One of the most common tropes in television is family conflict. For this reason, a lot of shows revolve around family or parental figures. While some dads on TV are admired for being amazing parents, such as Modern Family's Phil Dunphy and Glee's Burt Hummel, others have become incredibly controversial.
Some dads on television were thought to be amazing until many years later when the audience realized they had acted poorly or been problematic, such as Hal Wilkinson from Malcolm in the Middle. Others, however, are outright terrible from the beginning, even if they wouldn't think so.
11 Ted Mosby Forced His Children To Hear Years Of Pointless Stories
How I Met Your Mother
One of the things that aged poorly in How I Met Your Mother is Ted's story. He started telling the story of how he met the mother of his children, but the tale began years before he met her. Ted starts the story when he meets their aunt Robin, and tells his kids about their various ups and downs throughout the years.
While Ted is definitely not the most horrible parent on TV, he's definitely controversial. His story, supposedly about Stacey, is mostly to try to convince his kids about him dating Robin again. On top of that, there are theories on the internet that Ted modifies the story for his own convenience. For example, some people believe he exaggerates Barney's negative traits because he ended up marrying Robin.
10 Red Forman Isn't Really A Good Parent To Eric
That '70s Show
Red Forman is a parody of the conservative no-nonsense parent from '70s shows. His role in That '70s Show is mostly to be a bitter man who is constantly bullying his son, which he does because he doesn't consider Eric to be as 'masculine' as he thinks Eric should be.
Most of Red's jokes revolve around insulting Eric or threatening his son in some creative manner. However, Red clearly cares about his family, he just shows it in his own way. Still, he's a controversial figure, as some people love him, and other people hate him.
9 Hal Wilkerson Is More Another Sibling Than A Parent
Malcolm In The Middle
Malcolm in the Middle is one of the funniest sitcoms of the 2000s, but a lot of its jokes revolve around how Hal is a terrible husband and father. While the kids seemingly love him more than Lois, simply because he's the laid-back parent, there's no doubt Hal is irresponsible, childish, and lazy.
Most of the time, Lois has to pick up Hal's slack. He never helps around the house and, a lot of the time, even creates more trouble, as if he was one of Lois's children. On top of that, he doesn't try to stop his sons from wreaking havoc around the house, even participating in some occasions.
8 Lord Asriel Abandons Lyra And Later Even Kills Her Best Friend
His Dark Materials
7
Based on Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials follows Lyra as she tries to save the multiverse and dust, the substance that gives humans the ability to think. Like many fantasy protagonists, Lyra grows up without parents and later discovers that Lord Asriel is not her uncle, but her father.
Throughout His Dark Materials, Lyra discovers that Lord Asriel isn't the great man she once thought he was. Even though she spends a lot of time trying to help him, he ends up killing her best friend Roger. Lord Asriel may have played a great part in saving the multiverse, but he's a horrible parent.
6 Homer Simpson Is Violent And Lazy
The Simpsons
The Simpsons has portrayed a lot of Homer Simpson's softer sides, and it's clear that he truly loves his family. On many occasions, he's upset about making them feel bad. However, Homer can also be lazy, ignorant, and violent, and this has turned him into a controversial figure.
One element of The Simpsons that doesn't really hold up today is that Homer constantly yells at Bart. He also tends to spank both Lisa and Bart. On top of that, his irresponsibility and lack of common sense often put his family in difficult situations.
5 Sir Reginald Hargreeves Abused His Superpowered Adoptive Children
Umbrella Academy
In The Umbrella Academy, Sir Reginald Hargreeves is an intelligent, eccentric, and rich interdimensional being who found a way of adopting children with powers. He raised them to become a group of superheroes, but he was completely abusive.
Reginald had a distant relationship with his adoptive children, even calling them numbers instead of their real names. This number represented their place in a hierarchy. On top of that, he made them live in terrible situations, such as when he forced Klaus to be in a mausoleum alone so he would explore his powers. Although it seems that Reginald has a plan, it doesn't make him any better.
4 Peter Griffin Spends Most Of His Time Making Fun Of Meg
Family Guy
Since most of Peter's jokes in Family Guy revolve around the fact that he's petty, insecure, and selfish, it makes sense that he is one of the most controversial dads on television. Unlike other bad parents on TV, Peter doesn't even try to be a good parent to his children. Most of the time, he's a terrible father.
Peter is particularly horrible to his daughter Meg, to the point of being abusive. He constantly makes fun of her and loves to prank her. On one occasion, he even shot her. Many things have aged poorly in Family Guy, and Peter's constant antics and schemes stand out for being especially controversial.
3 Chris Hayden Is The Typical Absent And Irresponsible Father
Gilmore Girls
Chris Hayden is Lorelai Gilmore's ex-boyfriend and Rory's father in Gilmore Girls. However, Chris doesn't appear that much in the show because he's mostly an absent parent. He and Lorelai had Rory when they were young, and Lorelai raised her alone while Chris lived his life as if nothing happened.
On top of everything, Chris has no qualms about disrupting Rory's life repeatedly. While he tries to be the typical fun parent, he constantly misses his appointments with her and disappoints her. He also marries Lorelai on one occasion, ignoring his daughter's wishes.
2 Jim Hopper Wasn't Always The Best Dad To Eleven
Stranger Things
Even though Jim Hopper is one of the most beloved characters in Stranger Things, a lot of people criticize him for the way he treated Eleven and Mike during the third season. Fans believe he went too far when he was trying to protect Eleven and treated Mike badly.
It makes sense that Jim is overprotective of Eleven since he lost his own daughter, and he's seen Eleven go through many difficult situations. However, forcing a teenager to repeatedly lie to his daughter wasn't his best decision. Fortunately, Hopper sees reason later on in Stranger Things.
1 Joe Goldberg Is A Murderer
You
You revolves around Joe Goldberg. He's initially charming and kind, but fans soon learn that he's actually a serial murderer who stalks women he gets obsessed with and eventually ends up killing them. He gets into a relationship with an equally cruel and violent woman, Love Quinn, and they have a son named Henry.
Throughout the third season, Joe and Love try to be a regular family, but they obviously can't. Both of them let their murderous natures go out of control and when they do, You's body count gets even higher. There's no doubt that a murderer is a very controversial figure to be a parent.