(Fictional) Men Who Have a Special Place in Mi Corazon

I love my fictional men. I love them even better when there's an actual face to put to them - aka, my favorite fictional television characters. (Male division)

You see, it's different when you actually have a face to imagine when thinking about fictional characters. If you've been reading this blog, you know that I would gladly take a bullet for a certain man named Kaz Brekker, but I can only imagine what he actually looks like. With TV, cartoon, and animated characters, I have no problem with this... and when they're actually real people and not computer-generated ones, it makes my crush on them seem much less weird.

Blogging about Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders yesterday actually triggered something in me; I want to write about my favorite male television characters. The men I've had crushes on since I was a teen, and the men I'd gladly love to testify for or get interrogated by. Since we're being specific, I'm talking about my favorite men in crime dramas.

(Academy Award Host Voice: And the awards for Outstanding Performance in Crime Drama for an Actor go to...)

1. Greg Sanders; CSI (Portrayed by: Eric Szmanda)

The first crime drama I really sunk into was CSI. Call it inevitable that small, scrawny, pretty boy Greg Sanders would worm his way into my heart with his smirking smile and his corny jokes. Watching Greg turn into one of the most proficient and knowledgeable members of the cast was one of my favorite things about the series; progressing from a scientist in the lab to an amazing CSI Level III has just been amazing.

Also I totally ship him with Morgan Brody and oh my god that scene from CSI Immortal just stole my heart away.

2. Lance Sweets, Ph. D., Psy D.; Bones (Portrayed by: John Francis Daley)

Oh, Sweets. This FBI Psychologist was so loveable, so likeable, and so god damn cute that I immediately took a liking to him in Bones. That being said, I spoiled myself with his demise when I innocently went to Wikipedia to know more about him while I was bingeing Season 9... and was subsequently horrified when I realized that they were using the past tense to describe him.

Lance Sweets is one of my favorite characters because of the way he inserts himself into Bones and Booth's lives, and attempts to befriend every single person in the lab (his interactions with the squints and other members of the cast are my favorites). He's just so loveable and sweet (pun intended) and I honestly would not love Bones as much as I do now if it weren't for Lance Sweets.

3. Timothy McGee; NCIS (Portrayed by: Sean Murray)

Just like Greg Sanders, watching Tim McGee transform from mere, geeky Probee into Gibbs' second hand and leader of the team has been one of the best observations of my life. Tim is so sweet. (I'm sensing that I have a type.) What made me love him from the start was his young, geeky demeanor (and I was always on his side whenever Tony bullied him), and his knowledge on all things technical... and that amazing chemistry with Pauley Perrett's Abby Sciuto.

Tim's growth as a character is amazing; the Tim McGee I'm seeing now doesn't show the same Tim McGee I fell in love with back in Season 2... but that is exactly why he has a special place in my heart.

4. Matt Simmons; Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (Portrayed by: Daniel Henney)

I take it back - I seem to have an exception to the rule when it comes to television characters that have stolen my heart. Meet Matt Simmons, one of two men on this list who I cannot categorize as either sweet, dorky, or puppy-like. Simmons is one of the members of the newest crime drama I'm into, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. He is considered the muscle of the team, and I consider each episode to be incomplete if we are not treated to the famous Simmons Tackle Attack.

But looks and muscles are not the only reason I love Matt Simmons. He's a valuable member of the team, and my love for him only grew as we were treated to the Korean episode in Season 2 of CMBB. A bit more of Matt's backstory is revealed, and we are told the story of his grandmother. The final scene is one of my favorite scenes ever of Daniel Henney, and I am just blown away by the heartfelt performance. I just wish CMBB gets renewed for a third season so that we can get to know more about him and the rest of the team.

5. Dr. Spencer Reid; Criminal Minds (Portrayed by: Matthew Gray Gubler)

When I was a teen, I actually avoided Criminal Minds at first. Compared to Bones and CSI, Criminal Minds seemed much darker to me, scarier, bloodier and deeper in comparison to the former two. And so it wasn't until recently (probably two years ago) that I decided to give Criminal Minds a try. Surprisingly (or not) it was because of Matthew Gray Gubler's character, Dr. Spencer Reid.

I'd only ever seen glimpses of Criminal Minds on Tumblr and Facebook, but I found myself drawn to this scrawny beanpole who seemed to be a huge bookworm, a humongous dork, and just an amazing person overall. So, I started watching Criminal Minds, and the fall was fast and hard. If it weren't for MGG I probably wouldn't have even attempted to watch Criminal Minds (Well, I might have, but maybe not with as much enthusiasm as I did in the beginning), and I have his character to thank for that.

Once I started to fully grasp his character as a whole, and appreciate his little quirks and his chemistry with the other characters, it was already too late for me. Dr. Spencer Reid had already stolen a piece of my heart.

6. Dominick 'Sonny' Carisi Jr.; Law and Order: SVU (Portrayed by: Peter Scanavino)

Have you ever adopted or taken home a puppy that, upon meeting you for the first time, was just so eager to please you, and was jumping up and down all over the place, acting like an angel one day, and trying to be a strict guard dog the next? That was actually my first impression of Detective Dominick Carisi, what with his pervy mustache and quickly changing personality and all. While Carisi rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, it wasn't that way with me.

I saw someone who just wanted to make an impression... and ultimately fail horribly. His interrogation techniques were questionable, and his over-eagerness would put off the rest of the team. But still, something niggled at me inside my mind; this guy is going to be a great person. This guy will be one of my favorites. And has he 'found himself' and became the Carisi that I love so much today, he is ultimately one of my favorite detectives of the Law and Order franchise.

7. Rafael Barba; Law and Order: SVU (Portrayed by: Raul Esparza)

Law and Order: SVU has always played a special part of my life because for one brief year, my biggest dream was to become a lawyer, and that was because of A/DA Casey Novak (played by Diane Neal). Casey Novak is one of my favorite television characters ever, and in my eyes, no one could ever match up to her. Not even Alex Cabot, not even Connie Rubirosa, not anyone.

That is, of course, until I met Rafael Barba.

Never. Have I ever. Had so much respect and fear for such a notorious DA. Rafael Barba is the kind of attorney who would crawl to the courtroom if his legs were cut off. Barba is the kind of person who knows what he wants, knows how to get it, and will ultimately get it. I love Rafael Barba so much. And this respect I feel for him immediately bumps him up to Casey Novak status - yes, he impressed me that much.

That fierce growl he makes when someone threatens Olivia Benson just makes me swoon, and the lengths he goes to win a case just makes me shake my head in amazement. Rafael Barba, you smooth man. I hope I get to see you for a very long time.

Those are my favorite male crime drama characters; I will ultimately be ranking them alongside the females for a more 'all-time' feel to it. Casey Novak will be on that list, I assure you.