It’s no secret that Lucy’s parents aren’t perfect, but in the ways that they fall down, Grey has always been there to be that father figure for her. He’s constantly supported her from day one and even covered for her relationship with Tim. Seasons 6 and & have been key in showing their father/daughter relationship. Grey was the only person that Lucy vented to about her breakup with Tim. Grey even told Tim that if he didn’t solve his issues with Lucy, then he would be leaving the station. The scene that solidified Grey’s father-like protectiveness was in season 7 episode 12 – April Fools – when he rips into Lucy about getting back with Tim (even if it was a prank), it truly showed how much he cared for Lucy and wanted what’s best for her – including for her to be promoted to sergeant, he was so excited to give her the stripes she deserved. They truly are a great example of how anyone can step up to be a parent-like figure.

#2 Joel Miller & Ellie Williams, “The Last of Us” by Anjali

“The Last of Us” starts off Joel & Ellie’s relationship as nothing more than just a mission in a pandemic-ridden world that’s been overrun by zombies, with Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) smuggling the teenage Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) across the country in a desperate attempt to find a cure for the infection that destroyed the world; but throughout the first season, we watch as how these two characters who are so alike in personality in some ways and different in others, start to form a relationship that develops over time with trust and care, even though there’s the occasional class of wills between them. Joel’s initial reluctance to take on this quest turns into something more protective and parental when he and Ellie find themselves backed into a corner multiple times – more so against other humans than just the Cordyceps infected Clickers – everyone who has seen the season one finale (or played the final arc of the videogame) knows just how far Joel is willing to go in order to keep Ellie safe and alive.

Ellie is his second chance at being a father, having lost his biological daughter, Sarah Miller (Nico Parker) on the night that the world ended, and he will do whatever it takes to make things right, even if it’s not necessarily the “right” thing to do – although one can debate his actions in the finale endlessly (as they have for years now since the game released over a decade ago). Pedro Pascal & Bella Ramsey have wonderful chemistry together, which makes the relationship all the more heartfelt as they play off each other so naturally. Season2 obviously changes everything (and how!) but there’s always going to be some manner of Joel’s presence that will be felt in Ellie’s life – even if most of it moving on will be seen through flashbacks, it only goes to show that the two of them are the heart of “TLOU” even now.

#3 Jim Walsh & Dylan McKay, “Beverly Hills, 90210” by Meredith

When the Walsh family moved to Beverly Hills, their traditional family dynamic resonated with the friends that twins Brandon (Jason Priestley) and Brenda (Shannen Doherty) attracted. Casa Walsh became a place where Kelly (Jennie Garth) took refuge after her mother showed up to the mother/daughter fashion show high, Steve (Ian Ziering) spent most of his high school career in their kitchen, and Brenda’s boyfriend Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) viewed Jim Walsh as a surrogate father. Jim Walsh (James Eckhouse) had to balance his desire to lock Brenda up in a tower with the knowledge that Dylan truly needed a positive parental figure. The relationship was complicated by Dylan and Brenda taking a secret trip to Mexico, and Dylan eventually picked Kelly over Brenda (a decision that continues to divide America). However, after Dylan’s father dies in an explosion, he is invited into the Walsh house, and Jim manages Dylan’s vast fortune. Jim often refers to Dylan as “son”, and Dylan would act out like a child. Their bond was so noticeable that it led to friction between Dylan and Brandon, who often looked to his boss Nat (Joe E. Tata) as a father figure when he was disappointed in his own father. Happy Father’s Day Jimbo!

#4 Phil Coulson & Daisy Johnson, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” by Anjali

Over 7 seasons and 136 episodes, anyone who watched “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” had a front-row seat to seeing the beginning of Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Daisy Johnson’s (Chloe Bennet) relationship and all of the different variations that followed thereafter – and different versions of themselves (quite literally in Coulson’s case) too – from encountering hacktivist “Skye” who turns out to be an 0-8-4, an object of unknown origin, whom Coulson feels protective of from early on to helping her find her place on the team as her mentor, to them navigating the discovery of her Inhuman identity as “Quake” and then later “Daisy Johnson” who in reality wasn’t an orphan; the two of them undergo difficulties and dangerous situations with each other and come out stronger after their ordeals. Even when Daisy leaves the team for a while to go off on her own or eventually becomes leader to the Secret Warriors, Coulson always does everything he can to support her decisions and after he “dies” once more, the despair of losing someone who has become so important to her over time is too much for Daisy to bear that she doesn’t even hesitate when the opportunity arises to have him be a part of her life – albeit in LMD form.

