BONDING OVER BINGES: THE ULTIMATE ROBIN OF FATHER'S DAY NETFLIX SHOWS

With Father’s Day quickly approaching – mark your calendars for Sunday, 16 June – families across the country are scrambling to plan their perfect days, no doubt filled with brunches and barbecues and gifts galore. But what if the best way to honour Dad is the simplest? Whether it’s binging on a new season or discovering a series you missed, settling in to watch something together is a lovely way to spend time together. Luckily, with a Netflix account, you have literally thousands of options, and no matter what kind of father/child duo you are, there are plenty of shows that will excite and delight you, no matter what your interests are. To help you navigate the options, we’ve prepared this handy guide. We are Netflix’s little robin, singing the praises of these 10 best Netflix shows about fatherhood, and singing to you our favourite series that you should watch with your dad, or him with his child, or you with your child, or any combination of your choosing.

A JOURNEY THROUGH MORAL MAZES: BREAKING BAD

What makes Breaking Bad a gripping watch is the desperation and love of the commander – that of Walter White, he of the famous ‘Say my name!’ line – as he takes the journey from an anxious dad to a meth-cook kingpin. It’s the ultimate study in how far a man will go for his family, a masterclass in storytelling that makes your Father’s Day binge well worth your time.

LAUGH TRACKS & LIFE LESSONS: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

If they’re more serious, Father Comes Home From the Wars by Suzan-Lori Parks is an epic of emotional dynamism, sharp prose and deep insights. But, to get to the lighter stuff – if you’re more in the mood for those laughs and light-hearted stories – there’s How I Met Your Mother. While it’s not the story of a father, it is the story of fatherhood. The long-running comedy weaves the theme into a loving comedy of errors as hilarious as it is heart-warming and lifelong. In the telling of Ted Mosby’s story of his quest for love, it’s Robin who emerges as the ultimate testament – that fathers can be great storytellers too.

FIGHTING SPIRITS: COBRA KAI

For dads and boys who need trash-talking and outmatched heroes, Cobra Kai resurrects an old rivalry for modern times, a continuation of loyalty, perseverance and parenthood with a karate chop and a game of moral chess. As Johnny and Daniel huff and puff about their conflicted relationships with their own sons, Cobra Kai offers a mirror on father-son dynamics.

A ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS: THIS IS US

This Is Us has been described as a show in which viewers cannot ‘reach for a tissue without risking an accidental glimpse at the screen’. One of the father characters, Jack Pearson, is portrayed as an idealistic figure who wove his children into the fabric of his life, filling it with loving but short-lived moments and the dire complications of fatherhood. This could be the perfect Father’s Day show for the weepy or the triumphant.

LEGAL BATTLES & FATHER FIGURES: SUITS

Though it may be a slight detour from the Father’s Day theme, the mentor-mentee relationship between Harvey and Mike in Suits, with its father-son overtones, is one of the highpoints of a series that continues to stand head and shoulders above other legal dramas for the intricacies of its investigations and the nuances of its relationships.

THE ENIGMATIC ERIC AND THE PUPPETEER'S PURSUIT

This season, the new hit Eric takes the fatherhood storyline up a dozen notches by having Vincent Anderson’s son Edgar go missing. It’s an intense psychological rollercoaster of a series, with the father searching for his child. Eric is a great watch if your thing is mysteries and intrigue.

BLAST TO THE PAST: YOUNG SHELDON

Big Bang Theory fans will relish Young Sheldon’s nostalgic flashback into the childhood of Sheldon Cooper. Seen through the loving – and not so loving – prism of the family, we are drawn in and empathise with the challenges of nurturing a genius. The chemistry between Sheldon and his dad George brings alive the on-going friction and breakthrough. s of father/son understanding.

MODERN FAMILY MATTERS: THE UPSHAWS

Humorous and grounded, The Upshaws is a contemporary take on fatherhood, blended families and the realities involved in them. The amount of effort that Bernie puts into his relationship with his past and present is funny and genuinely heartwarming at the same time making it a must-watch for fans of sitcoms with modern families.

ACTION-PACKED BONDING: FUBAR

For thrillseekers, Fubar offers adrenaline-pumping action with a family twist: father-daughter spying – a killer story! Light, fun and surprising, it should inject some adrenaline into Father’s Day.

SCI-FI ADVENTURES: THE SIGNAL

We’ve ended our list, but not with big bang or whimper: we’ve taken a short diversion into the sci-fi arena with a film about a father and daughter floating in space and dealing with the mysteries of the universe. This is a great, short, punchy film that shows that, even when separated by galaxies and eons, the chemistry between father and child (and daughter) remains as powerful as ever.

EXPLORING THE ESSENOMENT OF ROBIN

In countless cultures, robins represent renewal, growth and springtime. And just as the red-breasted birds herald the arrival of spring, Netflix’s eclectic programming accompanies the father-kid co-viewing season — and paves the way for new memories and rich conversations between dads and their offspring. This Father’s Day, let those shows be your robin — to laughter, to tears, to thrills and, most importantly, to each other and back again.

It’s not only a bingeable playlist of paternal warmth and complexity, but a celebration of the surging vitality of storytelling on the digital-distributor-turned-giant-network. From the ethical contradictions of Breaking Approximate Dad (2008-2013), to the slapstick shenanigans of How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014), the on-screen adrenaline of Eric (2009-) and Fubar (2002-), each show frames pop paternity and filial family through a unique lens. Pop those corn, plonk yourself down with Dad, and get bingeing. Like any good father, you’ll soon forget the imbalanced history of the ‘unsung’ day, as today becomes Father’s Day too, every time you’re bingeing with the first superhero of your life.