men To Die For
TV’s sexiest bad guys
Stringer Bell, The Wire
Running a drug empire by day and taking business classes by night, Stringer (played by the soulful and sexy Idris Elba) tries to escape the trappings of his birth through sheer brutality and cunning and emerge on the other side as a legit and upstanding civilian. Couple these noble goals with his ignoble methods (and near perfect facial features) and you have an all-time baddie.
Thomas Barrow, Downton Abbey
Shifty, sneering and beyond debonair, Abbey footman Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) perfectly captures all of the preening and priggish qualities necessary for a British period villain. Like other great heavies, his lesser station in life and his personal baggage (he’s gay and closeted) make his cruel behavior understandable if not totally forgiven. His beautiful baby blues certainly don’t hurt his case either.
Hannibal Lecter, Hannibal
Any vehicle that allows Danish dreamboat Mads Mikkelsen to appear on an American program on a weekly basis is one we can get behind. And yes, that includes a sociopathic cannibal.
Nicholas Brody, Homeland
Kudos to Damian Lewis, who, somewhat impossibly, added pathos to a traitor and a terrorist. You also know you’re cute when, even as a suspected suicide bomber, you’re able to seduce a senior CIA operative.
Ramsay Bolton, Game of Thrones
He was only in our lives for a couple of seasons, but it seems like a lot longer than that, doesn’t it? We guess every second spent waiting for the unrepentant, wild-eyed Bolton (Iwan Rheon) to receive his comeuppance seemed like an eternity. Here’s to the sadistic bastard who managed to upstage King Joffrey for GoT character we love to hate most.
Eric Northman, True Blood
Don’t let those innocent blue eyes and golden blond hair fool you: Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) is one bad individual. That said, he does have a soft spot in his heart for certain folk—as long they don’t have tasty human blood coursing through their veins.
