For most of us, we turn the TV on to feel a little better. We head home at the end of a Monday and covet the hell out of the most random things we see on TV, from a plate of spicy-sweet pancit canton to a bowl of Ina Garten’s creamy mustard chicken salad on the LifeStyle channel. At times, a ‘90s movie on HBO is idly on with nobody watching just to create the vibe that, hey, you’re finally in your carpeted sala and you can keep anything on idle mode the whole night if you want to.
But some TV characters are capable of making us feel notches beyond better. Whether he played a leading or supporting role, some guys just know how to create lasting bro moments on TV. So I thought of making a list. Here are five bros who are capable of hitting that bro spot, funny bone, or all of the above.
Dr. John Watson of ‘Sherlock Holmes’
I don’t know of any other chill, small guys with a steadier thing for male camaraderie than Dr. Watson (played by Brit Martin Freeman). As Sherlock’s sidekick in this BBC series, he does the dirty fact finding and blog moderating but what makes him a legit bro is that he has been a great sounding board for Holmes. Dry humour, aside, he knows how to listen, which is also probably why he ends up scoring more dates than his employer. Plus, the way he calmly says he plays the clarinet while looking women in the eye is clearly deserving of a brophy (bro trophy).
Dexter Morgan of ‘Dexter’
He may be the Robin Hood of serial killers but — wait, maybe that’s why he’s on this list. It feels strangely amusing peering into a sociopath’s life. On a less creepier note, it’s just fun seeing Dexter in his master class element: he’s always on point with his blood spatter analysis and he’s a tasteful friend with tasty-looking doughnuts to share. Watching him succeed in his “personal cases” by a close second always thrills. And who knows what this bro will do with his sister when the seventh season premieres Sept. 30 this year?
Honorable Mention: Whoever slaps Joffrey on ‘Game of Thrones’
Tyrion Lannister, for instance. Tyrion gives annoyed viewers a chance to get back at the evil brat Joffrey by slapping him silly and making him wail. That’s what’s up, really.
Ross Geller of ‘Friends’
Ross can make a living off being awkward, and we’re reaping all the benefits. For 10 consecutive seasons of Friends, he has managed to make the most awkward-safe conversations awkward, obsess over dinosaurs in front of hot-era Denise Richards, and even attract a male student causing him to fail his classes. It’s always a feel-good moment when he’s awkward-funny, and his anxious voice just wins every time.
Lamar Odom of ‘Khloé & Lamar’
I don’t know of any other chill, big guys with bigger appetites for candy than Lamar. Every time any Kardashian chick says something annoying on this reality show, it is instantly negated by the memory of Lamar once sleeping with melted candy all over his mouth and cheeks. He even has an assistant to load his kitchen with the sweet stuff: Twizzler bites, Gummy Bears, Lifesavers, and his favorite, Hershey’s White Chocolate Cookies ‘n’ Cream. “It’s funny because the games I played well were the games where I ate candy for breakfast,” he once said.
L.O. is what honest-to-yourself bros are made of and I’m still a bit sad that he left the Lakers years ago (for the uncool Mavs, then the uncooler Clippers — eww). I can’t believe this reality show still has a third season underway, though. I don’t want to get sick of someone as fun as this guy.
Finn and Jake of ‘Adventure Time’
It’s probably the greatest, bro-est relationship to ever grace TV. A 14-year-old boy and his 28-year-old best dog friend astound us by running around in a post-apocalyptic land of the cute (Land of the Ooo, actually), where they fight an ice king, build a Never-Ending Pie-Throwing Robot, and woo lady snails in order to save their house from a giant slug named Snorlock. What? Yes. As each episode of Adventure Time only runs for about 11 minutes, you can only imagine the kind of dreamy happiness these two would bring you if an episode’s length were tripled.