Valentine's Day in the Life of a Couch Potato

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!

As many of you head off to romantic evenings with your significant others, I, in true couch potato fashion, will be spending the evening with one of my TV boyfriends. After all, while it may be quite difficult to meet Mr. Right sitting in my living room working on homework, that's the lot I've chosen right now. No matter, I have a wealth of suitors to choose from right off my TV screen! But whom do I choose for the most romantic of holidays? Let's recap my Top 8 list of TV crushes!

1. Nick Miller from New Girl. 

OK, so Nick is a bit of a slacker. And kind of a slob. Like I've never dated any of those before! He's that one. The curmudgeon of the group. The wisecracker, and as Nick himself would say about girls in pink robes, "Smart asses are my catnip."

But despite his grouchy demeanor, deep inside he's just a softy, who loves his friends and appears to be quite the passionate kisser, as evidenced below. Can I get a link and an amen, ladies?

2. Jax Teller from Sons of Anarchy.*

We can't sum up everything I love about Jax in a paragraph. He would need an entire blog post unto himself. Believe me, there are times I think I could write one I'm so inspired by his ass character! 

He's wonderfully complicated! For starters, he's caught up in the uber-violent world of a gun-running motorcycle club. He totally holds his own among gang members, drug cartels and even members of the IRA, yet he comes home to his wife and sons and is completely gentle and loving. 

Sons of Anarchy is full of dichotomies like Jax's character and I love it. The cast is a gang of misogynist bikers who throw women away like used beer cans, yet the matriarch of the group, Jax's mother, Gemma, is revered like a queen. And trust, Jax loves his mother deeply – they are very close – but he is no momma's boy!

What he is, is a reluctant leader, trying to navigate through very violent circumstances in order to make a better life for his family. He's a true anti-hero, in every sense of the word and I love him! 

*honorable mentions could and should go to many of the men in the Sons of Anarchy cast, including Opie, Chibs and Juice (not you, Clay, you suck!), but heart will always belong to Jax.

3. Matthew Crawley from Downton Abbey.

Oh, sweet Matthew! 

Through some strange, old-world English legalities middle-class lawyer Matthew, third cousin of Lord Grantham (who has only daughters), becomes heir to the sprawling estate Downton Abbey.

Lady Mary, Lord Grantham's eldest daughter, is less than thrilled to have Matthew join the family and live at Downton. She'd much rather find a wealthy husband and have the money stay in the family.

But damn that Matthew, he's just so charming it isn't long before stuffy Mary finds herself nursing feelings for him. Just in time for him to go off to fight in WWI and almost get himself killed! But our hero returns in a most romantic manner, sweeps Lady Mary off her feet and the two were married this season! 

I like to watch the episodes of Downton Abbey as they air here in America, but I have heard **spoiler alert** that my time with Matthew is at an end, as he will not make it past next week's season finale. **sniff, sniff** 

Poor Matthew. We'll always have  Downton.

4. Daryl Dixon from, The Walking Dead.

What can I say about Daryl, except he kicks ass? 

There's something very attractive about a man who can keep you safe even when shit goes down, like the zombie apocalypse! And Daryl has things covered. With a crossbow, no less!

Daryl's had a hard life. So when the world became over run with flesh eating zombies, he wasn't exactly sad to see the old way of things end! 

Daryl and his horrible brother, Merle, were raised by their alcoholic father. For years all they've had is each other so it's hard for him to let anyone else in. So much so that when his group of fellow survivors took over an old farmhouse, Daryl felt more comfortable sleeping in a tent outside.

He's coming around slowly, but surely. He's bonded with battered wife Carol, and crazy Carl, the sheriff's son and only surviving child in the group. That is until Carl's sister is born. Daryl affectionately gives her the name Lil' Ass Kicker. 

Daryl usually has a serious demeanour, but occasionally makes wry comments and jokes to break the tension. Here's a nice little character study I found on Youtube to honor my TV boyfriend, Daryl.

