When Eric Braeden walked out of The Young and the Restless, it was my belief that the powers that be would find some way to reach a compromise with him and Victor Newman would remain an integral part of Genoa City. However, the negotiations between Braeden and the folks at Sony turned cold.

Cold as in heartless. Considering the character Braeden has played for nearly 30 years, Victor Newman, he should have understood the daytime TV business had changed. Instead, he was insulted and -- apparently -- grew stubborn. So instead of a compromise, it looks like Braeden is really leaving.

However, today's news suggests that while he walked from a job that was asking him to take a pay cut from $1.5 million a year to $1 million a year, other actors are interested in filling Braeden's shoes. The question is this, though: can another actor play Victor Newman?

Gary Dourdan ... David Hasselhoff ... Michael Landon ... find out where they rank on our list.

Sexy, hotties, beefcake -- call 'em what you will; to us, they're simply the 50 hunkiest men to ever populate primetime TV.

From cowboys and cops to legal eagles and Supermen (we've got two of those), these are the handsome fellas who've made us laugh, cry ... and drool on our remote controls.

But hunkiness is in the eye of the beholder, so peruse our countdown and see if your favorite TV man candy made the list.

(S04E02) Is this our Brenda? So happy, so horny, so friendly and jovial. After last week's heavy duty episode, with the fires and the serial arsonist with the creepy (also very beguiling) smile, this episode found Brenda in a playful mood. Don't you love a well-rounded character?

It was very romantic the way Brenda was awakened by Fritzie, and for a show that tends to show more of the neurotic Brenda than the sexy Brenda, this was a lovely change of pace. And if you can consider a story in which homeless drunks are run over (and over) by cars -- vehicular homicide indeed -- for insurance money a light, comic turn, then this episode qualifies.