60 Fun Facts About TV Dads

What is Homer Simpson's job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant?

Safety inspector. Homer got the job in season one by rallying the town against the plant's dangers, until Mr. Burns ended the fuss by putting him in charge of safety.

Dan Castellaneta originally voiced Homer Simpson as a loose impression of which actor?

Walter Matthau. Castellaneta let the impression go after the early seasons: he couldn't keep it up through marathon recording sessions or get Homer's full range of emotion out of it.

Who played Ward Cleaver, father of Wally and the Beaver?

Hugh Beaumont. He wasn't the first Ward: another actor played the father in the pilot, and Beaumont, a Methodist minister off screen, won the part when the series was recast.

Which classic TV dad made his living as an architect?

Mike Brady. The Brady Bunch's creator wanted to audition Gene Hackman for the father, but the studio refused because he was too little known; Hackman soon won an Oscar for The French Connection.

Cliff Huxtable of The Cosby Show practised which branch of medicine?

Obstetrics. ABC passed on the show before NBC ordered it at the last minute, and Dr. Huxtable's family then carried the also-ran network to the top of the ratings.

Where does Al Bundy of Married... with Children work?

A women's shoe store. In 1989 a Michigan mother urged sponsors to drop the show over its raunchy jokes, and the publicity sent curious viewers to Fox and gave the Bundys their best ratings yet.

Which actor played both Al Bundy and Modern Family's Jay Pritchett?

Ed O'Neill. A Fox casting agent spotted him on stage in Of Mice and Men and asked him to read for Al; more than twenty years later he became Modern Family's patriarch.

On Full House, what was widower Danny Tanner's job before he became co-host of Wake Up, San Francisco?

Sports anchor. Bob Saget was the producers' first choice for Danny but was tied to a CBS morning show, so another actor played him in the unaired pilot until Saget came free.

Modern Family's self-styled 'cool dad' Phil Dunphy makes his living how?

As a real estate agent. In the pilot Phil has to punish Luke for a BB-gun shot by shooting him back, and ends up accidentally hitting Haley's boyfriend Dylan.

Red Forman of That '70s Show served in which two wars?

World War II and the Korean War. The gruff veteran rules his house by threat, yet when Hyde's mother runs off with a trucker, Red lets his son's abandoned friend move in.

What was Uncle Phil's profession on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?

A judge. Phil started the series as a lawyer and lost a landslide election for the bench to his old mentor, who dropped dead seconds after Will told him to; the governor then gave Phil the seat.

Widowed sheriff Andy Taylor first appeared on The Danny Thomas Show as the lawman of which small town?

Mayberry. Andy Griffith began his own series playing Andy as a comic hayseed, then realised he was really the straight man to Don Knotts and the other kooks, and remade him as the town's calm centre.

Which Norman Lear sitcom took its bigoted dad from Alf Garnett of Britain's Till Death Us Do Part?

All in the Family. Lear bought the American rights to the BBC hit and wanted Mickey Rooney as Archie; Carroll O'Connor got the part instead, and ABC still turned the series down before CBS took it.

What nickname does Archie Bunker use for his son-in-law Mike Stivic?

Meathead. Norman Lear took the insult from his own father, who used to call him that, and Archie's order to Edith to 'stifle' herself came from the same man.

Frank Costanza's holiday Festivus was inspired by a real celebration invented by whose father?

Seinfeld writer Dan O'Keefe's father, a Reader's Digest editor, was marking the anniversary of his first date with his wife by 1966, and Dan was reluctant to put the family ritual on TV until his bosses heard about it.

Frank Costanza says he invented Festivus after fighting another shopper over what Christmas gift?

A doll. Frank says he reached for the last one just as another man did, and 'as I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way'; the doll was destroyed and a new holiday was born.

What does Hank Hill sell in Arlen, Texas?

Propane and propane accessories. Hank spent the original run as assistant manager of Strickland Propane, and the 2025 revival brings him home to Arlen after years working in Saudi Arabia.

On Stranger Things, which character does police chief Jim Hopper adopt as his daughter?

Eleven. Hopper finds her in the woods and hides her in his grandfather's old hunting cabin, on condition that she never leaves it, before she becomes Jane Hopper on paper.

Peter Griffin's first job on Family Guy, before the brewery, was at which workplace?

The Happy-Go-Lucky Toy Factory. Peter lost the job in season three when his boss, Mr. Weed, choked to death on a dinner roll at the Griffins' table and the factory was torn down.

What is Bandit Heeler's job on Bluey?

Archaeologist. Creator Joe Brumm borrowed the job from his own older brother Adam, and the name Bandit from a blue heeler that belonged to his father's best mate.

Carl Winslow of Family Matters, a Chicago police officer, was first introduced on which other sitcom?

