Happy Father's Day

Last month I talked about some of the more out-there TV moms and then a tornado hit on Mother's Day. Maybe it's a sign that I should stick with the traditional parents.

Certainly, TV has had its share of those, such as Bill Cosby, Ozzie Nelson and Hugh Beaumont. But it's interesting that whenever TV writers show an estrangement between a parent and child, it's far more often between a father and son than a mother and daughter.

As for me, I get on great with my dad, though he's skipping the weekend visit because he's under the weather. (Feel better, Dad!)

It was my dad who instilled in me the love of all things British (OK, all things except cricket. Sorry.) So as this column delves into the best of British TV, you have my dad to thank or blame, depending on your point of view.

Some other of my favorite TV dads:

--Noah Bennet, "Heroes": You really have to love a dad who would, quite literally, kill for his daughter. He would also win a lot of "My dad can beat up your dad" arguments.

--William Adama, "Battlestar Galactica": Not just the father to Apollo, but really, the father figure to the whole remains of humanity.

--Ted Moseby, "How I Met Your Mother": You really have to love a father that tries to tell his kids a simple story about the first time he met their mother, and it takes four years to do so.

--John Winchester, "Supernatural": He may give Noah Bennet a run for his money in terms of tough-guy dads, what with the sending demons to Hell gig and teaching his sons how to survive.

--Alan Epps, "Numb3rs": Somehow, he manages to get his two wildly different sons (an FBI agent and a math genius) to work together to solve crimes. In the show's first couple of seasons, Alan often had to play referee between the two.

--Mr. Suarez, "Ugly Betty": You've got to love a dad who is such a good cook. Plus, in addition to his two daughters, he often serves as a father figure to other men on the show like Daniel or Henry.

--Coach Eric Taylor, "Friday Night Lights": Another guy who has to serve as a father to more than just his own children. His scene of trying to pull Matt out of his funk by shoving him into the shower was probably the best act of parenting on TV this year and one of the best-done scenes of the series.

--Al Bundy, "Married With Children": The polar opposite to the Ozzie Nelsons of the TV world, he always kept things interesting. And he once scored four touchdowns in a game.

Who are some of your favorite TV dads?

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: OK, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that the early buzz on "Battlestar Galactica" (Sci Fi, 10 p.m.) is that it's the best season finale cliffhanger they have done, which is saying something considering the other ones had Adama taking two slugs into the chest, finding humanity on New Caprica by jumping ahead a year, and revealing the identity of four of the final five Cylons. The bad news? "BSG" won't return to the air until early 2009 at the earliest. (Frakkin' Sci Fi!)

It follows a new "Doctor Who" (Sci Fi, 9 p.m.), in which the Doctor and Donna meet Agatha Christie.

On Saturday, "Robin Hood" (BBC America, 9 p.m.) is back with a new installment.

Also, sports-wise, the U.S. Open airs on ESPN and CBS all weekend, while Georgia faces No. 1 Miami (ESPN, 7 p.m.) in the College World Series.

On Sunday, Whoopi Goldberg hosts the Tony Awards (CBS, 9 p.m.) while another new "In Plain Sight" (USA, 10 p.m.) airs.