Jun 16, 2023 - Things to Do

7 best (fictional) Chicago dads of all time

Justin Kaufmann

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John Amos (as James Evans Sr.) and Esther Rolle (as Florida Evans) from "Good Times" in 1974. Photo: CBS via Getty Images

For Father's Day, we wanted to call out some of the best dads in Chicago.

Now, it would be entirely fruitless to choose from the millions of dads who are real, so we've decided to only honor the fictional ones.

Here are Chicago's top seven fake dads:

James Evans Sr., "Good Times"

James held down the Evans family while living in Cabrini Green in the 1970s. He was always a stern disciplinarian who showed nothing but love for his wife and his three kids. Evans also had to deal with a smart-ass teenager who loved to yell "dynamite!" over and over.

Evans was played by John Amos, who coincidentally is having his own family drama this week.

Dan Conner, "Roseanne" and "The Conners"

Screenshot of a television show where two characters are sitting on a couch. — Dan and Roseanne Conner, before the "heart attack." Photo: The Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Television Network.

Dan Conner continues to be the patriarch of the spinoff "The Conners," even after his wife and kids' mother Roseanne died of a "heart attack."

We've watched the loveable dad for decades and even now, he navigates parenting adult children and their children. And he always has time for an emotional moment or two, punctuated by well-timed (and well-written) jokes.

We always forget that national treasure John Goodman is in a weekly network sitcom.

Carl Winslow, "Family Matters"

A screenshot from a television show where two people are laughing on a couch. — Carl and Harriette Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson, left and JoMarie Payton-Noble) on "Family Matters." Photo: CBS via Getty Images

Officer Winslow was a great dad to his kids, and to his neighbor's kids too!

I mean, did we ever see Steve Urkel's parents? Good on you, Carl. Good on you.

Winslow was a Chicago cop on "Family Matters" but he seemed to have a pretty normal schedule. Maybe they didn't cancel days off for summer events back in the 1990s.

Winslow was played by Reginald VelJohnson, who is reprising his TV dad role selling insurance.

Buck Russell, "Uncle Buck" & Bernie Mac, "The Bernie Mac Show"

Photo of a man who is putting his hands on his face. — John Candy. Photo: Patti Gower/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Let's give some love to the uncles!

If we were going to point out the uncles, it comes down to Buck and Bernie. Uncle Buck (John Candy in the original 1989 movie) turned his sister's family around for a week or so, while Bernie Mac took his sister's kids in permanently.

For real, shout out to two of the best to ever do it.

Screenshot of a TV show of an actor talking to the screen. — A screenshot during the "In Memoriam" segment during the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2009. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Slats Grobnik aka Mike Royko

Photo of a man sitting with his feet up at an office desk — Mike Royko. Photo: Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Famed Chicago columnist Mike Royko was real, but Slats Grobnik is another story.

Royko's alter ego was used as a device for his writing, and Royko painted a picture of a tavern regular who loved Chicago but nothing about it.

Yes, but: Was he a dad? Sure he was. He was whatever Rokyo wanted him to be.

It's fiction, after all.

Shelley Levene, "Glengarry Glen Ross"

Stanley Townsend as Shelley Levene and Christian Slater as Richard "Ricky" Roma in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross in 2017 in London. Photo: Robbie Jack/Corbis via Getty Images

The old-time, washed up salesman in David Mamet's incredible play "Glengarry Glen Ross" may not have spent too much time talking about his family, but he does invoke his daughter when begging Ricky for better leads.

Of course he's a dad, why else would he still be trying to sell shady real estate well into his 70s? He has mouths to feed!