Perfect Strangers. Harriette Winslow ran the elevator at the cousins' newspaper, and the spin-off was built around her family until a neighbour written for a single episode, Steve Urkel, became its breakout star.

What is the name of Tim Taylor's Binford-sponsored show-within-a-show on Home Improvement?

Tool Time. It was conceived as a parody of PBS's This Old House, with Tim and Al as send-ups of host Bob Vila and carpenter Norm Abram, and Vila himself guest-starred several times.

Ray Barone of Everybody Loves Raymond writes about sports for which real newspaper?

Newsday. The Barones live on Long Island, and the family was drawn from life: Ray Romano's own older brother was a New York police sergeant, and on screen Ray's jealous brother Robert is a New York cop too.

How does Jack Pearson die on This Is Us?

A heart attack after a house fire. Jack gets everyone out, goes back for the dog and dies in hospital, where he was taken for smoke inhalation; the slow cooker that started the blaze left Crock-Pot reassuring its real customers.

Frasier Crane's father Martin retired from which job before moving in with his son?

Seattle police detective. A bullet in the hip from a convenience-store robber ended Martin's career and landed him in his son's apartment; back on Cheers, Frasier had claimed his father was a dead research scientist.

What is Fred Flintstone's job at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company?

Bronto crane operator. Fred was patterned on Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners, closely enough that Gleason later said he had thought about suing and let it pass.

On Bonanza, widower Ben Cartwright and his three sons ran which ranch?

The Ponderosa. Ben was a three-time widower with one son by each wife, and the clashes between brothers who shared only a father drove the plots of the early seasons.

What kind of business did Howard Cunningham own on Happy Days?

A hardware store. Harold Gould played Howard in the pilot, but when the series was delayed he went abroad to act in a play and chose to honour that commitment, so the part went to Tom Bosley.

Fred Sanford of Sanford and Son runs what kind of business out of his home?

A junk and antique dealership. The show moved Britain's Steptoe and Son to Watts, and Redd Foxx won the lead after his turn in the film Cotton Comes to Harlem caught the producers' eye.

George Jefferson made his fortune in what line of business?

Dry cleaning. George was only talked about at first: Sherman Hemsley was on Broadway in Purlie when Norman Lear cast him, so a brother, Henry, played the neighbour until Hemsley was free.

After John Amos left Good Times, how was his character James Evans Sr. written out?

Killed in a car accident. Amos had fought the producers over the show's direction, above all J.J.'s clowning, and was not brought back, so the season four opener has the family learn that James has died in Mississippi.

On Arrested Development, what is the name of the teenage son of Jason Bateman's character?

George Michael. Michael Cera's awkward teen tells one lie too many in season four: his made-up software company takes off, and he ends up hiding behind the pseudonym George Maharis.

Which family business did Johnny and Moira lose to an embezzling manager on Schitt's Creek?

Rose Video. With the company gone, all the Roses have left is a town Johnny once bought his son as a joke, an idea inspired by Kim Basinger's real purchase of Braselton, Georgia.

On The Munsters, dad Herman is a comic take on which classic horror character?

Frankenstein's monster. Herman's show was finished off in 1966 when Batman arrived on a rival network and, as the actor who played his son Eddie put it, 'took our ratings away'.

Who played Gomez Addams in the original 1964 Addams Family TV series?

John Astin. Gomez had no name in Charles Addams's New Yorker cartoons: mother and daughter were named for a 1962 line of licensed toys, and father and son only when the TV series came along.

On Modern Family, Jay Pritchett's much younger second wife Gloria comes from which country?

Colombia. Gloria comes from Barranquilla, the home city of Sofía Vergara herself, and later in the series she turns a family recipe into her own hot-sauce business.

Louis Huang moves his family to Orlando on Fresh Off the Boat to open what kind of restaurant?

A cowboy-themed steakhouse. The show came from chef Eddie Huang's memoir; he narrated the first season, then left, saying he no longer watched a series he called unrecognizable.

Ned of Game of Thrones is patriarch of which noble family?

The Starks of Winterfell. Ned leaves home to serve as Hand of the King, and in the ninth episode he falsely confesses to treason to save his daughters, only for King Joffrey to have him beheaded anyway.

Kyle Chandler won an Emmy in 2011 for playing which football-coaching TV dad?

Eric Taylor. Friday Night Lights was close to cancellation after two seasons until DirecTV agreed to share it with NBC, and Chandler's Emmy came for the final season that deal made possible.

On The O.C., what was Sandy Cohen's job when he first met troubled teen Ryan Atwood?

Public defender. Sandy is handed Ryan's case after the boy and his brother are caught in a stolen car, and when Ryan's mother puts him out of the house, Sandy drives him home to Newport Beach.

Veronica Mars's father Keith was forced into private investigation after losing which job?

