Born out of the Sitcom Dysfunctional Family, he's a deliberate subversion of the Father Knows Best design. Now so ubiquitous the older trope is nearly forgotten. Although he's clever at times, he's not usually allowed to be smart. He has no idea that Short Cuts Make Long Delays. He's lazy, gluttonous and has miscellaneous other glaring vices. His children may love him, but they often don't respect him. However, he is still a sympathetic character; the source of his charm is his complete love and loyalty to his family, even if the main way he shows it is by fixing problems he caused himself.