Split Image: Shameless, Full House, and Baby Daddy posters

Despite August just beginning, several TV fans are already counting down the days until September 9th when Netflix’s iconic Cobra Kai returns to Netflix, which is not only a series centered around sport but also an underrated single-dad series. While most fans think of Cobra Kai as nothing more than a reboot of the epic karate movie, the show actually has a super interesting single-father relationship that explores traditional and untraditional modes of parenting.



That said, perhaps the most popular show revolving around single dads is Full House, but TV has come a long way since that wholesome Danny Tanner. Now, single dads on TV are portrayed in both a positive light and not-so-flattering light, like Frank from Shameless. Regardless of how great they are as fathers, there’s no denying that there is a TV audience out there who wants to watch single dads juggle their home, work, and personal lives.

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10 Kenan (2021 – 2022) – 5.7

Saturday Night Live veteran Kenan Thompson got his own sitcom, Kenan, back in 2021, where he played a recently widowed, single father who is trying to juggle parenting while being one of Atlanta’s biggest TV personalities. Like many single fathers on television, Kenan has help from his father-in-law, brother, and his morning show family.

RELATED: The Main Characters In Kenan Ranked By Likability

Like most single fathers, Kenan often finds himself wanting to be there for his daughters in every sense of the word, while also trying to be the best morning talk show host the city has seen. While it’s a hard life to live, Kenan manages to do it all with a smile on his face.

9 Home Economics (2021 – ) – 6.6

Home Economics is one of ABC’s newest and most underrated family sitcoms. The show centers on the Hayworth siblings, who all happen to fall into different economic brackets. Though their differing financial backgrounds often put a strain on their relationships, they manage to push through the uncomfortable to support each other.

Being wealthy means that Connor has often relied on other people to help raise his daughter, but he wants to start putting in the work to be the dad she deserves. This manifests in him throwing her lavish birthday parties and supporting her in all her endeavors like the school musical, even though she’s not very good. He’s a supportive dad financially and emotionally.

8 Full House (1987 – 1995) – 6.7

Full House isn’t the first show about single dads, but it is one of the most popular. Premiering in 1987, the ABC sitcom followed newly widowed Danny Tanner as he enlists the help of his wild brother-in-law and stand-up comic best friend to raise his three daughters.

Danny Tanner is arguably one of the best TV dads of all time, which is no easy feat considering he raised three daughters on his own in the ’80s and ’90s. Danny always knew when his girls needed him and often put their happiness above his own — especially when it came to his dating life. Most importantly, he taught viewers that fathers don’t have to be perfect, they just have to try.

7 Single Parents (2018 – 2020) – 7.0

With a title like Single Parents, it’s no surprise that the ABC family sitcom featured single fathers in lead roles. In fact, the ensemble series featured three single fathers from differing backgrounds, who all found themselves navigating the world of fatherhood on their own while making some of the most questionable single parenting choices.

Will, Douglas, and Miggy might come from different generations and backgrounds, but they’re all trying their best to be fantastic single dads. For Will, that means putting off his personal life and devoting all his attention to his daughter, whereas Douglas and Miggy take on different approaches to their single fatherhood. And yet, all three dads manage to be positive role models to their children and to single dads everywhere.

6 Coach (1989 – 1997) – 7.0

While Coach isn’t typically thought of as a show about single fathers, the truth is that Hayden Fox is a single dad whether he thinks of himself as one or not. The beloved sports sitcom centered on Hayden, a university football coach who takes his job very seriously.

RELATED: 10 Best Fictional Football Players In Movies & TV Shows

While Hayden spends most of his time as a father figure to his football team, he does end up reconnecting with his estranged daughter. Though Hayden isn’t used to being a “girl dad,” he tries his best to be supportive of his daughter and quickly takes on the overprotective dad role when she starts dating. Thus, Hayden is a fun, traditional single-father type character that makes Coach worth the watch.

5 Baby Daddy (2012 – 2017) – 7.3

Baby Daddy might be one of Freeforms’ best original but most underrated shows of all time. The comedy centers on Ben, a 20-something bartender who wakes up one morning to find a baby on his doorstep. After learning the baby is his, he enlists the help of his roommates, childhood friend, and overbearing, zany mother to raise the daughter he didn’t even know existed.

Like most 20-something bachelors, Ben doesn’t have his life figured out at all, and now he has to raise a daughter on top of that. Though at times he forgets to put his daughter before his dating life, he’s there for all the important milestones in her life and celebrates them wildly, especially her first steps and her first words.

4 Cobra Kai (2018 – ) 8.5

At its core, Cobra Kai is one of the best sports shows and best shows based on a movie in the last few years. However, the series also features a very interesting and important arc about single fatherhood that takes on a unique twist.

While Johnny is a biological single father, his son, Robby, wants nothing to do with him since he basically abandoned him as a kid. However, Johnny manages to redeem himself in the fatherhood department when he takes on a fatherly role for Miguel, one of his karate students. Not only does he teach Miguel how to defend himself, but he’s also there for him emotionally when things go south in his romantic relationship.


3 Shameless (2011 – 2021) – 8.6

Unlike most single dads on television, Shameless‘s Frank Gallagher is a total mess and one of the worst dads on television, of all time. And yet, the dramedy series about the misadventures of the Gallagher family ran for 11 seasons on Showtime, giving Frank the space and time to grow and change.

RELATED: The 5 Worst Things Frank Gallagher From Shameless Has Done To His Kids (& 5 They’ve Done To Him)

While Frank arguably left most of the parenting duties to his eldest daughter so he could hang out at the local bar, it was interesting to watch when Frank did decide to be a father. One of the moments where Frank excelled in this area is when he managed to pay for Fiona’s wedding flowers by panhandling to get the money.


2 Stranger Things (2016 – ) – 7.1

On the surface, Stranger Things is one of the biggest sci-fi shows about a ragtag group of kids who fight monsters from another dimension to protect their town. However, Stranger Things is also a show about family in all its definitions.

During season two, Eleven finds herself under the protection of Hopper, and the two begin to develop a father-daughter bond. This bond only becomes deeper as the series continues, and by season three, Hopper officially adopts Eleven as his own. Like most fathers, Hopper is determined to keep Eleven safe, no matter what, and is often right by her side when she’s facing off against the Upside Down. And while Hopper wants to keep El safe, he also knows that she’s more than taking care of herself, which is why he doesn’t stand in her way of using her powers to end the evil.


1 Arrested Development (2003 – 2019) – 8.7

Arrested Development is arguably one of the most hilarious and wildly beloved sitcoms about a dysfunctional family of all time. Though the series follows the entirety of the Bluth family, it really centers on the struggles of Michael Bluth who is being forced to stay close to home to help run his family’s business when his dad is sent to prison.

In addition to having a job he doesn’t want, Michael is also struggling to raise his eccentric teenage son on his own. Unlike other single fathers who lean on their family for support, Michael can’t help but feel like he’d be a better father to his son if he wasn’t so embroiled in his own family drama. While Michael fails time and time again with his son, he never stops trying to be good, which makes Arrested Development a great show about the single dad experience.

NEXT: 10 Best TV Dads Of The Past Decade

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