History ParentalSubstitute / LiveActionTV

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': While Dominick Carisi is HonoraryUncle to all of the SVU squad children, he is explicitly this for his SVU partner Amanda Rollins' daughters, Jesse and Billie. Their own fathers are not involved, and he's the closest thing they've ever had to one. It becomes a plot point in season 23 when Carisi and Rollins have a RelationshipUpgrade, and Billie notices that Uncle Sonny has been spending a ''lot'' more time at their house. Jesse's innocent question of "Billie wants to know if Uncle Sonny is her Daddy?" prompts Carisi and Rollins to face the fact that things are getting serious, and they need to disclose their relationship--to everyone.

** Skully basically serves as a surrogate grandfather for Maya and father to her mother (while she alive), because their actual grandfather/father appears [[AmbiguouslyAbsentParent absent]].

* ''Series/Echo2024'': Skully basically serves as a surrogate grandfather for Maya and father to her mother (while she alive), because they're actual grandfather/father appears [[AmbiguouslyAbsentParent absent]].

* ''Series/TheRising'': William Wyatt takes a fatherly role towards his nephew Joe, since his brother Michael, Joe's dad, is less successful and reliable and Joe is a prominent racer in William's motorcross club.

'''Jake:''' Yes, this workplace is my family. Was that not clear? Holt is my dad, you're my mean older sister...* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':

* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': Captain Holt serves primarily as a substitute father figure to Detectives Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago, although he gradually assumes a similar role to the squad as a whole. Less frequently but still notably, Holt's husband Kevin and Seargent Terry Jeffords assume this role. [[LampshadedTrope Lampshaded]] in the second episode of the final season, when Jake urges the rest of the squad to help him help Holt and Kevin reconcile to save "their fathers'" marriage.
** -->'''Rosa:''' So we're just dispensing with subtext entirely?
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':

* In ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', Michonne takes over as a surrogate mother for Carl and Judith after Lori's passing. It becomes official in Season 6 when she starts [[spoiler: a romantic relationship with Rick]] and Carl admits that she's effectively [[HappilyAdopted become a second mother]] to Judith and him.

* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'' featured several father figures for John Connor, including Charlie Dixon and Derek Reese. (Of course, since Derek is John's uncle, his falling into such a role is kind of natural.)

** Castiel becomes a father figure to the daughter of his vessel, Claire Novak.

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Captain Sisko seems to fit this for some members of the main cast, some of whom don't have parents living or otherwise (Kira, Odo) or who aren't on speaking terms/have parental issues (Bashir, Ezri). This is shown in some of his interactions with them.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'':
** Naomi Wildman's father is 70,000 light years away when she is born, so several of the male crewmembers try to fill a paternal role in her life, usually her godfather Neelix.
** Captain Janeway serves as a positive parent to young Kes, rehumaned Seven of Nine, B'Elanna Torres (whose father abandoned her), Tom Paris (ditto, just not physically), and Harry Kim (made even more pronounced in "Endgame").
*** Lampshaded in "Barge of the Dead" (where B'Elanna's mother appears in a vision wearing a Starfleet captain's uniform) and "Dark Frontier", where Janeway "tucks Seven into bed" (plugs her into her Borg alcove) after she rescues Seven from the Borg Queen.
** Seven of Nine later became this to four [[CreepyChild creepy-ass Borg children]] they rescued with variable success. Their interaction was as much about Seven's continued CharacterDevelopment as the kids', if not more.
* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'':
** Because the orphan Elnor was raised by the all-female Qowat Milat sect, Picard was the sole significant male figure in his life, so naturally the boy looked up to the older man as a surrogate father. Zani along with the other nuns of her order are surrogate mothers to Elnor; she tells Picard that the boy is loved by them. When Picard returns to Vashti after a 14-year absence, he and Zani discuss Elnor's uncertain future like concerned parents would. Since Elnor's gender prevents him from joining the Qowat Milat, his mother and father figures agree that Zani has done all that she can for him, and now it's time for Picard to try to guide Elnor as he should've done. In fact, Picard's first paternal-like action shortly afterwards is to admonish Elnor for killing a man even though said man did try to murder Picard.
** In continuation of Seven of Nine's surrogate mother-son relationship with Icheb from ''Voyager'', [[spoiler:her final words to him are]]:
--->'''Seven''': [[spoiler:''(tearfully)'' I'm so sorry. ''My child''.]]
** Ramdha took care of her niece and nephew Narissa and Narek after their parents died.
** Cristóbal Rios mentions that he secretly thought of his former captain Alonzo Vandermeer as a father, and came close to calling him "Pops" several times.
** According to Creator/JeriRyan in [[https://www.facebook.com/StarTrek/videos/145872656671606/ this interview,]] Seven of Nine is beginning to treat Elnor like a son figure in "Broken Pieces."
--->'''Ryan''': She, I think, feels so protective of Evan [Evagora]'s character, Elnor, who's sort of her young protégé, and I think she kind of views him as a surrogate son since she [[spoiler:lost Icheb]].
** Altan Soong sees himself as the father of his android creations -- whom he calls "my children" -- and he tells them that Dr. Agnes Jurati is the closest thing to a mother that they'll ever know.
--->'''Sutra''': A mother would die for her children. Would you? I will know if you're lying.\\

