# Council of Dads (TV series)

Council of Dads is an American drama television series inspired by the book The Council of Dads by Bruce Feiler, developed by Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, that premiered on NBC as part of the 2019–20 television season, on March 24, 2020. In June 2020, the series was canceled after one season.

## Premise

Cancer patient Scott Perry worries about his five children growing up without his help and advice. He and his wife Robin recruit three friends to act as a "council of dads" to be father figures to his children. Scott dies and his loved ones form an expanded chosen family.

## Cast
### Main

* Sarah Wayne Callies as Dr. Robin Perry, Scott's widow
Her children
* Michele Weaver as Luly Perry, Anthony's biracial daughter, whom Scott raised as a single father for eight years (thinking she was his daughter) before meeting Robin
* Emjay Anthony as Theo Perry, Scott and Robin's temperamental teenage son
* Thalia Tran as Charlotte Perry, Scott and Robin's adopted daughter, who is of Chinese ancestry
* Blue Chapman as JJ Perry, Scott and Robin's seven-year-old transgender son, who was assigned female at birth
The Council of Dads
* Michael O'Neill as Larry Mills, Scott's Alcoholics Anonymous sponsee
* Clive Standen as Anthony Lavelle, Scott's best friend, as well as Luly's biological father, unknown to Luly or the rest of the family
* J. August Richards as Dr. Oliver Post, Robin's best friend since medical school
* Steven Silver as Evan Norris, Luly's husband

### Special guest stars

* Tom Everett Scott as Scott Perry

### Recurring

* Lindsey Blackwell as Tess, Oliver and Peter's daughter
* Kevin Daniels as Peter Richards, Oliver's husband and Tess' other father
* Hilarie Burton as Margot

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.S viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Pilot" | James Strong | Joan Rater & Tony Phelan | March 24, 2020 (2020-03-24) | 3.75 |
| Scott Perry discovers he has terminal cancer and decides to try to secure a future for his children. He asks three of his closest friends to form a "council of dads" that will look after his family and be father figures for his children in the event of his passing. The council of dads consists of Anthony Lavelle, Scott's best friend; Oliver Post, his wife Robin's best friend; and Larry Mills, Scott's AA sponsor. ||||||
| 2 | "I'm Not Fine" | James Strong | Joan Rater & Tony Phelan | April 30, 2020 (2020-04-30) | 2.01 |
| 3 | "Who Do You Wanna Be?" | Jonathan Brown | Tia Napolitano | May 7, 2020 (2020-05-07) | 2.98 |
| 4 | "The Sixth Stage" | Christopher Misiano | Bert V. Royal | May 14, 2020 (2020-05-14) | 2.78 |
| 5 | "Tradition!" | Lily Mariye | Imogen Binnie | May 28, 2020 (2020-05-28) | 2.74 |
| 6 | "Heart Medicine" | Geary McLeod | Pamela Garcia Rooney | June 4, 2020 (2020-06-04) | 2.78 |
| 7 | "The Best-Laid Plans" | Nicole Rubio | Jason Wilborn | June 11, 2020 (2020-06-11) | 2.75 |
| 8 | "Dear Dad" | Benny Boom | David Gould | June 18, 2020 (2020-06-18) | 2.73 |
| 9 | "Stormy Weather" | Jonathan Brown | Heather Robb | June 25, 2020 (2020-06-25) | 2.94 |
| 10 | "Fight or Flight" | Tony Phelan | Joan Rater & Tony Phelan | July 2, 2020 (2020-07-02) | 2.75 |

## Production
### Development

On January 14, 2019, it was announced that NBC had given the production a pilot order under the name Council of Dads. The pilot was written by Joan Rater and Tony Phelan who executive produces alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed and producers are James Oh, Bruce Feiler. Production companies involved with the pilot include Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Midwest Livestock Productions and Universal Television. On May 7, 2019, it was announced that the production had been given a series order. A few days later, it was announced that the series would premiere as a mid-season replacement in the spring of 2020. On January 11, 2020, it was announced that the series would premiere on March 10, 2020. On February 26, 2020, the premiere date was moved to March 24, 2020. On June 25, 2020, NBC canceled the series after one season.

### Casting

In February 2019, it was announced that Sarah Wayne Callies and Clive Standen had been cast in the pilot's lead roles. Alongside the pilot's order announcement, in March 2019 it was reported that Michael O'Neill, Steven Silver, and Emjay Anthony had joined the cast.

### Filming

The series was filmed in Savannah, Georgia.

## Reception
### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 50% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Council of Dads's talented cast tries its best, but its first season is too superficial to make the emotional moves necessary to really connect." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

### Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Council of Dads :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Pilot" | March 24, 2020 | 0.7/2 | 3.75 | 0.2 | 1.16 | 0.9 | 4.91 |
| 2 | "I'm Not Fine" | April 30, 2020 | 0.3/1 | 2.01 | 0.2 | 1.22 | 0.5 | 3.23 |
| 3 | "Who Do You Wanna Be?" | May 7, 2020 | 0.4/1 | 2.98 | 0.1 | 0.72 | 0.5 | 3.70 |
| 4 | "The Sixth Stage" | May 14, 2020 | 0.4/1 | 2.78 | 0.2 | 0.83 | 0.5 | 3.59 |
| 5 | "Tradition!" | May 28, 2020 | 0.4/2 | 2.74 | 0.1 | 0.95 | 0.6 | 3.69 |
| 6 | "Heart Medicine" | June 4, 2020 | 0.4/2 | 2.78 | 0.2 | 0.93 | 0.5 | 3.66 |
| 7 | "The Best-Laid Plans" | June 11, 2020 | 0.3/2 | 2.75 | 0.2 | 0.92 | 0.4 | 3.67 |
| 8 | "Dear Dad" | June 18, 2020 | 0.3/2 | 2.73 | 0.2 | 0.87 | 0.5 | 3.60 |
| 9 | "Stormy Weather" | June 25, 2020 | 0.4/2 | 2.94 | 0.1 | 0.69 | 0.5 | 3.63 |
| 10 | "Fight or Flight" | July 2, 2020 | 0.3/2 | 2.75 | 0.1 | 0.68 | 0.5 | 3.42 |