Most Watchable Men of the Year

Serena Mercay
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Jon Hamm - Mad Men

As Don Draper (the boozing, womanizing, ad man with a dark past) Jon Hamm is perfection. He’s Old Hollywood handsome and impossibly cool. He wades through the complexities of a flawed character, managing to make him engaging and likable while he sins.

Hugh Laurie - House MD

House is a pill-popping, narcissistic, sardonic curmudgeon with skewed morals and a gimpy leg. On paper, he seems like the villain but he plays out more like an anti-hero. He saves lives while mercilessly fucking with those around him. Hugh Laurie’s expert comedic timing, firm grasp on the dramatic, and atypical sex appeal have made this character thoroughly watchable for five seasons and counting.

Nelsan Ellis - True Blood

Lafayette Reynolds is a fry cook. An entrepreneurial, homosexual, drug-dealing, vampire draining (with permission, of course), prostituting fry cook with a fondness for sparkly accessories. While I enjoy Bill and Eric, I get a bigger kick out of watching Lafayette’s antics. Whether he’s being a comfort to his trainwreck cousin Tara, stripping for his awaiting web audience, romancing portly vamps, or scolding homophobic rednecks, he is pure entertainment.

Simon Baker - The Mentalist

The Mentalist is centered on Baker’s character, former fake-psychic Patrick Jane, who solves crimes using his masterful powers of observation. He’s effortlessly charming and alluring. Honestly, the show is largely predictable and would likely be a dud in his absence.

Joshua Jackson - Fringe

I’ve had a frustrating relationship with Fringe since its start. Feeling discouraged by muddled plotlines and static character development, I nearly threw in the towel. Peter Bishop (Jackson) is a large part of why I have yet to give up. Sure, I enjoy his quips but I’m also drawn to the relationship between Peter and Walter. It gets more interesting as they peel back the layers of dysfunction. And, who didn’t have a little crush on Pacey back in the day?

Ed Westwick- Gossip Girl

Chuck Bass has gone through several character progressions since the start of season one. He’s been an entirely despicable sleaze, an ego-maniacal partaker of debauchery, and an impish charmer with the aptitude for love. Whether you hate him, love him, or feel a mixture of both, he’s become wholly indispensible.

Michael Emerson - Lost

He’s the King of the Paranormal Island. Creepy? Uh-huh. Unpredictable? For sure. Emerson’s Benjamin Linus somehow manages to make all those sexy, chiseled, barely-dressed men disappear when he’s onscreen. I have no idea where he falls on the good guy/bad guy meter, which is part of his magnetism. He just, quite simply, makes the show better.

Kiefer Sutherland - 24

Jack Bauer is a man you want to have in your corner. Except for the fact that everyone he knows is relentlessly threatened or killed. Still, with his tight jeans and husky voice, he’s a guy I happily follow through increasingly improbable circumstances.

Michael C Hall - Dexter

Dexter Morgan is…complicated. He’s a sociopathic serial killer with morals. A Dark Defender who loves his sister and makes pancakes for his girlfriend’s children. The Dexter we see most often is the one who feigns normalcy. We’re privy to the real Dex through his interior monologue and, even more so, during the kill scenes. This season was an emotional roller coaster as our lovable murderer questioned his code, dealt with daddy issues, took a stab at honest friendship, and figured out what family meant to him. Hall is the perfect Dexter, handling the dramatics and sly humor with expertise.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Whatever

He’s got a knack for playing irresistible dead guys (Grey’s Anatomy, Weeds, Supernatural). And he can wear the hell out of a plain white undershirt. But I don’t care whether his characters are among the living or hallucinatory, dressed in a hospital gown or a tea-towel, Mr. Morgan is one appealing fella.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 5:35 pmand is filed under Best of 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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