Ah, the womanizer. Hero to some, dog to others, and entertaining weekly television show to most. No matter where you stand on this argument, many a man has dreamt to live vicariously through one of these guy’s pursuits. But unless your wolfpack includes the likes of Colin Farrell, Jude Law, and Cristiano Ronaldo, your primary mentors probably never leave your apartment, never hang out more than one hour per week, and probably go by the names Vince Chase (Entourage) and Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother).
Vince Chase – “Entourage”
If there ever was a hound, it’s Vincent Chase. Based (loosely) on the adventurous exploits of Mark Wahlberg’s arrival in Hollywood in the Nineties. For all you fairytale dreamers, Vince does find himself in a monogamous relationship by the final season, by the one woman who dares to call him as she really saw him (as an “insecure womanizer”) – and the rest was pink unicorns, whip cream, and leather whips.
Charlie Harper – “Two and a Half Men”
If Vince was a hound, then Charlie must be a true dog. He’ll stop at nothing to get any woman in bed. Hmm… probably was not much of a stretch for Charlie, but it made for some great TV while it lasted.
Barney Stinson – “How I Met Your Mother”
The great thing about Barney Stinson would have to be… Well, if you’ve seen the show, you’ll know, if you haven’t, we don’t have enough space here to get into it.
Don Draper – “Mad Men”
The subtle charm of Don Draper is only subdued by his confidence. And some people will remind you that it was a different time back then – yet in the ways of a womanizer, not much has changed.
Sonny Crockett – “Miami Vice”
Was it the linen jacket, sockless shoes, beach-blown hair, or neon undershirts that caught the attention of all those Miami women? Come to think, it was probably the black 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder that he chose to solve crimes in (detectives had a pretty good salary back then).
Joey Tribbiani – “Friends”
Joey liked women and he was successful enough to line up at the starting line with some of the best (Jennifer Aniston, Elle Macpherson). Unfortunately, if you’ve seen the show you know that he rarely made it over the first hurdle. But the guy was hindered by a brain that was smaller than his bicep, so he’s still a winner in our book.
Jerry Seinfeld – “Seinfeld”
Not every womanizer is smooth like Don Draper, yet their somewhat dorky charisma still draws them in… again and again. We’ve counted somewhere around 66 different ‘girlfriends’ throughout the series (but we may have missed some), which is only 19 more than George – but hey, it’s only television after all.
Sam Malone – “Cheers”
Whether his conquests tallied to “four-hun…[dred]” or just “four honey’s”, we will never know. But the guy had a style that was all his own – including the use of warm milk to seduce Kirstie Alley into the slumber of his bedside manner.
Hank Moody – “Californication”
Can a sex addict play the role of a rather successful one and build a television legacy as a result? Yeah, we’re not actually asking that question, as it has already been proven by the likes of Hank Moody and David Duchovny. The better question is does it take a sex addict to build the level of game needed to be a successful seducer, or does any seducer just become addicted to the sex eventually? We don’t know if it really matters, we’re just filling space here.
Larry Dallas – “Three’s Company”
Even if you’re not old enough to remember the tv show, you’ve likely seen Larry, the car salesman, around your local watering hole. This guy was like Quagmire (Family Man), only slightly more cartoonish. And while he talked the talk, we never actually saw one of his lines getting him past first base – but he still tried (boy, did he try).
Say what you will about their methods, but the womanizer, playboy, Casanova, Don Juan, and lady killer equal some highly entertaining television (and film). Be sure to check Womanizers in Film to see if we got it right there too.
About Max Green