For a tragic figure, Patrick Jane wields a wicked sense of humor.

It's not just the dialogue on the CBS sleuth show The Mentalist, although that can be very funny at times. It's more than just the snappy comeback lines, or the ironic observances that makes the character Jane, played by the uber-sexy Simon Baker, one of the most attractive on TV. Baker's tousled blond hair and sly grin make him easy to love, but that sense of humor is what makes Jane irresistible.

Out in the real world, viewers live with financial uncertainty and professional perils, so spending some time with a cute crime solver with a sense of humor seems like just the ticket out of dismal town.

And the ratings would seem to agree.

The Mentalist is the top-rated new show of the season, making a regular spot for itself in the Nielsen top-10 shows. Crime shows have shoved their way into most of the top TV spots, especially if you stretch that definition to include Desperate Housewives, which always includes some murder mystery in its plotlines. CSI and even NCIS have passed ABC's hit Dancing With the Stars in the ratings. The Mentalist consistently remains the highest rated new show of the fall, running neck-and-neck with the DWTS results show.

While The Mentalist ranks as our No. 1 crime solver series featuring cute guys with a sense of humor, here, in descending order, are the shows that round out our top-10 list.

9. In Plain Sight
While the main character in this USA series about the Witness Protection Program is no-nonsense Marshal Mary, half the reason why we like it is her partner, Marshal Marshall (Fred Weller), the quick-witted, slightly goofy guy whose mind is a junkyard of facts.

8. Psych
In this USA series, you get not one but two cute, young crime solvers, Shawn (James Roday) and his buddy Gus (Dulé Hill). While both The Mentalist and this series feature a guy using his amazing powers of observation to solve crimes, this is a lightweight version. Shawn's humor may lack sophistication ("Wow Dad. Tell me you're wearing that shirt because someone has to spot you from space."), but he's always good for a chuckle.

7. Life
If sardonic, dark humor is your thing, then you've got to love Life's Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis).

6. NCIS
"What's your clearance?" demands a military cop when Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) arrives on the scene. "About 6'1," he replies. "Why? Do you have low ceilings?" Yep, that's DiNozzo. Always quick with the quip, and a face that could make him a mint as a model.

5. Life on Mars
Cop Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) mysteriously gets knocked back in time after he's hit by a car, so most of his humor centers on living in a time not his own. And he's pretty good with the physical humor.

4. Bones
Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) loves making stupid jokes, but mining the humor in this series about solving gruesome deaths has made this Fox series a popular viewer choice. And did we mention how cute Boreanaz is?

3. Torchwood
Who is our favorite hunk who fights crime throughout the universe and still has time to bring some humor into it all? It's gotta be Capt. Jack (John Barrowman).

2. Fringe
Talk about stretching the crime show genre, but how can we pass up this season's sexiest wise guy, Peter (Joshua Jackson)? And he's never better than when interacting with his crazy scientist-dad Walter (John Noble). Hey, crimes are somewhat solved in the compelling Fox show.

1. And coming in at practically a dead heat to Patrick Jane ...
It's the Burn Notice boys Michael (Jeffrey Donovan), a former spy who now solves crimes as a P.I., and his buddy in crime-solving (Bruce Campbell), whose line -- "You know spies ... bunch of bitchy little girls" -- is so good it holds up repeatedly in the opening credits.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us