25 TV Dads we wish were ours

Photo: FOX

Jim Walsh – Beverly Hills, 90210

Speaking of affluent zip codes and stuck up teenagers…. Jim Walsh was lousy with both, but he still managed to be the absolute dad-est of all the dads on TV. The recent resurgence in popularity of “dad bods” and “dad style” can single-handedly be traced right back to Jim from Beverly Hills, 90210.

We have Jim Walsh to thank for rocking those pleated khakis and white sneakers and making dad style what it is today. These are what what makes Jim Walsh one of TV’s best fathers, not his winning advice or fatherly wisdom. He’s one of the good ones because he’s every single one rolled into one.  Jim is a mosaic of every dad on television, and every “aw-shucks” moment he has, every time one of those twins roll their eyes, and every time he grounds them with authority, we just smile our knowing smile. Yup, he’s a dad, alright.

90210 wasn’t really known for it’s groundbreaking storytelling or prolific writing, so Jim as a giant cliche pretty much tracks. He was involved enough in Brenda and Brandon’s lives to make us feel like he wasn’t a giant deadbeat, but didn’t really get in the way of their lives enough to inhibit the melodrama.