** Throughout Season 2 Hopper is father surrogate to Eleven and while it's very heartwarming it also realistically goes through the heartache of the both of them arguing with each other, with Hopper failing to keep [[WhenYouComingHomeDad his promises]] he made her and Eleven running away from him when all Hopper wants to do is [[PapaWolf keep her safe]] (as Eleven reminds him greatly of his own daughter whom he lost). Near the end Eleven gets a vision of Hopper apologizing for his actions into a recorder causing Eleven to cry and return to Hawkins from LA, once reunited and they make up before the FinalBattle. Mike even gets angry at Hopper for not telling him about Eleven continued existence and is actually kinda jealous that Hopper gets to look after Eleven and he doesn't. In Season 3 Hopper frequently calls Eleven his daughter without pretense and is pretty [[OverprotectiveDad overprotective]] of her, especially when Mike is being a bad influence on her.

* ''AccordingToJim'': Jim confesses that he sees his mother-in-law more as a mother than his own mother.

** After Literature/{{Rumpelstilskin}}'s father [[spoiler:(Literature/PeterPan)]] abandoned him, he was taken in by two elderly spinsters who looked after him and taught him to spin. Much later i n life he looks back on his time with them as the happiest period of his life.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': While Dominick Carisi is HonoraryUncle to all of the SVU squad children, he is explicitly this for his SVU partner Amanda Rollins' daughters, Jessie and Billie. Their own fathers are not involved, and he's the closest thing they've ever had to one. It becomes a plot point in season 23 when Carisi and Rollins have a RelationshipUpgrade, and Billie notices that Uncle Sonny has been spending a ''lot'' more time at their house. Jessie's innocent question of "Billie wants to know if Uncle Sonny is her Daddy?" prompts Carisi and Rollins to face the fact that things are getting serious, and they need to disclose their relationship--to everyone.

* During the TimeSkip between Seasons 4 and 5 of ''Series/The100'', Clarke found and adopted a young Nightblood girl named Madi. They didn't start off on the friendliest terms, since Madi's parents had died recently, but eventually became quite close, though it helps that [[spoiler:they were the only people left on the Earth's surface after the Primfaya wave]]. However, once [[spoiler:they regain contact with other survivors]], Clarke's MamaBear instincts come out nearly full-time as she futilely tries to keep Madi out of danger, and occasionally veers into full-blown KnightTemplarParent when Clarke is willing to directly work against her allies in the belief it will keep Madi safe.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': While Dominick Carisi is HonararyUncle to all of the SVU squad children, he is explicitly this for his SVU partner Amanda Rollins' daughters, Jessie and Billie. Their own fathers are not involved, and he's the closest thing they've ever had to one. It becomes a plot point in season 23 when Carisi and Rollins have a RelationshipUpgrade, and Billie notices that Uncle Sonny has been spending a ''lot'' more time at their house. Jessie's innocent question of "Billie wants to know if Uncle Sonny is her Daddy?" prompts Carisi and Rollins to face the fact that things are getting serious, and they need to disclose their relationship--to everyone.

* ''Series/LAsFinest'': Nancy is a good surrogate mom to her stepdaughter Izzy, who lost her birth mother to a drunk driver years ago. They have the expected spats of a teenage daughter and mom, though Nancy is sometimes more supportive of her than Izzy's dad is. It's likely she's so determined to be a good parent as a result of having an [[AbusiveParents abusive mother growing up herself]].