Are these classic TV characters dads or not?

They’re doctors, detectives, lawyers – but are they also fathers?

When most people think of TV dads they think of sitcoms, but there are plenty of other men with children from all kinds of shows. The kids may not have been the focal point or even seen, but that doesn't mean they weren't important to these TV fathers!

Here are men from a variety of classic TV shows. Some have youngsters seen or talked about while others never had kids. Can you tell who is a dad and who isn't?

  1. Is Captain Stubing from The Love Boat a dad?
  2. Is Barney Fife a dad in The Andy Griffith Show?
  3. Is Ben Matlock a dad?
  4. Is storeowner Ike Godsey a dad in The Waltons?
  5. Is Fester in The Addams Family a dad?
  6. Is Officer Jim Reed a dad in Adam-12?
  7. Is Festus Haggen a dad in Gunsmoke?
  8. Is B.J. Hunnicutt a dad in M*A*S*H?
  9. Is Joe Friday a dad in Dragnet?
  10. Is Oliver Wendell Douglas a dad in Green Acres?
  11. Is Detective Columbo a dad?
  12. Is Thurston Howell III a dad in the original run of Gilligan's Island?

Are these classic TV characters dads or not?

Your Result...

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187 Comments

TheFanFromUNCLE 18 months ago
11/12. I didn't watch The Waltons.
TinaMarieHaddadRhodes 31 months ago
Got 11/12 wasn’t sure about the Waltons…
Keith 32 months ago
10/12 I never watched Adam-12 and hardly ever watched M*A*S*H growing up either. DUH :-)
starri8888 33 months ago
11/12 I missed that columbo one!!
Dajj 33 months ago
9/12 I cant beleive I got Columbo wrong!!
DerekHarris 33 months ago
I dispute the Columbo answer! Unless it was in the later episodes, I don’t ever remember him mentioning children in the 70’s series and it just wouldn’t make sense to add them 10 years later in the newer version. Maybe someone
can name an episode that this occurs in……
This is what I found: In "Any Old Port In A Storm" (1973) he says he went on a picnic with the wife
and "my kid". Might have had another child too young for the picnic, because in the same episode he needs a babysitter and buys 2 quarts of milk, and says "You know how it is when you have kids."

And he says it's too hard for him to write a book at home with "the family and all,"
which sounds like multiple kids running around ("Publish Or Perish," 1974)

In "Mind Over Mayhem" (1974) he says the wife and "kids" are visiting his
mother-in-law.
He mentions his wife having a baby…
Caretaker245 33 months ago
12/12 I admit I guessed about Columbo... never seen the show
BarbaraBadore 33 months ago
Columbo is not a dad--he always talks about his wife but says "they were never blessed with children" at least on Rest in Peace Mrs. Columbo
But he may have been protecting his family, because he was saying this to a homicidal maniac. See my response to DerekHarris.
He did talk about his wife having a baby.
MikefromJersey 33 months ago
11 for 12.
Here is a trivia question for Fathers Day, not even Texasluva will get this one:
Little Joe Cartwright has 4 brothers. Name them.
katlovemetv 33 months ago
12/12, was uncertain about Columbo as well...just took a guess!!
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