Gilmore Girls Seeks Top of the Pops

Make room for Daddy! Now that the WB has decided to give Gilmore Girls hottie Milo Ventimiglia his own spinoff, the search is on for a mature looker to play the estranged father of his character, rebellious teen toughie Jess. While the network's taste in baby-faced heartthrobs is unimpeachable — the frog channel has introduced us to a host of prime-time princes, from James Van Der Beek and Scott Speedman to Jason Behr and Chad Michael Murray — when it comes to fathers, we think we know best. Check out our submissions for the pivotal part and see if you don't agree.

Anthony LaPaglia: At a glance, the chameleonlike actor has an obvious advantage over the rest of Jess's potential pops — like Junior, he possesses the dark features of a natural born brooder. Unfortunately, the success of his crime drama Without A Trace is sure to leave him... without a chance.

Alex McArthur: A rising star in the late '80s, the dreamy Desperado gunslinger deserves a second shot at the big time. More importantly, since he played Madonna's parenting partner in a classic clip from MTV's golden age, this wannabe papa would know better than to preach, especially to a smartass like Jess.

Rob Morrow: As he once played doctor in wacky Cicely, Alaska, the goings-on in whimsical Stars Hollow wouldn't stand a snowball's chance of fazing this old pro. Besides, with his Showtime series Street Time at a standstill, a plum part like that of Jess's embattled paterfamilias would afford him some much-needed exposure — northern or otherwise.

Greg Evigan: Last time we saw the Reagan-era sex symbol, he was still generating heat, though his series, Aaron Spelling's Pacific Palisades, got only a lukewarm response. Maybe a wittier show, say, one bearing the stamp of Amy Sherman-Palladino, would make him look as good as trucking cross-country with a monkey once did.

Matthew Fox: Still haunted by the memory of the sensitive hottie's last hit show, Party of Five? Us, too. Perhaps the WB could lure back the man's man to the wuss-friendly fractured-family genre with the promise that proposed ward Jess will remain likelier to break out the nunchucks than turn on the waterworks &#224 la Party poopers Bai and Claud.

Ben Browder: If we were the Farscape funnyman's agents, we'd say three words — no more, no less — to the WB: Come to Papa! No thesp on this — or, we dare say, any — list could more skillfully handle the nuanced characterizations and mind-blowing wordplay that makes Gilmore Girls golden. So, please, give us a sign that there's intelligent life on planet Hollywood, and beam Browder up already!
Who's your choice to play Jess's dad? Vote now!