It’s May sweeps. Current series are coming to an end, while others are soon to launch for summer runs. Now that we’re coming into the home stretch, I’ve noticed something: bad dads. Not mean, lovably grumpy dads. I mean evil with an emphasis on a very long “E.” Look at this lineup:
Phillip Bauer (James Cromwell), our hero Jack Bauer’s (Kiefer Sutherland) dad on 24. Not only is he in league with the terrorists who bombed L.A., he killed his son Graem (Paul McCrane), lied about it, then later held his grandson hostage. Last week, he threatened to kill his grandson’s mother, and right before Mother’s Day!
On Lost, we found out that icky Ben (Michael Emerson) had an icky dad. Not as icky as Ben, but we’re led to believe that his father’s failings are the cause of Ben’s unending capacity for emotional abuse. Speaking of daddy issues, Lost is full of them. Jack’s (Matthew Fox) dad was a well-respected doctor. In the name of medical ethics, Jack had to publicly reveal he was also a drunk. His dad felt betrayed. Jack felt guilty. And don’t forget Locke (Terry O’Quinn). His long lost dad played him so bad, Locke found himself down one kidney. The old guy got angry when Locke threatened to reveal his past to his new fiancée (who the old guy was presumably marrying for her money) and pushed Locke out a high-rise window. Of course, the Lost world being what it is, Locke had an opportunity to enact revenge, couldn’t do it, and got Sawyer to do it. Yes, it’s confusing. All you need to know is that most of the key characters on this show have a daddy issue of some sort.
On Heroes, the nefarious Mr. Linderman finally has a face: Malcolm McDowell. My wild guess is that he’s Nathan Petrelli’s (Adrian Pasdar) dad. And what’s up with Hiro’s (Masi Oka) dad played by George Takei? He apparently has a history with Mr. Linderman, but as far as being evil, it’s too early to tell. I’m told the jury is out on whether horned-rimmed glasses man (Claire’s dad) is good or bad. I’m voting for the former, but if there were a betrayal in the works, then yes, he would be another eeeeevil daddy.
The new summer series Traveler (ABC) has a potentially evil dad. At least that’s what was indicated at the end of the first episode (I won’t give it away in case you want to watch the official series premiere May 30).
In the early days of TV, dad was a cardigan-clad wise man. The last of this ilk just left the airwaves in the form of the Rev. Camden (Stephen Collins) on 7th Heaven. That version of dad was no more realistic than the parade of doofy, clueless, whipped, and outright idiotic dads that followed for a good, long while on series like According to Jim, Everybody Loves Raymond, George Lopez, The Bernie Mac Show, My Wife & Kids, ‘Til Death, Everybody Hates Chris, The War at Home, Malcolm in the Middle, or animated dads like Homer Simpson, Stan Smith (American Dad), or Peter Griffin (Family Guy). But watching TV isn’t about realism; it’s about escapism. Still, how did TV dad become so bitterly bad?
You could argue that the preponderance of evil TV dads, as well as fantasy and science-fiction series, is in response to the freaking scary times we live in. But I also think there is something to be said for who is doing the storytelling. A recent Writers Guild of America-West report on diversity showed that while there have been some gains in TV writers’ rooms, the overwhelming majority of TV writers are still white males. Would dad get a fairer shake were the writers’ room more diverse? Not necessarily. Flawed characters are much more interesting that goody-goody characters. And yet, I can’t help but wonder what the world would look like if viewed from the margins. In the meantime, I have to say I like watching “evil dad” if only for the opportunity to imagine: What’s next?
As always, stay tuned.
This article appears in May 18 • 2007.