10 Truly Terrible TV Dads

Not everyone has a dad like Ward Cleaver or Cliff Huxtable, or a guy like Mike Brady for a stepfather. Here's a look at some of the worst TV dads of all time.

Tony Soprano, The Sopranos

Let's kick off this list with a bang. New Jersey based mob boss Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini) may have given his kids a luxurious lifestyle, but he had a bad habit of offing people in the process -- including a few members of his own family. (Daughter Meadow's boyfriend was even on the hit list!) Indeed, Soprano's career choice caused plenty of turmoil for his spoiled kids, but at least they could afford the therapy bills.

Al Bundy, Married With Children

Back in the '80s, this sad sack shoe salesman (played by Ed O'Neill) was a terrible role model for his teen kids Kelly and Bud. Apathetic and disrespectful towards women, minimum wage shoe peddler Al Bundy ended his day with a brew on the couch as he whined about how miserable his life was. No wonder his bratty kids were two rotten eggs.

Frank Costanza, Seinfeld

Jerry Stiller has mastered the role of terrible TV dad. He's even done it twice! As George Costanza's self-centered, loud mouthed father on Seinfeld, he was the creator of Festivus and the manly brassiere "The Bro," but his adult son turned out to be a neurotic mess. Frank's low point as a dad? His rant about the Yankees roster when George Steinbrenner incorrectly told him his son had died. Stiller later played the selfish, tantrum-throwing Arthur Spooner on The King of Queens, where he got daughter Carrie drunk so he could change her personality. And this was after he lost her original name -- Simone -- in a poker game!

Peter Griffin, Family Guy

Seth MacFarlane's dimwitted Family Guy patriarch Peter Griffin shows no respect to kids Chris, Meg and Stewie, and prefers to watch TV and drink with his buddies at The Drunken Clam instead of spending time with his family. This taunts his oldest son, ignores his baby, and picks on his teen daughter by breaking wind in her face and flicking her nose with his finger. And what's up with those fights with the giant chicken? Some people shouldn't be allowed to procreate.

Dexter Morgan, Dexter

Yeah, we're thinking serial killers don't make the best fathers. Dexter Morgan's (Michael C. Hall) poor little boy, Harrison, was born into a messed up home life; his mom was murdered by one of dad's serial killing rivals. By the time the series finale rolled around, this deadbeat dad ditched Harrison altogether and left him to be raised by nanny Hannah.

Frank Gallagher, Shameless

 It's not easy being a single dad, but some (like Tony Micelli and Andy Taylor) do it well. That's not the case for Showtime's Shameless dad Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy). He's a narcissistic and a drunk who collects disability checks while his six kids fend for themselves. This guy should be ashamed of himself!

Don Draper, Mad Men

Irresponsible ad man Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has a checkered past, and his 1960s self had him ditching his wife, drinking and smoking like a fiend (he even trained his little girl on how to make cocktails), sleeping with his kids' teacher, and exposing his daughter Sally to his sleazy affair with a neighbor. (Yeah, the tween walked in on it.) Daddy Draper has barely ever said a word to his youngest kid, Gene, and his idea of bonding with his 10-year-old son is a mid-day Planet of the Apes screening, an activity that requires no talking. How about a catch in the backyard some time, Dad?

Archie Bunker, All in the Family

A big-mouthed bigot who labeled his son in law a "Meathead," the working class Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) may have loved his "little goil" Gloria, but he hated her hippie hubby. Bunker also loved to butt heads with just about anybody who had the nerve to enter his humble abode, by spewing a string of redneck racial remarks from the comfort of his trademark chair.

George Bluth Sr., Arrested Development

It's hard to be a good role model when you're a jailbird. Just ask George Bluth Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor), the Arrested Development dad who landed in the slammer after making dirty deals as head of a real estate empire. Manipulative and not always manly (OK, this dude sometimes looks like a lady), Bluth Sr. used his kids against one another, broke out of jail, and faked his own death. And those were his good traits!

Walter White, Breaking Bad

The chemistry teacher turned meth madman (played by Bryan Cranston) went to extreme measures to provide for his family after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but it was definitely dirty money. While it was noble of White to cook up a nest egg for his kids, he actually missed the birth of baby daughter Holly because he was tied up with his drug-related biz. In fact, this guy got mixed up in everything from money laundering to murder, and at one point he let his underage son get drunk on tequila. Father of the Year he was not.