Five TV Dads Who Were Basically Live-Action Homer Simpsons
With nearly 800 episodes and counting, it’s unlikely anyone could ever run out of episodes of Homer — with varying amounts of hair.
Bill Miller in ‘Still Standing’
While mostly forgotten now, the early aughts CBS sitcom Still Standing was a solidly funny show starring Mark Addy as Bill Miller. Despite the fact that Addy is British, he nailed his role as a sports-loving, beer-drinking, not-too-bright dad from Chicago who screws up more often than not but is also capable of tender moments with his kids. And during his Still Standing days, Addy bore more than a ing resemblance to what Homer might actually look like in real life.
Tim Taylor in ‘Home Improvement’
While Tim Allen’s politically-based humor is cringey these days, in the 1990s he delivered a far less partisan brand of comedy with his character Tim Taylor in Home Improvement. Taylor was another sports-loving regular guy you’d want to have a beer with — if not for the accidents and disasters that befell him due to his constant DIY tinkering. Just watch any “best of” clip of Taylor on the show-within-a-show Tool Time and compare it to any supercut of Homer saying “doh” while getting hurt, and the resemblance is uncanny.
Earl Sinclair in ‘Dinosaurs’
Do puppets count as live action? If they do, the physical-violence-prone Earl Sinclair from the 1990s TGIF show Dinosaurs is another real-world Homer, assuming the real world once had dinosaurs who love beer and sports and wear flannel.
Herman Munster in ‘The Munsters’
As infamous as Homer’s character is now, The Simpsons didn’t invent the bumbling dad trope. In fact, sitcoms have a long history of dumb guy patriarchs. Herman Munster, the dad from the 1960s sitcom The Munsters, for example, constantly goes on stupid adventures during which he encounters disaster in cartoonish fashion. And, if you can overlook the fact that he’s a flat-headed, seven-foot-tall Frankenstein’s monster, you’ll see a lot of Homer in Herman.
Ralph Kramden in ‘The Honeymooners’
Speaking of early sitcoms, The Honeymooners is one of those shows — along with I Love Lucy — that created many of the formulas and archetypes that are TV staples today. And Jackie Gleason’s Ralph Kramden isn’t far off from Homer himself. He may not be a dad, but he’s a scheming, short-tempered, overweight, blue-collar guy who is far dumber than he thinks he is. The Paley Center has even cited Kramden as paving the way for Homer Simpson. The only difference, of course, is that Homer doesn’t constantly threaten to beat his wife — and we’re all grateful for that.
