TVSquad

Hunks are in the eye of the beholder apparently. When I read -- drooled -- over the hunks chosen as the 50 Hottest Hunks Ever by our friends at AOL (that's a long time), I couldn't help but wonder about the guys that just missed the cut. I made a list. It was longer than the dozen men listed here, but these were the ones that I wanted included because they make my toes tingle.

Unlike Debra -- nice choices, Deb -- I've refrained from putting pictures of these hunks on my walls, but I sure have followed them from show to show, enjoying every moment when they were forced to take off their shirts or flex their muscles.

Bruce Campbell
Oh, Bruce! He is such a hunk. Remember The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.? He was the epitome of the western hero, looking great in black with a cowboy hat, on a horse. And that killer smile. Now, on Burn Notice, he's sort of an older hunk with the great Tommy Bahama shirts and perpetual five o'clock shadow, but still great looking. And since I was fortunate enough to meet him -- on a set visit -- I can tell you that he's a really an eyeful up close. I'd love to be in his arms any time!

Christopher Meloni - Oz was a hard show to watch and enjoy because it was so brutal and violent and raw. However, the presence of Chris Meloni as Keller was riveting. It was more than his psycho-twisted mind and immoral actions. It was that face, that body, that physicality that he brought to the role. He was gorgeous to watch. On L&O: SVU, he's still pretty amazing to watch, although I wouldn't object to his getting out of the business suit more often.

Michael T. Weiss
Long before he was burning up the screen on The Pretender (remember when NBC programmed for Saturday night?), I was enjoying the charming hottiness of Michael on Days of Our Lives. As Dr. Mike Horton, he was an eyeful -- and also a great character with a sly comic style. It was no shock when he jumped to prime time. One of the great things about playing Jared on The Pretender, was all the different looks he could take on -- with and without his shirt.

Michael Weatherly
Sometimes when I'm watching Michael Weatherly on NCIS, I think he's channeling suave, hunky stars from another era, like Robert Wagner and Roger Moore, with some of Sean Connery thrown in, too. As Tony DiNozzo, Michael is in his element on NCIS. The dazzling smile goes a long way to selling his devil-may-care attitude. And whether in a suit or the Naval gear, he's great to look at.

Scott Patterson
From the moment the pilot of Gilmore Girls aired, I was swooning (like Lorelai) for Luke Dane. So what if he dressed like a lumberjack with a backward baseball cap. So what if the hair was thinning? This guy was all male and the epitome of hunk appeal. The fact that he could also cook and pour coffee was just a bonus.


Joe Lando
I watched Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman as much for Joe Lando's Sully as Jane Seymour's Michaela Quinn. He was brooding, hurt, buckskin-clad and had shoulder-length brown hair. He didn't use a gun or ride a horse. He preferred walking and wielding a knife. Macho in a non-macho way, Lando was every bit the hunk, Western variation.

Robert Conrad
West, James West. Yes, before the Baa, Baa Blacksheep days, Robert Conrad made me notice him on The Wild, Wild West. He wore the tightest pants in prime time! He was handsome, virile, strong and dynamic. The tough guy quality he brought to all his roles was in some ways like Jimmy Cagney, and nearly as memorable. But he was always sexier and hunkier than Cagney. I'd bet he still is.

Adrian Pasdar
Heroes doesn't capture the best of Adrian Pasdar, in my opinion. It was as Jim Profitt that I went all weak in the knees for Adrian. It was more than the naked body curling up in the empty cardboard box. I loved the impeccable suits, the subtle smile, the dangerous glare in those dark eyes. Whoa! What a hunk.

Eric Close
I think there's a pattern in that some of my favorite hunks appear on shows that end too soon. Eric was in Now and Again when I first noticed his hunkiness. He's not the big shoulder type, but he has a compact, attractive physicality that really makes me swoon. On Without A Trace, he's still great looking and strong, but the character is a bit more straight laced. He never gets his shirt off, darn it.

James Brolin
I don't recall if I got turne on by James Brolin because of Marcus Welby, MD or Hotel. Probably both. To this day, the tall, strapping Brolin makes my heart flutter. One of my favorite Brolin moments, sort of related to TV, was his version of Peewee Herman in Peewee's Big Adventure. Hilarious -- and hot. Recently, Jim showed up on Law and Order: SVU as an astronaut. He's a silver fox today, but still hunky.