A Celebration of TV’s Lovable Himbos

Though the term itself has had a recent renaissance in the pop-culture lexicon, the himbo isn’t a new invention. A lovable goofball of a man who also happens to be incredibly attractive, but not very smart, is a popular character trope for a lot of TV shows. A character who looks good but doesn’t necessarily have a lot going on upstairs is an easy way to ease tension in dramas and elicit laughs in comedies.

These characters may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but they have a heart of gold and the loyalty of a golden retriever. Here are some of TV’s most loveable himbos.

Jason Mendoza – The Good Place

This Blake Bortles-loving, “pre-successful” Florida DJ may only have one brain cell, but what he lacks in intelligence and impulse control, he makes up for with a kind heart and an endearing charm. Jason Mendoza (Manny Jacinto) probably isn’t the first or even last person that would come to mind when thinking of who you would want to save humanity and the afterlife – this man died trying to smuggle himself into a Mexican restaurant he was trying to rob by hiding in a safe with nothing but a snorkel and whip-its. And yet, he somehow comes through time and time again over the course of The Good Place’s four season run. 

His love for his friends is unmatched, and despite the fact that his brain runs on nothing but jalapeño poppers and a dream, he somehow manages to win the heart of a sentient, nonbinary being who contains all of the knowledge of the known universe. Jason is a lovable goofball who deserves nothing but the best in life and the afterlife, just…maybe don’t let him near Molotov cocktails.

Lance Arroyo – The Other Two

If you look up “himbo” in the dictionary, the first picture you’ll see is Lance Arroyo (Josh Segarra) from The Other Two (you don’t have to look, just trust me). Brooke Dubek’s (Heléne York) on-again/off-again boyfriend is truly the epitome of the word and consistently manages to be the nicest, most down-to-earth person in the series. His love of dabbing and sneakers is only matched by his genuine love for Brooke and her family.

Lance’s upbeat personality is infectious, it’s hard not to smile every time he comes on screen. He may not be entirely booksmart, though he does somehow make it through nursing school later in the series, but he has a deep emotional intelligence that makes him quite the catch.

Luther Hargreeves – The Umbrella Academy

Even though he’s technically the leader of the Umbrella Academy, Luther Hargreeves (Tom Hopper) continuously proves that this was one of many questionable decisions made by their “father” Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore). Luther is perfectly capable, but isn’t necessarily the smartest person on the team – which is likely why Reginald put him in charge. He knew Luther would be easy to mold into the hero he wanted him to be and wouldn’t question orders.

But Luther’s real growth happens once he finally relinquishes that role and lets himself be the loving, caring person he’s always been rather than the strong, tough leader his father forced him to be. He’s a goofy part-ape guy with a kind heart who isn’t afraid to cut loose, footloose to protect his family.

Dani Rojas – Ted Lasso

Dani Rojas, Rojas! Dani Rojas! This loveable football star has the personality of a golden retriever personified. He is warm, caring, energetic and loves his AFC Richmond teammates with his entire heart. Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández) approaches life and his sport with genuine enthusiasm every day, and while he might not be incredibly booksmart, he occasionally imparts some truly wise words upon his teammates. His loyalty is unmatched, and it’s nearly impossible not to smile in his presence.

Joey Tribbiani – Friends

While calling Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) the original TV himbo is definitely a stretch, he was himboing before it became the pop culture phenomenon we know today. Joey is kind, caring, attractive…but also really, really dumb. He accidentally buys a boat because he doesn’t realize an auction isn’t a guessing game. He takes ‘no thoughts, head empty’ so seriously that he can’t handle the simple word association of a game show. He gets a raw turkey stuck on his head because he thinks it will be funny to try and scare Chandler (Matthew Perry) with it. My sweet dumb boy gets himself into so many hilarious scenarios over the course of Friends’ 10 seasons because he is simply too hot to know any better. 

Steve Harrington – Stranger Things

Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) may have started out as a bit of a jerk in Stranger Things, but thankfully the series has let him lean into his himbo nature as the show has progressed. He has developed a true, genuine love for his friends and the town of Hawkins that has changed his motivations. But even though he now has something to fight for, Steve is still far from the brains of the operation. He may be willing to face off against a demogorgon with little more than a baseball bat and a gorgeous head of hair, but he’s more so the muscle than the ideas guy. Stranger Things has only gotten better since leaning into Steve’s latent himbo-ness – it’s a lot more fun to watch a hot boy with a heart of gold than a jock who’s a bit of an asshole.

Bane – Harley Quinn/Kite Man: Hell Yeah!

The transformation of Bane from menacing supervillain to Sex and the City-loving, hopeless romantic himbo is one of the best things that Harley Quinn and its spinoff Kite Man: Hell Yeah! have done. This beefy man just wants to love and be loved in return. And also cause some “‘splosions” every now and again. He honestly deserves better than the other supervillains he is desperate to impress. His loyalty to them is admirable, but he ends up as the butt of their jokes more often than not. Bane may not be smart enough to pull off any world-ending schemes, but his heart is in the right place.