The Geek’s Guide To Fall TV’s Hottest Men Revisited

Back in Fall of 2011 we took a long hard look at what new shows, and in particular which new hotties, would be keeping us warm throughout the winter months. Our Geek’s Guide To Fall TV’s Hottest Men went on to become one  of Chevron One’s most popular articles ever (only beaten by the Geek’s Guide To Fall TV’s Hottest Women). Those that made the list did so on the basis of starring or recurring in a new Fall TV show. And by being smoking hot!

With the holiday season come and gone, and most shows already midway through their freshman season, we take another look at our top ten and ask if we got it right or wrong. Who deserved to make the list? Who didn’t? Was there someone we overlooked who deserved a spot in the top ten?

One more time, in no particular order, let’s re-examine The Geek’s Guide To Fall TV’s Hottest Men. Caution! Contents may be hot!

Number One: Josh Dallas (Once Upon A Time, ABC)

What we said: “If you’re searching for Prince Charming then look no further because Josh plays him in ABC’s upcoming Once Upon A Time. Banished from his mythical land and suffering from amnesia, we expect Charming to be adorably lost and confused.”

Jamie Dornan

What we think now: We worried that it might be difficult for Josh’s character to find his voice as the male lead on a show with three incredibly strong female leads, but Josh Dallas pulls it off admirably.

Whether he’s slaying dragons or wrestling with his feelings for Mary Margaret he’s still got charming written all over him.

Who we overlooked: Jamie Dornan as Sheriff Graham/the softhearted Huntsman.

Graham’s love affair with Emma came to an abrupt and all too soon end at the hands of mayor Regina earlier this season. Pity, we were kind of enjoying Storybrooke’s scruffy hispster Sheriff and his inexplicable Northern Irish accent.

Number Two: Ramon Rodriguez (Charlie’s Angels, ABC)

What we said: “Bosley never looked so good. We’re sold!”

What we think now: Boz! Where did it all go wrong? Sadly we never got to see more of Boz’s hinted-at bad boy past as the show was axed shortly into its first season. Ramon is currently working on Butterflies and Lightning, a dark fairytale about a children’s storybook that mirrors the real lives of two blood brothers who are forever cursed to fall in love with the same women.

Who we overlooked: Given more time we might have been able to answer.

Number Three: Gale Harold (The Secret Circle, The CW)

What we said: “Oh how we love to love the bad guy. Especially when he’s played by this guy.”

What we think now: We’re still a little on the fence with this one. The Charles Meade experience has been like opening a gift on Christmas day and discovering it’s not what you expected. We’ve been thrown for six. But that may not be such a bad thing.

Charles Meade lit up The Secret Circle pilot by lighting up a house with Cassie’s Mom inside. Later that evening he swung by the Boathouse bar and indulged in a spot of dry land drowning involving the bar owner, Ethan Conant. Charles seemed poised to take the crown as the show’s number one BAMF, so much so that when Andrew Miller teased that we would ‘Come to love Gale’s character in a way that no one would ever believe when you see the pilot‘ we just plain didn’t believe him.

Chris Zylka

However time and episode numbers have shown Meade to be one of the show’s most layered individuals. Whether he’s working through his guilt over Nick’s death, or expressing anger, doubt or frustration over the direction of his larger plans, he’s a joy to watch.  Meade may not be a one-note Big Bad, but watching that slow and subtle shifting of the balance of  power from Dawn to Charles makes us glad he’s so much more.

Who we overlooked: Chris Zylka as Jake Armstrong. Nick’s older brother Jake burst onto the scene late this season, lighting up the show with something (very) pretty to look at and a whole new angle (witch hunters!) to play. Initially cast as a rogue, Jake has become one of the show’s central characters. He’ll never entirely become a boy done good, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Number Four: Adam Harrington (The Secret Circle, The CW)

What we said: “We love a tortured soul even more than a bad guy.”

What we think now: From a recent Chevron One interview with Adam Harrington: “I have always maintained that ‘town drunk’ Ethan Conant is wasted in that back room of the bar in more ways than one. We’ve seen him wax lyrical about messing with fate. We’ve seen him break Diana’s heart and we’ve seen him drink. A lot. And even if it’s all done in a sexy way (!) there’s still a lot of blank space surrounding this character that could be filled in any number of delicious ways.” – Jennifer Griffin.

Thomas Dekker

In short, there’s only so much mileage to be had from Drunk Ethan, but sober Ethan with a crystal, a juicy dark secret and a new thirst for power is a far more interesting proposition. We’re so glad the writers decided to give this character a much needed shakedown, and we’re excited to see where this story leads.

Who we overlooked: Thomas Dekker as Adam Conant. Way back in December when we were making predictions for where the show might go in 2012, we discussed the idea of Adam Conant having a purpose beyond that of mere boyfriend material. Specifically we said “We’ve been hearing a lot about how Adam and Cassie are written in the stars and that it’s generally not a good idea to mess with fate.  But what if these warnings go deeper than romantic love? Suppose Adam’s purpose is to temper Cassie’s darker impulses? Without him she might be fated to repeat her father’s mistakes. As much as I really like Adam and Diana, I’m intrigued by the idea that the fates of the Blake and Conant families are interwoven in a manner which touches on something dark and powerful.”

