Tony Soprano, ‘The Sopranos’
One of the most important TV antiheroes of all time, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) was a flawed family man, who attempted to balance his familial duties with managing his mob activities.
One of the most important TV antiheroes of all time, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) was a flawed family man, who attempted to balance his familial duties with managing his mob activities.
Steve Buscemi has fueled Jersey City on graft, girls and booze in the HBO hit. His Nucky Thompson has been generous to those he loves, but can be violent and must decide how far he is willing to go, exploring the notion that one can't be "half a gangster" throughout the series.
Bryan Cranston has played chemistry teacher turned meth cook for five seasons on the AMC series. Creator Vince Gilligan insisted from the very beginning that the show was about "Mr. Chips becoming Scarface," and a series of damning choices transformed Walter White into a man who was perhaps beyond redemption. For Cranston, Walt "broke bad" in the show's first episode.
“It was very subtle, but that's when he decided to become someone that he's not in order to gain financially,” Cranston said. “He made the Faustian deal at that point and everything else was a slippery slope.”
David Duchovny's Hank Moody wrote edgy novels and moved to Hollywood to bring his work to the big screen. Family alienation, sexual misadventures, substance abuse and a trial for statutory rape followed — leaving the viewer to ask if he was worth rooting for.
Glenn Close's Patty Hewes was a ruthless — and corrupt — lawyer who once hired a hit man to kill her protégé (Rose Byrne). In a final-season twist, her son ends up getting killed by that very same hit man. She also convinced a company scientist (William Hurt) to throw his deposition in order to win a big case.
Michael C. Hall's Dexter was "born in blood," having witnessed his mother butchered with a chain saw. The incident left him with a "dark passenger" — an insatiable appetite to kill. Unfortunately for Miami's criminals, Dexter's adopted father Harry gave him a code dictating that he kill only other killers.
Jon Hamm's character has lied, cheated and verbally abused his subordinates. Born Dick Whitman, perhaps Don's greatest transgression was stealing the identity of fallen war comrade Donald Draper.
Damian Lewis' