Sometimes having a hot guy take his shirt off on TV is crucial to the plot. And other times, it’s just an excuse to get him as naked as possible. Here are the top 15 examples of the latter on television.
#15 Gilles Marini, Brothers and Sisters
From his first appearance when the cast ogled him coming out of the pool, it was clear Marini was added as eye candy. But then the show turned his artist into an underwear model, it was clear that the show was looking for any excuse to show him off, ideally on a giant billboard.
#14 Glenn Howerton, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Dennis Reynolds doesn’t need an excuse to take his shirt off, he’ll find one. Whether he’s going to the World Series or just working out in a children’s park, he will take any opportunity to show off his physique.
#13 Martin Henderson, Off the Map
Off the Map proves that even a great humanitarian can be reduced to eye candy, since the girls in the jungle would much rather admire Dr. Ben Keaton’s abs than his resume.
#12 Brian Austin Green, Desperate Housewives
When he joined the cast in season 7, he became the new John the gardener, a blue collar worker who constantly takes his clothes off for Bree’s enjoyment.
#11 Eric Dane, Grey’s Anatomy
From the moment he walked out of that hotel bathroom covering himself with the tiniest of towels, it was clear that Frey’s intended to use McSteamy’s assets whenever the show needed to heat things up.
#10 Robert Buckley, One Tree Hill
For a male actor on One Tree Hill, constantly taking your shirt off is a rite of passage. Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty both did it, and now it is Buckley’s turn to be used as the show’s eye candy.
#9 The Entire Male Cast of Spartacus
Exploitation is the word that best describes this show, both in terms of the excessive violence and the fact that the costuming for the oiled and ripped gladiators ranges from a loin cloth to nothing.
#8 Paul Wesley, The Vampire Diaries
Sometimes he’s just waking up, other times he’s changing his shirt, but for whatever reason, Stefan Salvatore is one vampire who does not like keeping his shirt on.
#7 Matt Lanter, 90210
The ultimate exploitation came when Lanter’s Liam got a job at a clothing store where all the male employees were required to work shirtless. It’s just a shame he didn’t work there for more than one episode.
#6 Matt Bomer, White Collar
Whether he’s wearing nothing but his signature hat in a flashback or if he just decides to change his shirt in the middle of a scene, the second season has finally started exploiting the show’s greatest weapon: star Matt Bomer’s God-like beauty.
#5 Ryan Kwanten, True Blood
Jason Stackhouse is a sex machine, but even when he’s trying his hardest to abstain from women, he still finds ways to take his shirt off, even if it involves washing the police cars.
#4 Justin Hartley, Smallville
The Green Arrow certainly spends more time out of his green leather than he does in it. Sometimes he’s working out, sometimes he’s getting busy with a woman and sometimes he’s being tortured by the bad guys, but no matter what the scene, Smallville finds a way for Oliver Queen to do it without a shirt.
#3 Chord Overstreet, Glee
From the moment Chord started in season 2, he was showing off his body as Finn and Kurt stalked him in the locker. Since then, it’s been nothing but locker room scenes and gold short shorts in the Rocky Horror episode.
#2 Alex O’Loughlin, Hawaii Five-0
Oh no, an armored car fell into the water. Don’t worry, Steve McGarrett is there to take off his shirt and dive in to get the evidence. You’d think the fact that the show takes place in Hawaii would give them plenty of natural opportunities for O’Loughlin to take his shirt off, yet the writers have still found plenty of unnatural ways to do it too.
#1 Ryan McPartlin, Chuck
The hardest working man in show biz may be Ryan McPartlin because he knows that as long as Chuck is on the air, he needs to stay fit because Captain Awesome doesn’t wear a shirt. If you add up all the screentime McPartlin has ever had, I’m willing to bet that the shirtless time might be greater than the shirted time.
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