In honor of Father's Day, TheWrap recognizes non-parental TV father figures, from Mr. Feeney on "Boy Meets World" to Mr. Carson on "Downton Abbey" to the eponymous Mr. Belvedere and Chief Hopper on "Stranger Things."
CBS
Bentley Gregg (John Forsythe), "Bachelor Father"
One of TV's earliest examples of a father who wasn't a father, Bentley took on the responsibility of raising his niece, Kelly (Noreen Corcoran), after her parents were killed in a car accident.
ABC
Mr. Feeny (William Daniels), "Boy Meets World"
The Matthews' next-door neighbor was also Cory's (Ben Savage) teacher and eventually his principal, offering sagely advice throughout his young life.
20th Television
Mr. Belvedere (Christopher Hewett), "Mr. Belvedere"
In the 1980s sitcom, Mr. Belvedere took on a job as a posh butler with an American family. Throughout the show's run, Mr. Belvedere often served as a mentor to the head of house George Owens (played by Bob Uecker) as well as his three children.
ABC
Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier), "Full House"
Uncle Joey had his puppets and his nieces, but no kids. Still, he played an essential role in helping raise Danny's (Bob Saget) girls. Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) would have made this list, but he eventually had twins of his own.
ABC
Wilson (Earl Hindman), "Home Improvement"
Wilson always had advice for the Taylor boys, though no one ever saw the mouth that it came out of. He probably had even more words of wisdom for man-child Tim (Tim Allen), who seemed to need a lot of guidance.
NBC
Lorne Michaels, "SNL"
The longtime "Saturday Night Live" chief has mentored some of the greatest comedians of several generations. Michaels often appears in sketches in the fatherly role that he's adopted in real life.
The WB
Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
Giles may have been Buffy's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) Watcher, but the librarian offered advice and wisdom to the entire Scooby Gang, even after they graduated high school.
The WB
Keith Scott (Craig Sheffer), "One Tree Hill"
Poor Keith became a father after his death on the show. But before that, he helped Karen (Moira Kelly) raise his nephew Lucas (Chad Michael Murray), falling in love with her along the way. Later, his spirit (yes, this happened!) guides Lucas and Nathan (James Lafferty) for a season.
FX
Wilfred (Jason Gann), "Wilfred"
While he may not be real, Wilfred is real enough in Ryan's (Elijah Wood) world, and serves as both mentor and guide as Ryan struggles through life. Granted, he's a terrible mentor and gets Ryan in trouble more often than not, but it seems to be all about making Ryan a better person. Maybe.
NBC
Red (James Spader), "The Blacklist"
While Red's personal life remains very much a mystery, what's no secret is his strange fatherly interest in FBI Agent Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). He would only work through her, and on more than one occasion stepped in to save her life, while trying to guide her toward a truth that only he fully understands.
HBO
Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels), "The Newsroom"
When he wasn't being a curmudgeon, Will actually cared about his team and the newsroom he worked with, and would go to any lengths to protect them in a hostile environment. Maybe that's why he was so cranky.
Getty Images
Simon Cowell, "American Idol"
Cowell can be a contestant's greatest hope for stardom, and he can provide just the right mix of support and honest truth that they need to achieve greatness. That is, when he's not yelling and carrying on.
Nickelodeon
Mr. Dink (Fred Newman), "Doug"
Doug's (Billy West/Tom McHugh) older, eccentric neighbor was as quick with a bizarre high-tech gadget as he was with words of wisdom for the young man. Unfortunately, sometimes both proved to be of little use.
FOX
Captain Ray Holt (Andrew Braugher), "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
The Captain has no biological kids, but the immature cops that work for him are childish enough to need constant nurturing, and stoic, tough love.
NBC
Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins), "Saved by the Bell"
The Big Bopper was more than just a principal to Zach Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and friends at Bayside High. He usually had a moral lesson up his sleeve -- it was often doled out in detention.
FX
Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman), "Sons of Anarchy"
After marrying Gemma (Katey Sagal), Clay became a stepfather of sorts to Jax (Charlie Hunnam), but that didn't stop the two from trying to kill one another on a regular basis. Clay also took on a fatherly role to other members of the club, until his greed went too far, and his "children" turned on him.
Nickelodeon
Artie (Toby Huss), "The Adventures of Pete and Pete"
The self-proclaimed "Strongest Man in the World" was Little Pete's (Danny Tamberelli) personal superhero, and one of the few adults that held any sort of positive influence over the rambunctious kid.
