I once had dreams of becoming an Emmy-Winning actress, but thanks to a traumatizing audition for a middle school drama club and being roughly a few inches shy of Snooki-esque shortness, those dreams never panned out. I’m happy to leave the acting to the professionals, and admire their work as a fan and critic.  For this television-aholic, there’s nothing better than beholding a great actor who steals every frame of their scenes.  

Here is a list of my favorite scene-stealers: 

Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother” 

Neil Patrick Harris’ portrayal of Barney Stinson, the suit-loving, womanizing screwball is nothing short of legend—wait for it—dary.  It takes an insanely talented actor to portray Stinson, who is capable of nearly sociopathic levels of deception, in a way that audiences can simultaneously cheer on his success, revel in his epic failures and love him just the same. Harris' work on "How I Met Your Mother" has been nominated for an Emmy four times, and it’s a crime against comedy that he hasn’t won yet.