in letting Opie learn lessons for himself, but he was always there as a safety net. Andy was forgiving of people's foibles, and he taught that gentle, open-minded approach to his son. And yet, while so many of the early TV dads were humorless, Andy could be smirky and cranky, too, especially when it came to his deputy, Barney. He wasn't too good to be true.
Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. For more on TV, visit www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog. 
