Popular culture offers wildly divergent images of dear old Papa. Fathers are either a source of anger, angst and resentment, or uncomplicated hammock-loving nap-takers obsessed with gadgets and backyard chores. And Fathers’ Day television offers plenty to confirm both stereotypes.

A confirmed bachelor (Chad Lowe) becomes an instant dad (boy, I never heard that plot on TV before!) in the 2005 heart-tugger “Fielder’s Choice” (8 p.m. today, Hallmark).

The title character in “Xiara’s Song” (6 p.m. Sunday, Cinemax) is a strong-willed 7-year-old girl with almond eyes and a wicked sense of humor that seems to frighten her mother. Xiara is a self-proclaimed “Daddy’s girl” whose affection for her father, Harold, is complicated by the fact that he’s serving a 10-year sentence for weapons possession. Endearing scenes of Xiara are juxtaposed with Harold’s gruesome prison environment, where his love of rhyming and rapping seem to be his one link to sanity. And he often sings about his daughter.

Two male partners fight the state of Florida to maintain custody of their teenage foster child, who has never known any other parents, in the 2005 documentary “We Are Dad” (6 p.m. Sunday, Showtime).

A divorced father (Tom Selleck) reconnects with his troubled daughter in the 2003 drama “Twelve Mile Road” (8 p.m. Sunday, CBS).

What would Father’s Day be without a tug on the fishing line? Those without a pond, lake or ocean handy will have to settle for TV fishing – “Bass Madness” (4:30 p.m. Sunday, ESPN) to be exact.

“Deconstruction: Science of the Backyard” (8 p.m. Sunday, Science) offers valuable know-how about home and garden, including the physics and engineering behind every lawn mower, the causes and cures for deck dry-rot, and even construction tips for building a greenhouse and a tree house. “Deconstruction” would be much easier to take without host Steve Hanneman’s forays into “comedy.”

Finally, high-tech gadgets take center stage on “I Want That!” (7:30 p.m. Sunday, HGTV). Tired of that old kitchen floor? Try a set of motion-sensitive tiles that actually change color patterns as you approach. Toys for dads not yet in stores can be sampled on the “International Home & Housewares Show 2005” (9 p.m. Sunday, HGTV).