Nice Guys Usually Finish Last (But Are Always First in Our Hearts)

There is no denying the appeal of either the cocky bad boy or the confident hero. Those are the guys we love to fawn over, crush on and fantasize about. They ooze sex appeal and at the end of the day, they always manage to get the girl or boy.

But what about their best friend, the one who is always there when needed and usually the only one who can keep the hero out of trouble? He’s often a plain guy, usually without the rippling muscles or the attitude problems, and probably nerdy or dorky, barely cool enough to be able to hang out with the beloved hero.

These are the guys who stand apart from the glory and the attention, who help the protagonist, usually swooping in at a crucial moment to save the day. And what do they get in return? Often it's nothing more than a handshake or a hug, before they return to to their life of loneliness, waiting to have their brains and loyalty called on for next time.

But this indecency will go on no longer! It is time to stand up for these unsung unheroes and give them the credit that they deserve. So here is a list of our favorite underrated nice guy best friends, rated on a scale of one to five Neville Longbottoms.

Neville Longbottom, the nice guy hero of the Harry Potter franchise, gets this honor because he is the most underrated nice guy in the history of pop culture. He is teased, cast aside and under-appreciated by bullies, teachers and Harry Potter himself, but he ends up being the one who stands up and saves the world.

Our nice guys will be graded on the following qualities:

Loyalty – the defining factor of the nice guy. He is loyal to the very end, never wavering from the hero's side, even in the face of mortal peril.

Social Awkwardness – This is usually what downgrades the nice guy from leading man to loyal sidekick. He may not always say the right thing at the right time, and he doesn't have the hero's effortless charm, but it's why we love him.

Hotness – The nice guy is often highly underrated in terms of hotness. He is usually kind of dorky, maybe a little nerdy, and standing next to the swoon-worthy hero, his hotness is often overlooked, but it's there. We are talking about people on TV and the movies after all.

Hoyt (Jim Parrack) – True Blood

How nice is Hoyt Foytenberry? Even though his mother is a raging bigot, he was one of the few people in the town of Bon Temps who wasn’t prejudiced against vampires.

And when Dawn, one of the waitresses at Merlotte's, was murdered by the local serial killer, he was one of the few people who expressed regret at her death that didn't involve her large breasts. Then when he meets Jessica in Season Two, he goes to great lengths to prove his love for her, constantly defending her from the bigoted townspeople and traveling all the way to Texas to win Jessica back after an argument.

On top of that, as Jason's best friend, Hoyt has had to often help the always-in-a-mess Jason out when he does something crazy, whether it’s dealing with his V addiction, listening him talk about his girl troubles or taking care of him after Jason is attacked by werepanthers.

Naturally this means Hoyt is going to have to have his heart broken since Jason and Jessica are clearly into each other. Honestly though, Hoyt is so kind and sympathetic, he'll probably understand and forgive them no matter what they do.

Nice Guy Rating: 4 Neville Longbottoms

Emmett Honeycutt (Peter Paige) – Queer as Folk

The often-overlooked Emmett Honeycutt was one of the most underrated characters on Queer As Folk. Loyal to a fault, Emmett was willing to do anything for his group of friends, whether it was filling in last minute on Ted's porn site, planning a last minute party for Lindsay's art gallery or just being there to listen to all of his friend's problems.

When Emmett receives a large inheritance, he buys all of his friends lavish gifts, before revealing he never bought himself anything. That was just the kind of guy that Emmett was, selfless, compassionate and always giving.

While it would be easy to dismiss Emmett as being a flamboyant stereotype, throughout the series he proved to be one of the strongest and bravest members of the group. Unfortunately, even the writers of the show seemed to forget about Emmett at the end and he ultimately ended up alone, rather than getting the happy ending that he deserved more than anyone.

Nice Guy Rating: 5 Neville Longbottoms