Peter Gallagher: Checking in with the coolest dad on TV

Plus, he gives advice for the latest crop of TV dads.

By Nancy Mills

Playing a cool yet caring dad on The O.C. is not a stretch for Peter Gallagher. He's just that to his kids, Jamey, 15, and Kathryn, 12. In fact, they are the reason he moved to the more stable schedule of series TV after 29 years of film and theater. "I love being with my family," says Gallagher, 50, who has been married for 22 years to Paula Harwood.

On the popular Fox drama, which began its third season this week and airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET, Gallagher plays Sandy Cohen, a liberal former public defender whose wife comes from an old-money family. They are parents to two teens: über-geek Seth (their own son) and rebellious Ryan (whom Sandy rescued from the juvenile reform system and adopted).

Off-camera, Gallagher's TV sons see him as a father figure. "Adam Brody [who plays Seth] told me, 'I could never watch sex, lies and videotape,' " Gallagher says, referencing his 1989 erotic thriller. " 'The thought of looking at you with your clothes off and having sex would make me sick.' " Spoken like a real son.

Still, there's no doubt that Gallagher brings sex appeal to Dad-dom. Yes, he does have some gray in his sideburns. But he started out in 1977 as a heartthrob, touring as Danny Zuko in the musical Grease.

Fathers figure prominently on many new fall shows, so we asked Gallagher to offer wisdom to six new TV dads (it's advice that easily translates to real-life dads). "It's very easy to play a dad on TV, because there are no [true] consequences," he says. His tips come from parenting his own children.

Gallagher's tips for this fall's new TV dads:

To Christian Kane, dad to a newborn in CBS' "Close to Home" (premieres Oct. 4, 10 p.m. ET): "Becoming a father is one of the first times in your life the attention is off yourself for more than five seconds. It's your first chance to have a sense of purpose. But don't be indulgent and pick the baby up every time he cries. It's terrifying loving another creature so much. You realize every breath you take will be tied with theirs for the rest of your life."

To Terry Crews, who strictly (if humorously) parents two sons and a daughter in UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris" (Sept. 22, 8 p.m.): "Don't micromanage. Also, it's not what you say but what you do that counts."

To Michael Rapaport, who wrangles three teens in Fox's "The War at Home" (this Sunday, 8:30 p.m.): "They'll hate you for something. Don't try to win. Just hope you don't hurt them too badly. If they reach adulthood intact and loving life, and you die before they do, it's all good."

To Kyle Secor, who has a son and two daughters in ABC's "Commander in Chief" (Sept. 27, 9 p.m.): "If you were loved by your mother at all, you can spend lots of time looking for that love in all the wrong places. But if you have a daughter and she lights up when you come in the room, it's the closest thing to that love."

To Eddie Cibrian and William Fichtner, who have young children and teens in ABC's "Invasion" (Sept. 21, 10 p.m.): "Being a parent is the toughest job in the world. And you don't know whether you're doing a great job or a lousy job until it's too late. So just love and listen, and keep showing up."