I am a father of twin boys. Well, twin men. My sons are 20 now, and our relationship has moved into a more mature zone. And while in that uncharted territory, I find myself grateful for being able to watch the best father and son relationship I have ever seen on television. That virtual how-to on parenting is a featured element of the CW show The Flash.
Grant Gustin plays Barry Allen/The Flash and the great Jesse L. Martin offers a master class in parenting as Det. Joe West, who took Barry into his home when his father was wrongly convicted of his mother’s murder.
The relationship between these two delineates the perfect modern father and son bond. There is clear love, respect, and communication that many parents would pay considerable money to enjoy. Again and again, Joe Allen offers his guidance and support and makes the effort to understand who his adoptive son is becoming. There are no preconceived expectations other than wanting to be in Barry’s life. Joe is equally good at working through problems with his natural born daughter Iris, the love of Barry’s life. Navigating that particular minefield gives Joe a platform to truly show what a role model he is to parents everywhere.
In a show that offers everything from the perfect execution of sci-fy 101 tropes to compelling characters, the parenting and Barry’s relationship as adoptive son shine as bright or brighter than all other elements of this classic television series.
If you haven’t seen The Flash yet, go to Netflix and start to catch up. This is a show that is not to be missed for so many reasons.
chrisryanwrites 
Haven’t you people ever seen a series called The Rifleman? Ran from 1958-1963.
I grew up watching the show.
However, I was too young to appreciate the bond that Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) and his son Mark (Johnny Crawford) had on the screen as well as off the screen. It was a serious drama, not goofy family relationships like Bonanza which I also watched.
The show had it’s share of violence and wasn’t too far removed from the Civil War. Lucas was a widower raising his son in the wild west circa 1882.
I’ve been re-watching the series in it’s entirety on AMC for the past 3 years. And now I see what I was too young to understand over 55 years ago. A truly special relationship.
If you have never seen the show you should see it. Hopefully you’ll get to see an episode where Lucas has to leave Mark to join a posse, or Mark is kidnapped by Indians. When they reunite it is something special to see.
Well anyway folks, that’s my vote for BEST TV FATHER/SON RELATIONSHIP. Truly inspiring.
LikeLike
Good show. Flash is the best father/son relationship on modern tv. Fair enough?
LikeLike
Bruce,
Great selection. Thanks for adding your views. Hopefully, people will search for and watch both shows.
LikeLike