TV is full of super good looking parents. Which, duh, of course, they are. It wouldn’t be TV if the ideals weren’t totally unrealistic. Plus, we watch television to escape our boring lives, so MILFs and DILFs are par for the course. Dads, in particular, are always way hotter than the dads we know in real life. Why wasn’t my high school BFFs dad tall, dark, and handsome?!
Clearly these fictional daddies have hours to spend at the gym every day and no credit card limit for their dapper attire. Some TV dads are hotter than all the rest, though, and we’ve got to give credit where credit is due. Keep reading for the hottest daddies to grace our TV screens!
18. Nathan Scott, One Tree Hill
The hottest TV dads are usually the young ones. That’s just common sense. Nathan (James Lafferty) and his wife Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz) have their first child right on the heels of high school ending, immortalizing Nathan as a hot 18-year-old father. To be fair, James Lafferty was 21 while filming season four, so saying that isn’t THAT creepy. He’s also still hot four years later when One Tree Hill decided to skip over the gang’s college years, so it’s not just the barely legal thing. Nathan’s super supportive of his family and will do anything to keep his son safe. The only downside to being this young, hot dad? When Jamie starts dating, his girlfriends are def going to be into his dad!
17. Rafael Solano, Jane the Virgin
Rafael (Justin Baldoni) may have been an accidental daddy, but he’s still a hot one. When his sperm is accidentally artificially inseminated in Jane (Gina Rodriguez), he has no idea how he’s going to manage being a father. But he knew one thing for sure — he was going to be better to his own child than his father was to him. And he has been! He’s been so selfless and caring in the name of his, now, many children. Plus – DAYUM – in between all that parenting he still manages to keep up that six-pack. You go, Raf.
16. Jaime Lannister, Game of Thrones
Sure, the whole world doesn’t know he’s actually the father of his sister’s kids, but that doesn’t make him any less of hot dad. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) may be keeping his dad status secret, but he’s always been a super-protective uncle-dad of his niece-daughter and nephew-sons. Everything he does is to protect his sister and their children, which is def creepy but also pretty sweet. And with, allegedly, another incest baby on the way, he gets to be a hot dad to another sinful bundle of joy!
15. Chris Argent, Teen Wolf
There are few things hotter than a dad with a crossbow. Badass Chris Argent (JR Bourne) knows all about the supernatural goings-on (i.e., werewolves are real, y’all) and works tirelessly to protect his family and friends from dangerous enemies. He’s basically Rambo but with monsters. Despite the tragic deaths that have occurred along the way, he’s never lost his will to fight for what’s right. And that is sexy AF.
14. Doug Ross, E.R.
Sure, we don’t really know the twins and yeah, Doug (George Clooney) doesn’t parent them on the show, but it’s freakin’ George Clooney. He’s a hot dad no matter how often we see his on-screen kids. He is also a doctor. That pretty much makes him an automatic hot dad for any and all future kids. Plus, did I mention he’s George Clooney? Enough said.
13. Eric Taylor, Friday Night Lights
Eric (Kyle Chandler) is strong, commanding, and caring, all while being an inspiring football coach and phenomenal father. Eric is pretty much the daddy-est dad on TV ever. He’s corny and silly in all the right ways, while always trying to protect his daughter. Watch him intimidate his daughter’s boyfriends, and you’ll probably wish he was intimidating your own. Eric is strong and protective, and while he isn’t the sexiest dad on TV (dad bod FTW), he’s totally hot to us based on personality alone. That’s not to say he isn’t a total hunk, though, cause he is.
12. Rufus Humphrey, Gossip Girl
Rufus (Matthew Settle) is the dad that tries to be cool and hip and actually is cool and hip. He’s unrefined — I mean, look at all the flannels! — but scruffy in a super hot way. And he’s a musician! What’s hotter than that? Let’s ignore the part where he’s in his 40s still trying to making it big in the music biz and focus on the handsome man with a guitar part. Rufus loves his kids, chases his passions, and wears every shirt about half a size too small. Upper East Siders, we have a hot dad.
11. Jin-Soon Kwon, Lost
At the beginning of the show, Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) was abusive and controlling, far from an ideal husband or father figure. But as his time trapped on the island went on, he softened, and he and his wife eventually fell back in love with each other and Sun got pregnant. He sacrificed his entire life for that child when it came down to it, trying to make sure she would grow up off the island. Plus all that time spent chopping wood while stranded gave him an intensely chiseled bod.
10. Kevin Hamilton, Awkward.
Kevin (Mike Faiola) was a young dad, 16 and pregnant style. He figured it out but really maintains his DILF status even as his daughter Jenna (Ashley Rickards) grows into her late teen years. In fact, we’re willing to be that Jenna’s made some friends through the years just so they could go to her house and oggle her dad. Because, how could they not?! It looks like teen fatherhood has its benefits? Well, on TV at least.
