Dad's on TV keep changing. I can't speak much for what came before my time but I can say it has been dismal for a while. Pop-culture dads were showing up bafoonish, in the form of Homer Simpson and wannabes or weren't even existant at all. To be fair, real dads are and should be silly at times but I think the lack of good role models made it easy for us to let ourselves off the hook. Really, this father image was just an extension of the acceptable male image of the time. What happens when the dumb, milquetoast, codependent guy finally becomes a dad?