Summary
There are numerous widely acclaimed TV shows where the protagonist is essentially the villain,although they may be the hero of their own story. Some of theTV characters with the best development everdemonstrate negative development, where they only become worse people as the series progresses. It still makes for amazing TV when the show can illustrate the psychology of this character’s fall in a dark and nuanced story.
Through a combination of character charisma and brilliant acting,a villain protagonist can carry an excellent TV show about the nature of evil.Because of the villainous characters' complexities, some of thebest TV actors of all timeare remembered for playing villains or anti-heroes. Additionally, some protagonists might more generally be referred to as anti-heroes, but can still be interpreted as villains when they constantly harm others. Themost complex TV characterscan’t be characterized by black-and-white morality when imperfection is human nature.
8 TV Shows That Make You Root For The Villain
Any good TV show has to have a compelling villain, and while the audience might not want them to win, that doesn’t mean they aren’t rooting for them.
Walter White (Bryan Cranston)
Breaking Badfamously became a milestone drama series for its depiction of Walt’s gradual fall into increasingly extreme moral depravity.Walt is the villain to everyone else inBreaking Bad:Skyler for destroying their family and putting her on the wrong side of the law; Hank for becoming a person he needs to pursue; and Jesse for promising him an easy business and pushing him to murder. Many of thedefining moments ofBreaking Badare when Walt poignantly illustrates where he is at in his villainous arc.
Breaking Badis an especially amazing show because it demonstrates how the potential for Walt to become this person was always there.Walt is very ambitious and bitter about the missed opportunities in his lifeand having to work a job he is overqualified for. The early episodes show him finding a strange thrill in the dangerous drug world, which will grow into his goal to run his own meth empire. These character traits justify everything he does along the way for a perfect character arc.
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.
Don Draper (John Hamm)
There are manylow-key villains inMad Menwhen pinpointing a main villain for the show is a difficult task.The show’s protagonist Don Draper is at times a detestable character,despite his traumatic past that shaped him into who he is as an adult. Most would not call Don an outright villain when this isn’t necessarily the point of the show, which illustrates the many destructive behaviors of the"Mad Men"at a 1960s ad agency
However, when the show revolves around the psychology of Don’s unethical actions, there is an interpretation that he is its villain.Times when Don wasMad Men’s biggest villaininclude abusing his employees, abandoning and lying to his family, and rampant womanizing.Mad Menends with the open-ended question of whether Don will act more morally in the future,which also inherently reveals that most of the series has been about him damaging others.
Mad Men
Mad Men is a drama series set in 1960s New York, focusing on the lives of competitive men and women working in Madison Avenue’s advertising industry. The show explores the social mores and cultural dynamics of the era while delving into the personal and professional challenges faced by its characters.
8Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)
Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy)
Movies and TV shows focusing on organized crime and one crime boss' actions to hold onto power usually delve into villain protagonist territory, when the biggest question is how far the main character will go.Thomas Shelby is such a morally complicated character,who ruthlessly furthers his business interests and manipulates his family throughoutPeaky Blinders. The character is impactful in large part because of Cillian Murphy’s performance, all the proof one needed that he was destined to win an Oscar.
Peaky Blinders, like many other similar series, shows a lot of inner turmoil on Shelby’s part.
Peaky Blinders, like many other similar series, shows a lot of inner turmoil on Shelby’s part. He still does a lot of terrible things and has to live with the consequences.Shelby’s complex mentality is what makes him a compelling character,giving nuance to his terrible deeds. However, the people affected by his actions (possibly even his own family) won’t think of him as any less of a villain because he is troubled by what he did.
Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders is a historical crime drama created and written by Steven Knight and starring Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, and Helen McCrory. The television show is based on the gang, Peaky Blinders, a group that banded together after the end of World War I.
7Veep (2012-2019)
Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)
Veepalso shows its protagonist gradually abandoning her morals for the sake of power as the series goes on, albeit in a completely different format and tone fromBreaking Bad. Selina Meyer, the Vice President of the United States at the beginning of the series, is frustrated with the little power she has and sets out on a series-long endeavor to climb the ranks through fraud and other crimes.Veepends with Selina winning the presidency in her own right,but not without cost.
Selina letting her most loyal friend take the fall for her actions to secure her victory is widely regarded as the worst thing she ever did. However, the epilogue inVeep’s endingreveals that her presidency wasn’t much better, as she fulfilled her promise to repeal same-sex marriage, destroying her relationship with her daughter.Veepis ultimately about whether Selina will take the less moral path to success— and the answer is always yes.
Veep
When former U.S. Senator Selina Meyer becomes Vice President of the United States, she finds that it is less like what she hoped for, and more what people warned her it would be.
6Bates Motel (2013-2017)
Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore)
Bates Motelis an origin story about a character any audience member with the most basic knowledge of cinematic history knows is going to become a villain.The purpose ofBates Motelis to explore Norman’s life as a young man and his toxic relationship with his mother,a key part of his character in Alfred Hitchcock’sPsycho. While Norman has a polite alter ego, it is clear that the personality of the murderer inPsychois already taking shape inBates Motel.
Norman has Dissociative Identity Disorder, and his killer persona becomes more dominant as the series goes on. This results in him killing several people, including his mother.Bates Motelwas well-received as a horror series,suggesting that Freddie Highmore did something right in his performance. People wanted to see a chilling series with Norman terrifying them at every turn, which Highmore pulled off for five seasons.
Bates Motel
Bates Motel is an A&E original series that acts as a contemporary prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic, Psycho. The TV show centers on Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore), who, with his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga), move across the country and buy a motel. However, Norman’s psyche quickly begins to unravel as he struggles with his abnormal relationship with his mother.