9. Luke Danes, Gilmore Girls
Oh, Luke. Gruff, sarcastic, coffee-stained Luke. He’s so curmudgeonly and curt it’s hard to imagine he’d be a hot dad but he just is. He’s practical but works hard for the things he loves. The minute he finds out he has a 13-year-old daughter that he never knew about, Luke spends all of his time and effort on getting to know her better and raising her as best he can. Better late than never! While April is his only biological daughter, the way he parents Jess showed a lot about him as a dad, and he even acts as a father figure to Rory frequently throughout the show. He helped move her into college, after all! His personality is hotter than even his nicest flannel, and the way he looks out for the ones he loves makes him wish he’d care for you that way, too.
8. Jim Halpert, The Office
Jim (John Krasinski) isn’t the sexiest guy in the world; we’ll be honest. But he just might be the cutest. He’s a little goofy and a wicked prankster. But his devotion to Pam (Jenna Fischer) and his budding family is so admirable it makes him a super hot dad. Sure, he’s conventionally attractive, but the best parts of him are how much he cares, his patience, and his commitment to his family. There’s nothing hotter than a dad who goes all-in on fatherhood.
7. John Winchester, Supernatural
John is played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, so that tells you right there that he’s one of the hottest dads on TV. John raised his sons to battle the supernatural to seek revenge for their mother’s deaths and to be able to defend themselves against the darkness in the world. He’s teaching his kids survival skills and valuable life lessons. All while being Jeffrey Dean Morgan. What’s hotter than that?
6. Dexter Morgan, Dexter
Dexter (Michael C. Hall) may be a serial killer, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a good dad. While he definitely wasn’t made to be a father, he took the mantle of dad with honor and always made sure he was carving out a good life for his son. Everything he does is to protect Harrison, and for a guy who claims he has no emotions, that’s pretty huge. Plus, have you even seen Dexter in that skin-tight henley? Not sure how he feels comfortable in that, but it’s sexy as hell.
5. FP Jones, Riverdale
For those of you who like bad boys, then FP (Skeet Ulrich) is the hot dad for you. While being a little more rough around the edges can get a little stale as one grows older, FP somehow does it well. He’s in a gang and spends half the show in jail – but he’s not bad in a scary way, just in the makes-bad-decisions type of way. While that really shouldn’t be sexy, it inarguably is. In the end, he actually is a good dad to Jughead, sacrificing his freedom for the good of his loved ones and falling on the sword when necessary if it means protecting his son. FP is the definition of a dad determined not to be boring.
4. Christopher Hayden, Gilmore Girls
As hot as Luke is, Christopher (David Sutcliffe) is definitively the hotter TV dad on Gilmore Girls. That smile! That swagger! He’s damn near perfect. But as hot as he is, it’s his personality that subtracts points. He’s not the best dad and, in fact, has been a bit of a deadbeat on several occasions. He’s pretty negligent to Rory, constantly crawls back to Lorelai when he needs help, and tends to take the women around him for granted. Then again, one flash of those pearly whites and you almost forget all the years he spent abandoning his kid. He’s the definition of a pretty boy rich kid turned spoiled adult, but he wears it so well. Chris, you can give us daddy issues any day.
3. Don Draper, Mad Men
You couldn’t say that Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is the most attentive dad or the best husband. He cheated on his kids’ mom constantly, is a hard drinker, and he puts work above all else. But damn, can he wear a suit. He’s a hot dad with a very light emphasis on the dad part. Despite his major shortcomings, Don did work hard to provide for his family and try to give them a better life than he had growing up. Hey, there’s a reason Don got as many women as he did over the course of the show — you can’t deny that jaw line!
2. Jack Pearson, This Is Us
Raise your hand if you only started watching This Is Us because of promos that showed Milo Ventimiglia looking hot as hell. Yeah, thought so. The thing with Jack Pearson is that he is, quite honestly, the complete package. Good looks? Check! Loving husband? Check! Doting father? Check! Went into a burning house to save a dog? You know it! Sure, there was the whole alcoholic storyline, but when push comes to shove, he changed himself to save his family and that is really quite admirable.
1. Jesse Katsopolis, Full House
Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) turned into Dad Jesse and stayed just as hot. Jesse started the show as a playboy musician just calming down his life to help raise his nieces after their mother dies. Throughout the show, he matures, falls in love, and has kids of his own, all while pursuing his blossoming music career. So he’s a hot musician who’s also mature and respectful? Um… Sign me up immediately. The best part of Jesse? He’s only gotten hotter with age. John Stamos is like a fine wine and all of his appearances on Fuller House prove what we’ve all known for decades: Jesse’s a DILF who’s still got it.