Whether it’s traveling to the future and discovering that she’s possibly known as “The Destroyer of Worlds” and struggling to grapple with the idea of her being a ‘monster’ or coming face to face with both of her parents Jiaying and Calvin Johnson, Daisy has always known that no matter what happens, Coulson is and always will be a constant; the father she never had growing up, but who helped shape her into the woman she becomes. And even though by the series finale, they aren’t the same people they were when they first met, there’s still that same familiarity and love and respect they have for the other person.

#5 Jim Hopper & Eleven, “Stranger Things” by Kim

Among the government conspiracies and supernatural chaos, the emotional core of Stranger Things keeps viewers coming back, and very few relationships demonstrate that better than the bond between Eleven and Jim Hopper. What began as a protective act in season 2, when Hopper took Eleven in and kept her hidden in the words, slowly transformed into a very complicated, beautiful, deeply human father-daughter relationship. Still grieving the loss of his biological daughter, Hopper found healing in caring for Eleven, and while having grown up in a lab empty of love, Eleven discovered what it meant to be safe, sene and supported.

Hopper’s overprotectiveness clashes with Elven’s need for independence in many ways, especially while she navigates teenage life and young love, but that’s what makes their relationship so real and pure. Through arguments, heartfelt letters, reconciliations and sacrifices, Hopper became more than just a guardian; he became a Dad. Their story reminds us that the strongest families aren’t always bound by blood, buy choice, growth and unconditional love even in the midst of supernatural odds.

#6 Clint Barton & Kate Bishop, “Hawkeye” by Anjali

Avenger. Best Friend. Husband. Father. Clint Barton a.k.a Hawkeye has many roles that he’s fulfilled in his life, but it’s through his tv show that we really get to see a deeper look into what makes him a regular guy as well; while most of the focus is on Kate Bishops’ story, there’s always that thread of Clint wanting to get back his family in time for the holidays, which is consistent throughout the season, but it doesn’t stop him from doing what he has to in order to help Kate untangle herself from the mess she unknowingly finds herself in – for someone who had seen THE Hawkeye in action during the Battle of New York and not only became inspired by him, but chose to follow in his footsteps, Kate gets a firsthand experience in learning what happens when you meet your hero, as the well-known trope goes.

And even though there’s the hesitance and reluctance on Clint’s part, he does eventually take on the mentor/father-figure role for Kate; protecting her and showing her the ropes of archery and what it really means to be a superhero – not to mention that after everything he had done in his past life as the Ronin, which Kate eventually learns about, it allows her to see Clint as a man, who makes mistakes and owns up to them and takes responsibility for his actions, which brings them closer together. They not only stand as equals, but as family as well, since Laura and the Barton children practically adopt Kate as one of their own at the end of the show too.

#7 Bobby Nash & Evan Buckley, “911” by Val

Biologically speaking, Buck and Bobby are not related in the slightest, however, there’s no doubt that Bobby has been the father-figure in Buck’s life. From the moment we meet Buck, he’s an out of control firefighter who struggles with following the rules. He’s so quick to put himself in danger without thinking of the repercussions. Despite this fact, Bobby knows that Buck has the capability to do things the right way, but he needs guidance. In the fifth episode of season four, titled “Buck Begins” we finally get to see why Buck turned out the way he did. His parents thought that having Buck would be a way to create a match for their sick son Daniel, and when that didn’t work (Daniel passed away), they basically resented him (I don’t care how they try to spin it, they did). The only way Buck would get their attention was if he hurt himself doing something reckless. He’s had years of this behavior, but when Bobby finally came into his life, he saw that being reckless only got him reprimanded. Buck slowly shed that part of him, wanting to prove to Bobby that he was capable of being a team player. As the seasons progressed, Buck and Bobby grew closer – he even taught Buck how to cook for the firehouse. He motivated Buck in ways his own father couldn’t, quickly becoming a role model in Buck’s life. Bobby has always been the father Buck needed and they’re a perfect example of blood doesn’t make someone family.

