After starring for nearly a decade as the patriarch on Family Matters, Reginald VelJohnson has the sensibilities of TV Dad locked and loaded. But he was open to tweaking that beloved persona—and the prototypical head of household as seen in entertainment—for a sitcom-style campaign from Progressive Insurance.

VelJohnson, also a veteran of the blockbuster Die Hard franchise, said he wanted to draw from the past while adding some new flavor. 

“I hoped to channel the same wisdom and heartwarming energy” of Carl Winslow and other fictional fathers, “in a way viewers have not yet seen on screen,” VelJohnson told Adweek. “I’m hopeful the ads resonate with viewers and provide them a positive memory.”

The result of the collaboration between Progressive and VelJohnson is the aptly named “TV Dad,” a pair of new spots from agency of record Arnold. 

From a marketing perspective, Progressive sees “TV Dad” as “a three-prong power punch” that combines nostalgia and diversity with a cost-saving message that’s critical in inflationary times, according to Remi Kent, the brand’s CMO.

“The economic landscape is top of mind, and we want to make sure we’re sensitive to what’s going on in the world,” Kent told Adweek. “Coming off the holidays, people are thinking about how to be smart with their budgets and many are shopping for rates.”

The diverse cast of “TV Dad” is meant to reflect Progressive’s existing and potential consumer base, Kent said, while the call-back to the ‘90s latches onto a trend that continues to have legs in advertising and pop culture.

“Nostalgia holds relevance across generations,” Kent said. “We loved the idea of a savings message layered in with the purity, warmth and relatability of a family sitcom. People really seem to want that all-knowing, wise dad character who solves all your problems in 30 minutes.”

That insight comes with data to back it up: Family Matters, which aired 215 episodes on linear TV from 1989 to 1997, has racked up 2 billion streaming views since 2020, per the brand. A study from Nielsen found that fans watched 11.4 billion minutes of the comedy in 2020, a nearly 400% leap from the previous year.

Cheesy jokes and sight gags

“TV Dad” goes all-in on classic genre tropes, complete with laugh track, cheesy jokes and sight gags. There’s even a catchy theme song that plays over a montage of VelJohnson baking cookies, consoling kids and playing handyman.

VelJohnson, who said he’s choosy about the commercial work he takes, is often recognized and lauded by the public as his Family Matters paterfamilias. The cast and crew at the Progressive shoot were no different.

“It was a fun experience being the sitcom TV dad after all these years,” he said. “On the set people were so kind to me and said how they loved and grew up watching me on TV. I don’t have kids of my own, and I enjoyed all the love I received.”

The ads, shot in November in Los Angeles, will get a “significant” media buy for 2023’s Q1, Kent said, including national TV, streaming, radio, online video, YouTube and paid social.

“TV Dad” could join Progressive’s stable of characters like Flo and her squad and Dr. Rick, Kent said, but no decision has been made yet on future campaigns.