List RulesRecurring or guest star TV fathers of main characters, though they are not part of the primary cast
List of the greatest guest star dads in TV history, recurring or one-time appearances. These guest star TV dads range from cold and distant to loving to overbearing, but they’ve all done one important thing: made great TV shows even better. Guest star TV fathers might only show up once or they might be recurring characters -- either way, they’re TV dads who will be remembered as part of TV history. After all, who can forget Frank Costanza or Jack Geller?
Perhaps the insight they give is one reason the best TV guest star dads are so memorable. Characters’ actions become easier to understand when viewers occasionally see their interactions with their fathers. Take Kurt Hummel, for instance. When he sometimes struggles with the ramifications of his sexual orientation, viewers understand why -- his father struggles with the same issues. Even one-time guest star dad appearances are enough to explain a character’s quirks or issues, especially when that character has struggled with the absence of his or her father throughout the TV series.
Of course, not all guest star dad appearances are so serious. Guest star television fathers can be comic relief, pure and simple. They show up, drive their offspring crazy and make viewers laugh, then vanish for a while. Many of them act as caricatures of real-world fathers, doing typical dad things, like arguing over who’ll pay the check or spoiling the grandchildren without permission. Guest star TV dads also perform not-so-normal acts -- like Mac’s father on “It’s Always Sunny,” who wanted his son to smuggle drugs into prison.
Whatever the reason viewers love TV guest star dads, this is a list of the very best. These are the ones who’ve made viewers laugh, or maybe cry, and although they don’t show up often, they’re welcome when they do.1
13926Frank Costanza
SeinfeldFather of George Costanza2
10129Max Keenan
BonesFather of Temperance and Russ Brennan3
9129Morty Seinfeld
SeinfeldFather of Jerry Seinfeld4
5323Jack Geller
FriendsFather of Ross & Monica Geller5
5730Christopher Hayden
Gilmore GirlsFather of Rory Gilmore6
5429Eddie R. Lawson
Royal PainsFather of Hank and Evan Lawson7
4125Jerry Whitaker
How I Met Your MotherFather of Barney Stinson8
4026Bob Day
New GirlFather of Jess Day9
3926Burt Hummel
GleeFather of Kurt Hummel10
3120Marvin Eriksen
How I Met Your MotherFather of Marshall Eriksen11
3730Bruce Mathis
It's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaFather of Dennis and Dee Reynolds12
3326Joe Heffernan
King of QueensFather of Doug Heffernan13
3327Jackson Hunt
CastleFather of Richard Castle14
3631Dr. Leonard Green
FriendsFather of Rachel Green15
2923Ed Conner
RoseanneFather of Dan Conner16
3126Milton Greene
30 RockFather of Jack Donaghy17
2823Mickey Aldrin
How I Met Your MotherFather of Lily Aldrin18
3128Nikolai Jakov
ArcherFather of Sterling Archer (maybe)19
2725Dr. V. M. Koothrappali
The Big Bang TheoryFather of Raj Koothrappali20
3029George Truman
Will & GraceFather of Will Truman21
2829Al Harris
RoseanneFather of Roseanne Conner22
2931Russell Huxtable
The Cosby ShowFather of Cliff Huxtable23
2629Henry Lewis
ERFather of Susan Lewis24
2528Hank Summers
Buffy the Vampire SlayerFather of Buffy Summers25
2428Big Mike Heck Sr.
The MiddleFather of Mike Heck