AMC
Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), "Breaking Bad"
While Walter White (Bryan Cranston) was busy cooking meth and killing (other) bad guys, it was Hank who stepped in and took care of Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte) and his little sis. The surrogate father couldn't save himself, however, once he figured out Walter's secrets.
HBO
Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), "Boardwalk Empire"
No one ever said they needed to be GOOD father figures to qualify for this list. Nevertheless, Nucky took Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) under his wing early on in the series' run, though that didn't turn out too well for Jimmy.
Showtime
Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin), "Homeland"
Saul doesn't need kids of his own, as Carrie (Claire Danes) is more than enough to keep him busy. Aware of her bipolar disorder, Saul has done everything in his power to nurture and protect her from outside forces, and herself.
CBS
Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), "Star Trek: The Next Generation"
Starfleet is his mistress, so it makes sense that the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise were his children. Captain Picard spent as much time helping Data (Brent Spiner) understand humanity, and providing guidance to every other member of the crew, as he did exploring space.
Bravo
Andy Cohen, "Real Housewives (all)"
These are grown women, but you wouldn't always know it to watch their shows. It can get even worse on the reunion specials, which is why it's always good to see Andy there, calming the ladies and trying to keep them from clawing each other's eyes out.
CBS
Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), "NCIS"
Leroy had a daughter at one time, but he lost her at a young age to tragedy. Perhaps that's why he has taken on such a fatherly role with his team of NCIS agents, helping them with their problems, while keeping his own a deep, dark mystery.
ABC
Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Coulson hand selected his own team, and he filled it with broken people in need of support, direction and guidance. It's no wonder he's stepped up as a father figure to so many of them, and especially the orphaned Skye (Chloe Bennet).
ABC
Blake Shelton, "The Voice"
While not a father in real life, Blake is clearly ready. Why else would he keep being drawn to young contestants, and asking them if he can adopt them? His fatherly guidance has already launched "The Voice" winners Cassadee Pope and Danielle Bradbery onto the country charts.
Netflix
Chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour), "Stranger Things Season 2"
The gruff but lovable police chief on Netflix's hit show slowly became a father figure to the telekinetic teenager Eleven (played by Millie Bobbie Brown). He taught her about music, made her waffles, and kept her safe from the government. At the end of Season 2, the duo legally became a father-daughter pair when Eleven, or Jane, received a new birth certificate labeling Hopper as her dad.
Netflix
Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), "Stranger Things Season 2"
While Hopper took on Eleven as his own daughter, Nancy's boyfriend Steve found himself responsible for all of her friends: Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Sadie. The Internet christened the newly beloved babysitter as Dad Steve and got particularly emotional about his unlikely bond with the nerdy Dustin (played by Gaten Matazzaro), to whom he gave hair advice and girl advice throughout the season. Executive producer Steve Levy has promised that there will be more Dad Steve in the upcoming third season.
CW
Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver), "Supernatural"
While their father wasn't always around, the Winchester boys learned they could always count on Bobby to help them out of a jam, or teach them the right and wrong way to exorcise a demon. Even after his death, Bobby managed to find ways to take care of his "idjits."
ABC
John Locke (Terry O'Quinn), "Lost"
When he wasn't clashing with Jack, Locke was helping some of the castaways grow up -- and stay alive. He bonded especially with Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) in the early going, helping the boy work through the grief of losing his mother, and grow closer to his biological father, Michael (Harold Perrineau).
PBS
Mr. Carson (Jim Carter), "Downton Abbey"
Mr. Carson is a father figure for both the upstairs and downstairs of the upstairs/downstairs drama. He looks after the staff and the Grantham girls. While gruff and proper, Mr. Carson has shown a greater empathy than expected at times, proving he can be progressive, too, albeit reluctantly.
Syfy
Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek), "Warehouse 13"
While he was always a bit of a father figure to the agents under his charge, it was the arrival of the troubled Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) that really brought out his softer, and yet dangerously protective side.
TBS
Mr. Mansfield (John C. McGinley), "Ground Floor"
The consummate business man, Mansfield surprised even himself when he took such an interest in Brody (Skylar Astin). While grooming him for success in business, Mansfield became emotionally invested in Brody's burgeoning relationship with Jenny (Briga Heelan), offering sage advice, buried inside cutting sarcasm.
