Phil Dunphy, "Modern Family" (ABC)

Played by: Ty Burrell ("Dawn of the Dead," "The Incredible Hulk")

Poor Phil. You have to admire his numerous unsuccessful attempts to be a cool and hip dad to three kids: dorky preteen Luke (Nolan Gould), smart-aleck Alex (Ariel Winter) and teenager Haley (Sarah Hyland).

His worst idea involved innuendo-filled wraparound ads on family vehicles that gave people the wrong idea about his wife, Claire (Julie Bowen), and Haley. It remains to be seen whether he'll ever live that humiliation down.

And he did get pretty whiny when he insisted on getting a new electronic reader for his birthday. Luckily, he made up for that when he tried to learn to walk a tightrope, with most hilarious results.

(ABC)