#8 Rupert Giles & Buffy Summers, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” by Anjali

For every Slayer, there is always a Watcher – a mentor, a guide, a teacher to their respective charges, who train them to fight against the supernatural forces of evil – and for Buffy Summers, there’s Rupert Giles; the High School Librarian at Sunnydale High, who ends up filling the role of a pseudo-father to Buffy over the seasons. Considering that she was only a teenager, raised by a single mother when she discovered what her destiny foretold, being in close proximity to her even outside of killing vampires and battling the demons of the Hellmouth, Giles felt more than just a sense of responsibility to look out for Buffy because it was his job as her Watcher, it started to become a duty that he chose to fulfill out of care and respect for her. The two of them didn’t always see eye to eye on everything – especially when Buffy fell in love with Angel in season 1, her sworn enemy of all things, a vampire – but even through all of the heartbreaks and loves lost, Giles was a constant support system for her, the father she never had, someone who didn’t just teach her how to survive in this world that they’d found themselves in, but someone she cared about and respected as well.

By the time season 3 rolled around, even the Watcher’s Council had started to realize that the lines between Giles and Buffy’s professional relationship was blurring into personal, which led them to replace him as her Watcher by sending in Wesley Wyndham-Pryce in his stead; but despite the shift in leadership, Giles stayed on as the librarian and saw Buffy butting heads with Wesley, she continued to go to him for advice and guidance, the stark difference between Buffy & Wesley’s relationship compared to Buffy & Giles’s relationship spoke loud volumes. There was no replacing him in her life in the role which mattered more than just that of Slayer and Watcher.

#9 Tony Soprano & Christopher Moltisanti, “The Soprano’s” by Elena

Many will recall that while Tony Soprano bore a biological son, Anthony Soprano Jr. (known as AJ), the two had a complicated relationship over the years, with Tony bearing witness to the qualities in AJ that he had seen and hated in himself. That may have been partly due to Tony’s disappointment over AJ not being a suitable addition to Tony’s organization and feeling in part like he may have failed his son.

He did, however, develop a fatherly bond with Christopher Moltisanti, whom he referred to as a nephew, though the two are not biologically related. Instead, Christopher is Carmela’s first cousin. Throughout the show, the pair is seen as having a strong, somewhat unbreakable bond, with loyalty and respect at the forefront. The relationship was not without its problems, though, as Christopher’s behavior could be unpredictable and noncommittal, as seen when he pursues a career in screenwriting, until he is given an ultimatum – fame or the mafia.

The bond that we came to know and love was brought to a sudden end in season 6 when Tony kills Christopher. Leading up to Christopher’s murder, some events precede and foreshadow why Tony took the actions that he did. Ultimately, he feels as though he has failed as a parent to AJ, but though he cannot change the past with his biological son, he can stop Christopher from destroying more lives and ensure that the family organization is not left in the hands of someone who will spiral out of control. It’s a bittersweet end, and there is a sense of relief.

#10 Vernon Mullins & Melinda Monroe, “Virgin River” by Anjali 

Not all father/daughter relationships start off on the right foot, and there’s no better example of that than Vernon “Doc” Mullins and Melinda “Mel” Monroe when they first meet! The two of them immediately clash with each other when Mel shows up to Virgin River as the new nurse practitioner to assist Doc in his practice; something that the latter cannot seem to wrap his head around because he has no need of a nurse, and is fully capable of doing his job by himself without anyone to help him – his age is of no consequence he claims and from the very beginning, the two of them have a frosty relationship that seems like it will never thaw! But not only is Mel able to breach through Vernon’s carefully built-up stubborn walls and prove her competence and credentials to him professionally, over time, there’s a sense of begrudging respect that turns into genuine care and concern. The two of them are headstrong and independent people who slowly but surely start to reveal their respective vulnerabilities to each other – with Mel opening up to Doc about her late husband Mark and their still-born daughter and Doc’s macular degeneration diagnosis – which ends up bringing them closer together.

And when Mel’s biological father Everett Reed, shows up at the very end of season 5, Doc isn’t simply jealous of the other man’s place in Mel’s life, he’s protective towards Mel because he doesn’t want her to be disappointed or letdown by someone who hasn’t been part of her life for so many decades. The best example of Doc’s importance to Mel and vice-versa is revealed when Mel asks him to walk her down the aisle when she’s getting married to Jack and it shows just how far their relationship has come since that first night when they had met, a full circle to their growth as individual characters and as a father/daughter relationship with each other that neither one would have ever expected to experience.

Honorable Mentions: Bobby Singer & Sam and Dean Winchester (Supernatural), Killian Jones & Henry Mills (Once Upon A Time), Din Djarin & Grogu (The Mandalorian), Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Seeley Booth & Lance Sweets (Bones), Captain Ray Holt & Jake Peralta (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Alfred Pennyworth/Jim Gordon & Bruce Wayne (Gotham), Gaius & Merlin (BBC’s Merlin) and many more!