10 TV shows where the protagonist is also the villain

There are many widely acclaimed TV shows where the protagonist is basically the villain, Although they may be the hero of their own story. Some of the best-developed TV characters ever show negative development, where they only become worse people as the series progresses. It still makes for amazing television when the show can illustrate the psychology of the character’s fall in a dark and nuanced story.

Through a combination of character charisma and brilliant acting, A villainous protagonist can lead an excellent television show about the nature of evil. Because of the complexities of the villain characters, some of the best television actors of all time are remembered for playing villains or anti-heroes. Additionally, some protagonists may more generally be referred to as anti-heroes, but can still be interpreted as villains when they constantly harm others. The most complex TV characters cannot be characterized by black-and-white morality when imperfection is human nature.

10

Breaking Bad (2008-2013)

Walter White (Bryan Cranston)

Breaking bad A milestone drama series famous for its depiction of Walt’s gradual fall into increasingly extreme moral depravity. Walt is the villain to everyone else in Breaking bad: Skyler for destroying their family and putting her on the wrong side of the law; Hank for becoming a man he needs to pursue; And Ishii promises him an easy deal and pushes him to murder. Many of the defining moments of Breaking bad Are when Walt illustrated with a strong mood where he is in his villain arc.

Breaking bad is an especially amazing show because it demonstrates how the potential for Walt to become this man was always there. Walt is very ambitious and bitter about the missed opportunities in his life And have 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 lead his own empire. These character traits justify everything he does along the way for a perfect character arc.

9

Mad Men (2007-2015)

Don Draper (John Hamm)

There are many low-key villains in Crazy people It is a difficult task when pinpointing a main villain for the show. The show’s protagonist, Don Draper, is sometimes a distasteful character, Despite his traumatic past, which has shaped him into what he is as an adult. Most wouldn’t call Don an outright villain when that’s not necessarily the point of the show, which illustrates the many destructive behaviors of the “Mad Men” In 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. Time when Dawn was Crazy peopleHis biggest villains include abusing his employees, neglecting and lying to his family, and rampant womanizing. Crazy people ends 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 harming others.

8

Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)

Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy)

Movies and TV shows focusing on organized crime and the actions of one crime boss to maintain power usually develop into villainous protagonist territory, when the biggest question is how far the main character will go. Thomas Shelby is such a morally complex character, Who ruthlessly promotes his business interests and manipulates his family throughout Peaky Blinders. The character is impressive in large part because of Cillian Murphy’s performance, all the proof that he was destined to win an Oscar.

Peaky BlindersLike 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 psychology is what makes him a compelling character, Give nuance to his terrible deeds. However, the people affected by his actions (possibly even his own family) will not think of him as less of a villain because he is troubled by what he has done.

7

Veep (2012-2019)

Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)

Veep also shows her protagonist gradually abandoning her morality for power as the series goes on, albeit in a completely different format and tone from Breaking 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 effort to climb the ranks through fraud and other crimes. Veep ends 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 in VeepThe end reveals that her presidency is not much better, as she fulfills her promise to refuse same-sex marriage, destroying her relationship with her daughter. Veep is ultimately about whether Selina will take the less moral path to success — and the answer is always yes.

6

Bates Motel (2013-2017)

Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore)

Bates Motel is an origin story about a character that every audience member with the most basic knowledge of cinematic history knows will become a villain. The purpose of Bates Motel is 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 Psycho. While Norman has a gentle alter ego, it is clear that the personality of the killer in Psycho Getting in shape already Bates Motel.

Norman has dissociative identity disorder, and his killer persona becomes more dominant as the series goes on. The result is that he kills several people, including his mother. Bates Motel was 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.

5

The Sopranos (1999-2007)

Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini)

The Sopranos is largely credited with giving rise to the anti-hero protagonist—or the villain protagonist, depending on how you look at it—a genre that has exploded with movies and television. It is the prediction of Breaking badAlthough it follows a different character trajectory regarding Tony Soprano. Tony even tries to become a better person during The Sopranos, One of the aspects of his series-long dynamic with his therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi.

Tony, however, quits therapy (twice) because he doesn’t believe it’s helping, and continues to commit various crimes throughout the series. The worst things Tony does The Sopranos Include 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 compunction is an effective way to end a villainous story.

4

Dexter (2006-2013)

Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall)

There are other evils in it Dexter Which scheme and murder, found 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 spatter 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 Harry’s code many times, Undermining any moral balance 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 to him that he is evil – constant killing does not do him any good. Dexter Then there is also a show about the endless decline in morals. Dexter Was 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.

3

Hannibal (2013-2015)

Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen)

Hannibal Lecter is another TV villain who got away with it for too long when someone would surely have realized what he was up to. It is again a dramatic irony in the audience knowing that this is a backstory for one of the most iconic villains of all time, and do not expect to see him anything less than this. The first episode shows Hannibal preparing a dish of lungs, Prove that he is already a murderer 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 assassin’s work, Because as soon as the FBI concludes that they are going after a cannibal, the crowd turns to Hannibal. Hannibal is always lurking behind the conflict in this show when the audience knows he is the ultimate villain.

2

Succession (2018-2023)

Logan Roy (Brian Cox)

Succession is an ensemble show more than anything, but it always places Logan at the center of everything, suggesting that he is the protagonist when Kendall, Roman and Shiv are all on equal footing in terms of narrative importance. Logan is undoubtedly the main villain of the show, 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 the Roy family spends trying to please Logan, he is an antagonist in their lives.

on the other hand, Succession is 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 crimes of the company, as well as the crimes they have 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 in it Succession; They are almost all definitive villains.

1

Death Note (2006)

Light Yagami (Mamoru Miyano/Brad Swaile)

Death note Follow Light, a brilliant high school student who comes into possession of a notebook in which he can write any person’s name, and causes that person to die. 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 note Uniquely does not spend so much time debating the actions of Light, Because Light is fully committed to what he is doing.

Death note is the perfect series for people who just want to see a villain be evil. Licht commits mass murder without any internal commotion While they engage in a battle of wits with L, they are a formidable pair, with the public being given the insight to know that L is right in suspecting Light, it is only a matter of proof. Unlike some TV shows that focus on a villainous protagonist, Death note Is simply fun because its main character is so corrupt, but still contained in the safety of fiction.