25 of the most handsome fathers on television

Rufus Humphrey – Gossip Girl

Poor Rufus. He’s the ultimate example of how the “good guy” just can’t catch a break. He’s the perennial underdog, and he just can’t win for losing. He rarely hangs on to the girl, can’t seem to get his children to act decently, and has a pretty haphazard career. However, he’s very handsome, and his gentle, artistic nature keeps us interested, mostly.

Judging on looks alone (because isn’t that always the right thing to do?), Rufus has that whole “sensitive suffering” thing that some artists have. It also doesn’t hurt that Matthew Settle looks like he was born to play this character. He really works the whole thing. With his floppy hair, leather bracelets, and Brooklyn loft, he’s everything that everyone else on this show isn’t. If you need to find him, you can reliably find him in snug jeans with a rockstar fit, skinny tie, and a day old beard. It’s not the most original styling for an aging, wanna-be musician, but I’m not mad about it. It works for him.

Apparently, it also works for the Upper East Side maven, Lily. Even though she’s all expensive couture and fancy handbags, she’s no match for Rufus’ “aww-shucks” charm. Of course, she’s always been a sucker for Rufus, and their shared history only makes their romance even more adorable.  Things do get a little weird when their children start dating, but adjacent incest is not enough to interfere in their fate, and the two try to find a way to exist in the same space. They fail, but this whole on again/off again thing gives us a sad-sack version of Rufus that makes us all want to pull him close and comfort him.