5. Clark Kent from Smallville.

Anyone who knows me, knows I love Superman. For many, Christopher Reeve will always be Superman. That may be true, but for me, Tom Welling will always be Clark Kent.

In Smallville, we meet Clark as a teenager, years before he becomes the Man of Steel. Instead he's just a normal (and seriously hot) high school boy, obsessed with the school's prettiest girl, Lana Lang.

Inability to see the awesomeness that is his best friend Chloe aside, Clark is just too dreamy! He is strong and kind but also full of integrity and vulnerability. And did I mention the peepers on that boy/man?

For ten years I watched his journey into superhero status and I loved every minute of it.  How can I not want him to be my valentine? I mean, he's Superman! What's sexier than a man who can rush to Paris to bring you croissants, heat up your coffee with his X-ray vision and then fly you to the moon and back? Just don't ask him why he missed your birthday party. Again.

6. Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries.

Why didn't I have this guy higher on my list again?

Talk about an anti-hero! Damon will tell you forget hero period, he's the villain! 

Oh, but there is good in him. We see it whenever this vampire looks at Elena, the resident heroine on The Vampire Diaries and former girlfriend of Damon's brother, Stefan.

Those who are friends with me on Facebook always know when I'm watching TVD because I will post a simple status update that reads, "I love you, Damon Salvatore." Because I do. 

What makes Damon so attractive is that for hundreds of years, he's done whatever he wants with no worries about the consequences. After all, he's a vampire! 

And he loves Elena dammit, even if it does make him a better person! Now, when confronted by an even more evil vampire, Klaus (yes, it's a show like that), Damon explains to Klaus why he'll never be loved.

He says, "You do bad things for no reason. You do them to be a dick... if you're gonna be bad, be bad with purpose." 

That's what makes Damon so attractive. He's a bad boy with a purpose. It really makes it hard to hate him. And again, look at those eyes!  Damon Salvatore, I love you.

7. Dean Winchester on Supernatural.

Ask anyone and they'll tell you Dean Winchester is a dick! He'd probably tell you that himself!

But really, what do you want from a guy who allows himself no life, no love and no home? All he has is his car, his brother, and his ability to save the world from evil. 

Dean and his brother Sam (who is also hot and crush list-worthy)  are hunters. They travel the US in their Chevy Impala saving the world from things that go bump in the night. Vampires, werewolves, angels of death, seven deadly sins, Lucifer himself? Yeah, they've fought that.

And if he hadn't, Dean probably would not have made my list because, as I said, he's a bit of a dick. He's thoughtless and crass, slovenly and smug. He eats like a pig and belches like one too. He's also sarcastic, sometimes sweet and just generally sexy in a completely masculine way. 

Another anti-hero here. Dean has been hunting so long, he's become jaded and his shoulders are heavy with the weight of the world. He just needs a hug and I'm here to give him one.

8. Malcolm Reynolds on Firefly.

I mentioned Mal and Firefly in one of my last posts talking about shows that were canceled too soon. But here are four words that sum up why I love Captain Mal Reynolds so much:

Malcolm Reynolds = Han Solo

Yep. Mal shot first.

Rakish, charming, a devil-may-care attitude, that's Mal! I'd like to plunder this smuggler's booty. But, beware! This captain is a gentleman in disguise. And that makes him even more swoon-worthy! 

I had to work really hard to whittle this list down to 8. Truth be told, I wanted it to be a top 5, but I'm a little bit of a TV whore who couldn't tie myself down to that few!

There were countless more who almost made the cut: Both Ben and Noel from Felicity (I mean, really, is there a bad coice there? Either way you win!), Sawyer from Lost, Jim Halpert from The Office, Chandler Bing from Friends (In Janice's voice, "I love you, Chandlah Bing!"), oh! Doug Ross from ER, or McDreamy (Derrick) from Grey's Anatomy. Medical dramas provide plenty of eye candy!

Did I miss anyone?

Tell me, TV or not, who are you spending your Valentine's Day with? Whoever it is, I hope your day is beautiful!