The Greatest TV Beards of 2016

It is a fact that 2016 has been a rough year for everyone. It's been a tough sludge through impactful celebrity deaths, taxing elections and trying to manage your undoubtedly overcrowded DVR.

One of the things this year got right though was facial hair. Yes, 2016 really went above and beyond when it came to delivering dudes with excellently crafted beards, and we could not be more grateful. We've been delivered everything from straight mustaches to full on hair face blankets, and in a year where you can't afford to take anything good for granted, we want to recognize the gentlemen who manscaped their chins to perfection.

Mark Paul Gosselaar, Pitch (Fox)

Mark Paul Gosselaar originally made a name for himself as the clean-shaven preppy Zack Morris on Saved By the Bell. This fall he totally changed that perspective with the beard masterpiece he's been sporting as Mike Lawson on Fox's Pitch. In fact, the beard is so well crafted that it took us an embarrassing amount of time to realize that it was Mark Paul in the pilot in the first place. It's a perfect lumberjack beard, but without having to go out in nature to find it.

Rahul Kohli, iZombie (The CW)

Being the best friend/sidekick is not an excuse to let yourself go. Just look at Rahul Kohli as Ravi on iZombie. Sure, he's Liv's (Rose McIver) closest friend and science expert, but he is rocking a Level 10 beard while trying to find cures for a zombie virus. He hasn't let it go to full lumberjack status, but still keeps a full and orderly beard going on. Ravi is already the top when it comes to friendship goals, but his beard is something bros should also aspire to.

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Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us (NBC)

Milo Ventimiglia sports many variations of facial hair on This Is Us, including an 80s pornstache that feels like an abomination to his handsome face. However, he still scored a spot on this list thanks to the work of art that is his 1970s beard. We only get glimpses of it in the earliest of the This Is Us timelines, but a full beard suits Ventimiglia's face so well. We totally get why Rebecca (Mandy Moore) fell for him in the first place. The only thing that makes Jack Pearson's super dad skills even hotter is the beautiful beard he's got planted on his face.

Jamie Dornan, The Fall (Netflix)

Okay, we don't want to promote being sexually attracted to serial killers, but we have to admit that Jamie Dornan's beard in Netflix's The Fall is a large part of the Paul Spector appeal. We hate to admit it, but you can see how his victims were so easily duped into coming home with him and why ice cold Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) found herself falling for him. It's a shame to see such a great beard be used for such evil, but we have to give credit where the facial hair credit is due. It's a shame things had to end the way they did, Paul.

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Joshua Sasse, No Tomorrow (The CW)

No Tomorrow's Xavier (Joshua Sasse) is not a serial killer, but he is a man convinced the world is going to end and thus lives his life with no abandon and convinces his sensible, naive neighbors to do the same. It's a fair criticism to say that Evie (Tori Anderson) never would have fallen for Xaiver's shenanigans if it weren't for the fact that his face is a work of art. The beauty of Xaiver is upped exponentially by the close-kept ginger-tinted bear on his face. It totally distracts from his crazy eyes, and accents his shirtless scenes perfectly. How could you not believe a beard like that when it's saying the world will end? If a meteor is coming for us, we'd like to go out as close to that beard too, Evie.

Joshua Jackson, The Affair (Showtime)

Cole Lockhart (Joshua Jackson) has gotten the rawest deal of anyone on The Affair, and that's saying something for a show that pedals in emotional torture. He's lost his child, his wife, his home and his brother and despite all of that grief, he's still maintained a top notch beard. That deserves a round of applause, or one of those close hugs where you go cheek to cheek. He keeps it close, much like Xavier on No Tomorrow, allowing him to look like a professional businessman without losing his rugged Montauk charm. This is a beard that says Cole is a man who has his stuff together but isn't afraid of a little rough and tumble. Honestly, we have no idea how Alison (Ruth Wilson) could have ever wandered away from him. Look at your life, look at your choices, girl.

What is your favorite beard on TV?

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