Recent episodes seem to hint that this may be on the horizon. We hope we’re right because this boy needs something to do.

Number Five: David Giuntoli (Grimm, NBC)

What we said: “Just look at those eyes! David is the hottest supernatural detective to hit the screen since Supernatural‘s Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles.“

Silas Weir Mitchell

What we think now: Nick Burkhardt is straight up hero material and David Giuntoli is perfectly cast in this role. Nuff said.

Who we overlooked: Silas Weir Mitchell as Monroe the blutbad. Seriously, what is it about Monroe that’s just so freaking adorable? Is it that lonely way he eats all his perfectly prepared meals by himself? Is it the way we know that beneath that calm and polite surface is a caged beast rattling the bars? Is it because he gets all the best lines? We don’t know, but this reformed big bad wolf has definitely got something going on.

Number Six: Mido Hamada (Terra Nova, FOX)

What we said: “Mido’s German/Eqyptian heritage gives him a distinctly middle-eastern look, which led to him being type-cast as various TV villains in the past.  On Terra Nova he plays a good guy. In uniform. Who fights dinosaurs. Did I mention the uniform?”

Hello Jason O'Mara

What we think now: Guzman was a short lived character who didn’t recur past the 2 hour pilot.

Initially Guzman was portrayed as Taylor’s right hand man, but subsequent episodes featured Simone Kessell as Lieutenant Alicia “Wash” Washington, Taylor’s go-to girl.

Who we overlooked: Jason O’ Mara as Jim Shannon. Kind of staring us in the face, this one.

Number Seven: Anson Mount (Hell on Wheels, AMC)

What we said: “Even behind the scruffy beard he wears in the trailer this man is still unspeakably handsome. There’s also something downright sexy about his blind determination that makes our pulses race.”

Common

What we think now: I’m too busy re-watching that bare-chested fist fight from Bread and Circuses to comment right now. Please leave a message after the tone.

Who we overlooked: Common as Elam Ferguson. Elam’s story this season was equal to that of Cullen’s in terms of twists, turns and character development. So much so that we’re wondering if the events of the last ten episodes have come together to present Elam as a formidable opponent for our favorite confederate in season two.

Number Eight: Patrick Wilson (A Gifted Man, CBS)

Staff writer TJ Burnside Clapp weighs in with her opinions on this one.

What we said: “Patrick plays Michael Holt, a hot-shot ultra-competitive surgeon whose life is changed forever when his ex-wife dies and begins teaching him what life is all about from the here-after.  There’s something so very watchable about a man struggling to be a better man.  We’ll cheer his successes but probably cheer his failures even louder.”

Rhys Coiro

What we think now: Although Patrick Wilson certainly remains as physically attractive as ever (and we do miss the scenes of him running and working out that seemed more frequent in earlier episodes), Michael Holt has not grown as a person nearly as much as we might have hoped. The conscience-prodding visits from his ghostly ex-wife have all but disappeared, turning the show into a conventional medical drama and Michael into more of a one-note character … still nice to look at, but not nearly as compelling as he might have been with more complex storytelling.

Who we overlooked: Rhys Coiro as the disheveled, chain smoking and bluntly honest Dr. Zeke Barnes, who devotes his daytime hours to the free clinic and his nights to rock and roll, is Dr. Holt’s polar opposite … and arguably a more interesting character. Coiro pulls off scruffy much better than Wilson does stuffy.

Number Nine: Kirk Acevedo (Prime Suspect, NBC)

What we said: “Kirk plays detective Phil Carter on the show and we can think of no one who conveys that sexy hard-boiled detective persona better than Bronx born and raised Acevedo. Also, he’s Charlie Francis from Fringe!”

What we think now: Avevedo’s Luisito Calderon is one hard-hitting hard-hitting homicide detective and looking at him just makes us miss Charlie even more.

Who we overlooked: Too early to call. Only 13 episodes aired before NBC pulled Prime Suspect from its schedule in favor of The Firm.

Number Ten: Josh Bowman (Revenge, ABC)

What we said: “British thesp and former rugby player Joshua Bowman plays Daniel Grayson, the unsuspecting boyfriend of a vindictive young woman welcomed into a community of people who don’t know she’s only there to exact revenge on those who destroyed her family. 

Nick Wechsler

What we think now: Josh is cooking up a storm as Daniel Grayson on Revenge and we absolutely love his portrayal of a good and decent young man whose choice in women may (just may) cost him his life.

Who we overlooked: Nick Wechsler as Jack Porter.

Jack is the true antithesis to Daniel and provides the perfect point on that complex love triangle. Whether he’s mixing his fishing metaphors or just mixing drinks behind the bar, Captain Jack is one sexy blue collar hero.