8 TV Villains Who Saved Their Shows
While there are many reasons a TV show can be made better or even saved from doom, it’s not often expected to be a villain, but these 8 managed it.
5The Sopranos (1999-2007)
Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini)
The Sopranosis largely credited with giving rise to the anti-hero protagonist — or the villain protagonist, depending on how one looks at it — agenre that has blown up with movies and TV. It is the forerunner ofBreaking Bad, although it follows a different character trajectory concerning Tony Soprano.Tony even tries to become a better person duringThe Sopranos,one of the aspects of his series-long dynamic with his therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi.
However, Tony quits therapy (twice) because he doesn’t believe it is helping, and continues to commit various crimes throughout the series. Theworst things Tony does inThe Sopranosinclude constantly cheating and lying to his wife, ruining people’s lives financially, and, of course, ordering or personally committing murder.The Sopranos’infamous ending only proves that Tony will never escape all that he has done,and comeuppance is an effective way to end a villain story.
The Sopranos
The Sopranos follows New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano as he navigates the challenges of managing his family and criminal enterprise. He seeks guidance from psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi while dealing with complex dynamics involving his wife Carmela, cousin Christopher Moltisanti, and other Mafia associates. Released in 1999, this series delves into organized crime and personal struggles.
4Dexter (2006-2013)
Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall)
There are other villains inDexterwho scheme and murder, finding themselves in opposition with the show’s title character. However, Dexter himself is still living a double life and lying to everyone, working as a blood splatter analyst by day and acting as a vigilante killer by night. Dexter’s personal code dictates that he only kills other killers to keep his"Dark Passenger"satisfied, somewhat mitigating the show’s inherent premise. However,Dexter breaks the Code of Harry many times,undermining any moral weight it has.
Dexter gives himself one moral standard to uphold if he is going to be a serial killer,but the fact that he breaks it proves him to be a villain — constant murder already doesn’t make him look good.Dexterthen also becomes a show about the inescapable decline in morality.Dexterwas a popular show for this concept, which invited audiences to get invested in a killer and how he would become even more murderous, at the expense of those around him.
Dexter
Dexter is a television series following Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police who secretly leads a dual life as a vigilante serial killer. Released in 2006, the show focuses on Dexter’s internal conflict as he hunts down criminals who elude justice within the legal system.
3Hannibal (2013-2015)
Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen)
Hannibal Lecter is anotherTV villain who got away with it for too longwhen someone surely would have realized what he was up to. There is once again dramatic irony in the audience knowing that this is a backstory for one of the most iconic villains of all time, and don’t expect to see him be anything less than this.The very first episode shows Hannibal preparing a dish of lungs,establishing that he is already a killer and a cannibal.
The rest of the series is dedicated to Hannibal’s dynamic with an FBI agent who unwillingly empathizes with serial killers and the twisting labyrinth of them all figuring out what Hannibal is up to.Episode 1 brilliantly teases Hannibal’s involvement in another killer’s work,because as soon as the FBI concludes that they are hunting a cannibal, the audience turns to Hannibal. Hannibal is always lurking behind the conflict in this show when the audience knows that he is the ultimate villain.
Hannibal
Created for TV by Bryan Fuller, Hannibal is a TV adaptation/reimagining of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon novel. The show follows the exploits of FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and their perpetual game of cat and mouse that unfolds over the series. When a string of murders in Minnesota requires a brilliant mind to crack the case, Will Graham is called in to investigate - but due to the intimate and terrifying nature of the crimes, he is appointed Dr. Lecter to act as his psychiatrist. The truth of Dr. Lecter is that he is Will’s target - but to complicate matters, he’s the only person that can truly understand him.
2Succession (2018-2023)
Logan Roy (Brian Cox)
Successionis an ensemble show more than anything, but it always positions Logan at the center of it all, suggesting that he is the protagonist when Kendall, Roman, and Shiv are all on equal footing in terms of narrative importance.Logan is doubtlessly the show’s main villain,manipulating and abusing his entire family in the context of the ongoing debate over who will take control of his media empire when he is gone. For all the time that the Roy family spends trying to please Logan, he is an antagonist in all their lives.
Not only are there no heroes in Succession; they are pretty much all definitive villains.
On the other hand,Successionis a show where all the main characters are villains,to each other and the rest of the world. They are always concerned with covering up the company’s crimes, as well as the ones they personally committed; their actions in the election affect the entire country. They also all do something at some point to hurt someone else in their family for personal gain. Not only are there no heroes inSuccession; they are pretty much all definitive villains.
Succession
Succession is a Black Comedy and Satire television show created by Jesse Armstrong. It stars Hiam Abbass, Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, and Kieran Culkin and follows the story of an aging conglomerate owner as he deals with his declining health and the sudden realization that one of his children will soon inherit his position and run his company.
10 TV Shows Where Most Of The Characters Are Terrible People
Terrible people are a joy to watch. Comedy and drama shows both portray morally bankrupt characters to highlight the darkness within all of us.
1Death Note (2006)
Death Notefollows Light, a brilliant high school student who comes into possession of a notebook in which he can write any person’s name, causing that person to drop dead. Light takes it upon himself to rid the world of criminals, prompting a crusade to find him led by the equally brilliant detective known only as"L.“Death Noteuniquely doesn’t spend that much time debating Light’s actions,because Light is fully committed to what he is doing.
Death Noteis the perfect series for people who just want to watch a villain be evil.Light commits mass murder without any inner turmoilwhile engaging in a battle of wits with L. They are an engaging pair, with the audience being granted the insight of knowing that L is right in suspecting Light, it is only a matter of proving it. Unlike some TV shows that focus on a villain protagonist,Death Noteis simply fun because its main character is so depraved, but still contained within the safety of fiction.
