25 TV Dads we wish were ours

Photo: ABC

Phil Dunphy – Modern Family

Phil Dunphy is the dorkiest dad on modern TV, and that makes him so endearing. His silliness is so sincere, getting mad at him is like getting mad at a baby monkey. He’s so harmless, he might just be the anti-James Evans.

Modern Family has their fair share of dads, but it’s Ty Burrell’s Phil that is the standout. Every time we learn something about Phil’s past, his nerdiness grows exponentially, but so does our love for him. How many other dads are former cheerleaders, trampoline champions, and magicians?

Individually, these things might make a character hopeless and tragic, but lump them all together in this earnest and well-meaning dad and you just can’t help but find him wildly adorable. I don’t know about you, but Phil Dunphy seems like he’d be a delight at parties.

Phil is husband to type-A, hyper-controlling Claire, and she often plays straight man to his gags and antics. Their three kinds, Hayley, Alex, and Luke, get to participate in his foolishness, and that alone would make for an incredible childhood. Having a dad that has never lost his sense of wonder or magic might be grating at times, but it sure does help you stay a kid a little longer.