Who would have thought stodgy CBS would suddenly be the place to see the hottest guys on television?

The network known for procedural dramas --- where CSI rules three primetime hours a week -- stayed the course with double crime dramas this past fall: The Mentalist and Eleventh Hour. Rufus Sewell dropped his English burr and Simon Baker kicked his Aussie talk, making the pair the latest in a long line of non-native actors -- including House man Hugh Laurie and Life guy Damian Lewis -- storming the shores.

Both Sewell and Baker became poster boys for women who like their men smart and sexy.

"People come to me with edgy parts to the point that I'm kind of over it," says Sewell, whose work has primarily been in movies. "Generally edgy characters they throw on horses. So the idea of being a non-titled, non-over-edgy person who actually walks on their own feet rather than four, with a gray character and a long arc to tell really appealed to me."

And viewers too.

Baker already had at least two series going into The Mentalist -- the moderately successful show The Guardian and the short-lived Smith.

"The deliciously attractive part about this role was the humor and irreverence of the character," Baker says. "A lot of crime shows that are on television these days find the truth under a microscope with some scientific fact. On this show, we're trying to focus on finding truth in the fabric of human nature."

That works too.

Sewell's Jacob Hood rushes in at the -- wait for it -- Eleventh Hour to solve some of the most dangerous scientific crimes, and he generally wraps it all up in about 47 minutes, give or take a commercial.

Baker's Patrick Jane spends most of his time being charming and somewhat mysterious, with the crime being only the device driving the show.

So what do the actors and their characters have in common? Check it out.

The Aussie Connection: Baker, 39, was born in Australia. Sewell, 41, was born in England, but his dad was an Australian who died when Rufus was just 10.

The Wife Issues: Patrick used his powers of observation to make everyone think he was a psychic -- then his wife and child were brutally murdered by a killer who wanted to show that Patrick wasn't the omniscient guy he pretended to be. All we know about Jacob is that his wife is also dead, but we aren't sure how she got that way.

Women Issues: Jacob is protected by Agent Rachel Young (Marley Shelton), and there could be more than a few sparks snapping around them, but Jacob tries to act like it's all professional. Jane works for Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney), and while she's clearly smitten, he's still mourning his family.

Light and Dark: This is where it gets complicated. On the outside, Jacob's got that gothic brooder look, and while we're told he has a sense of humor, it hasn't jumped out at us. But inside, he seems a little more creamy filling. Patrick has those impish crinkles around his eyes and witty comebacks, but underneath he can be all dark and twisty.

Which guy you'd rather hang with: Jacob's just a little too earnest, and while he occasionally can slip into some humorous moments, it's more smile-worthy than giggle time. Patrick's that crazy fun guy everyone wants to hang with.

Which guy you'd rather not see angry: Jacob seems to be able to exert some self-control, while nothing has been more frightening than seeing Patrick calmly talk about what he'd do to Red John, the man who massacred his family. In the episode where he talks to a man about moving on rather than ruining his life seeking revenge, there's a chilling look when we know that Patrick may not be able to practice what he's preaching.

Not really cops: Jacob's a brilliant biophysics scientist working with the FBI on special cases; Jane is a brilliant mental observer working with the fictitious California Bureau of Investigation.

Plot vs. Character: Eleventh Hour shines as a plot-driven show, where the mysteries are intricate and sometimes hard to follow. The Mentalist is all about the characters, and mysteries haven't been this simple since Murder She Wrote.

Hair Affair: Both boast some pretty curly locks, with Jacob's black tresses right out of some Jane Austen novel, and pretty boy Patrick sporting his surfer sun-streaked waves.

Bottom line: We're hooked on both, or all four.

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