Tampabay.com
JUNE 11, 2009

Pick the 'Dads of the '80s' ... the WORST ones!

Married-With-Children_l Father's Day is around the corner, so prepare yourself for an avalanche of "greatest TV dads" lists from the regular media. But not here at Stuck in the '80s. We prefer to focus on: The Worst Dads of the '80s.

No you can't vote for your step-dad or Sean Daly. We want either fictional dads (TV, movie or cable) or dads in the news.

Here are some obvious ones to get your minds working:

DARTH VADER:
Chops off Luke's hand and then fesses up that he's dear old dad in The Empire Strikes Back. Then turns Luke over to the Emperor, threatens his sister and nearly gets everyone killed. Oh, and don't pull that "But he turned good" in Return of the Jedi. Either way you slice it with a light saber, there's years of therapy coming for the Skywalker clan.

AL BUNDY: Sure, he provided a home and meals for Kelly and Bud, but that's about it. (I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I still like Ed O'Neill in 1991's Dutch.)

HOMER SIMPSON: He was an '80s dad for about one week, with The Simpsons debuting in late December 1989.

It's hard to find many more. In the '80s, the negligent, evil dads were rarely shown on TV. Like Bender's cigarette-throwing dad in The Breakfast Club, they're talked about but rarely seen. But go for it. Dazzle us with your picks.

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About the blogger

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times entertainment news editor Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.

E-mail Steve Spears:
stuckinthe80s@tampabay.com
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