County sheriff. Keith named software billionaire Jake Kane as the suspect in the murder of Kane's own daughter, was voted out in a recall that Kane drove, and then watched his wife leave town.

Roseanne's ninth season revealed that Dan Conner had actually done what near the end of season eight?

Died of a heart attack. The finale reveals that the lottery win and everything after it were a story Roseanne wrote, and her real loss was Dan; the 2018 revival then wrote that out and brought him back alive.

Why does psychiatrist dad Jason Seaver see his patients at home on Growing Pains?

His wife went back to work. Maggie returns to reporting, so Jason sees patients at home and minds the kids; Alan Thicke took the part not long after his heavily promoted late-night talk show was cancelled.

Steven Keaton, the ex-hippie father on Family Ties, managed what kind of broadcaster?

A public television station. Creator Gary David Goldberg based Steven and Elyse on himself and his wife and meant them to lead the show, until studio audiences took to Michael J. Fox's Alex and the focus shifted to him.

Kevin Arnold's father Jack on The Wonder Years held a management job at NORCOM, which was what kind of company?

A defense contractor. On a day at NORCOM, Kevin learns his father once dreamed of captaining a ship and steering by the stars; Jack later quits the stifling job to go into the furniture business.

Ross Geller of Friends has a Ph.D. in which field?

Paleontology. The writers were already shaping Ross around David Schwimmer's voice, which is why he was the first of the six friends to be cast.

Walter White was a high-school chemistry teacher in which city when Breaking Bad began?

Albuquerque. The first script was set in Riverside, California; the studio suggested filming in New Mexico for its tax rebate, and Vince Gilligan moved the story there instead of disguising the city.

Which Law & Order: SVU detective is a father of five?

Elliot Stabler. His fifth child, Eli, arrives in season nine, born after a car crash in which his partner Olivia Benson helps the paramedics save his wife, Kathy.

On Glee, what business did Kurt's father Burt Hummel run in Lima, Ohio, before entering Congress?

An auto repair garage. Burt owns Hummel Tires & Lube, and when Finn uses a homophobic slur about the room Kurt has furnished for them, Burt throws his own girlfriend's son out of the house.

Rick Grimes of The Walking Dead held what job before waking from a coma into the apocalypse?

Sheriff's deputy. Rick is shot on duty beside his partner Shane, and by the time he wakes and tracks down his family, Shane, believing him dead, has taken up with Rick's wife Lori.

Mob boss and suburban dad Tony Soprano starts seeing a psychiatrist after suffering what?

Panic attacks. In therapy he keeps returning to a family of ducks that lived in his swimming pool and then flew away, and Dr. Melfi leads him to see that he dreads losing his own family.

Mike Heck of The Middle manages what kind of workplace in Orson, Indiana?

A limestone quarry. After 25 years there, Mike is finally offered a promotion to regional manager in the last season, and his crew take the news of his leaving hard.

Which South Park dad is named after co-creator Trey Parker's own father, a geologist?

Randy Marsh. Parker's real father, Randy, is a geologist, as Stan's dad was until season 22, when he moved his reluctant family to a farm to grow marijuana.

Tony Micelli of Who's the Boss? is a retired professional in which sport?

Baseball. An injury ended Tony's big-league career, and with his wife gone he takes a live-in job running a divorced mother's household in Connecticut.

On Diff'rent Strokes, Park Avenue businessman Phillip Drummond takes in the two sons of his late what?

Housekeeper. The boys' mother had worked for Drummond, and the family's own housekeeper in the early seasons, Mrs. Garrett, was soon spun off into a sitcom of her own, The Facts of Life.

What is Dre Johnson's profession on Black-ish?

Advertising executive Dre hopes to become his firm's first Black senior vice-president in the pilot, and does, but of its 'urban division', which he bitterly calls code for 'Black stuff'.

Which sitcom dad of a broke household grew up in a wealthy family that scorns his wife?

Hal of Malcolm in the Middle, played by Bryan Cranston, takes Lois to his father's birthday reunion, where his relatives insult her until the boys take revenge and Hal finally stands up to his father.

Which business always sits next door to Bob Belcher's burger restaurant?

A funeral home and crematorium, It's Your Funeral, sits right beside Bob's Burgers. In the first episode Louise starts a rumor that the burgers are made from the bodies next door, and a health inspector comes calling.

Stan Smith of American Dad! works for which organisation?

The CIA pays Stan's salary, yet he hides Roger, an alien out of Area 51, in the family attic, where Roger at first had to stay indoors so that nobody would learn what he was.

Don Draper of Mad Men was partly inspired by Draper Daniels, who worked on which famous ad campaign?

The Marlboro Man came out of Chicago's Leo Burnett agency, where Draper Daniels was creative chief in the 1950s. Its cowboys turned a mild cigarette marketed to women into a rugged men's brand.