Hal from Malcolm in the Middle is by no means the perfect father, but there's a reason why viewers worldwide consider him one of their favorite television dads. Like his sons, Hal was a troublemaker in his youth, and seems to know exactly what's going on in the minds of Malcolm and his brothers.
In fact, his warm and laid-back attitude provide the necessary counter-balance to Lois' stern and aggressive parenting methods. And in spite of not always displaying exemplary parenthood, at the end of the day, no one can question Hal's love and devotion to his family. And it's not hard to see that the boys really love him too. Here are the top 10 reasons why.
He teaches his children everything he knows
...and that's not all; he also encourages them to be better at everything they do and to never quit, while simultaneously emphasizing the importance of having fun! We see this trait come to shine in the episode "Hal Coaches," where Hal assumes the role of the football coach for Dewey's team in order to help him stop losing. In the episode "Rollerskates," he teaches Malcolm how to roller-skate which results in Malcolm beating Reese's team. All of this makes Hal not only a good father but a remarkable mentor.
He always has his children's back
Especially when it comes to their pranks. In other words, Hal came up with the "one free pass" concept for each one of his sons. What this means is that, whatever it is that the boys do, he will not tell Lois about it, once. Francis used up his free pass when he was found in a strip club, handcuffed to a pole, Dewey used his up when Hal saw him smoking his hidden cigarettes, Malcolm's free pass was gone after his botched chemistry experiment burned off both his and Hal's hair, and Reese used his when he accidentally killed a horse by strapping roller skates to his hooves.
Seems like one free pass was too many... And Hal's generosity doesn't stop there, as he hushed up the boys' misbehavior from Lois a myriad other times, such as when Francis ran away from the military academy and he had to drive him back.
He's a great husband
If there's one thing that stands out about Hal in the series, it's definitely his unceasing devotion to his wife Lois. Now, we all know how important it is for children to have parents who are in a strong marriage. But, Hal goes beyond this. He would do anything for Lois and the boys can see that. Even after all this time, Hal is still deeply in love with his wife. This way, not only does Hal's affection for Lois provide a safe environment for the boys but he also sets a great example of how to treat a woman.
He's always having fun with the boys
Hal is definitely an entertaining father. His own immaturity allows him to get to his children's level and genuinely have fun with them. You'd simply never get bored with Hal as your dad. The man makes even the most boring family dinner bearable by acts such as feeding his kids like hungry seals. He's closer to being a brother than a father to his kids, frequently engaging in childish and utterly entertaining activities such as painting, roller-skating, and race walking, and best of all: building "killer robots." What kid wouldn't want a dad like that?
He enjoys spending time with the boys
Hal is dedicated to spending time with his sons and goes out of his way to have fun and create great memories with them. This is showcased on multiple occasions across the show, notably in the episode "Houseboat" where Hal takes Malcolm fishing and even buys him a brand new fishing rod just so he could spend some time with him. Again, in "Lois' Makeover" he spends the entire episode playing basketball with the children. Being in his sons' lives is especially important to Hal since his dad failed to spend time with him. That's why Hal is visibly crushed when he misses the opportunity to be on Francis' wedding and being close to him in general.
He even gets in trouble just to protect them
Not only is Hal the 'softer' parents who tries to protect his sons from Lois' strict punishments, but there were also a few cases where he got himself in trouble just to protect them.
The ideal example is the episode "Charity," where he goes behind Lois' back and tries to help his sons return the donations they've stolen from the church only to be arrested with his car packed with stolen items.
He’s very proud of his children
He may not always show it, but we can't escape the impression that Hal is constantly very proud of his sons... some of them, at least. In spite of their insufferable behavior, Hal is well aware of the brilliance and uniqueness of his sons, each in his own way, even more than us viewers are. So, in the last episode of the series, titled "Graduation," we see Hal's excited reaction to Francis' news that he managed to find a steady job and finally became a decent man. And it goes without saying how much pride he has for Malcolm's academic success.
He often gives his sons valuable advice
...perhaps even too many advice. Hal's an absolute teddy bear when it comes to treating his children. However, like any experienced father, Hal has more than a few grains of wisdom to share with his sons. For example, here's Hal's reply one dinner when Malcolm asked him to pass the potatoes:
"You can have anything you want son if you're willing to work for it, just reach for the stars and never let go. I should've told you that a long time ago. And when you write an angry letter hold on to it for a day, you might not feel the same in the morning, and NEVER invest in a friend's restaurant, never..."
That feeling when asking your parents for more potatoes at dinner turns into a life lesson...
He has a sympathetic parenting approach
That's why his sons favor him and will always turn to him for help and advice before Lois. Hal definitely has more understanding for the boys' actions as they remind him of himself when he was younger. And while Lois defaults to the belt for punishment, Hal will either retaliate in a child-like fashion or find a less violent, more creative way of punishing the boys.
His approach to discipline is more oriented towards extracting a life lesson out of the experience than pure sadism. And for the viewers, this gives a necessary balance of flavor and brings that quirky entertainment factor Malcolm in the Middle is known for.
He loves his children unconditionally
...and even when they hurt him he doesn't hold it against them but points out their mistakes. For example, in the episode "Rollerskates," when Malcolm blurted out a swear word, Hal's reaction was to command Malcolm to face him and read out pages of swear words and insults. Not only did Malcolm quickly regret his actions, but he also realized how wrong it was to say something like that to his own father.
Then, in the episode "Health Scare," Hal wakes up in the middle of the night to visit the boys who were grounded for tracking mud into the house. And despite the fact that Malcolm and Reese have snuck out to a party earlier, leaving balloon dummies in their beds, what Hal shares with them summarizes just how much he loves them.
"My boys... You don't know how lucky you are. Everything is new. Everything is open to you. Please, don't ever take that for granted. Make every moment the best you possibly can. God, I am so proud of all of you. You kids are the best thing I've ever done. You'll never know how much I love you. Maybe you're not supposed to. Sleep well, my little angels."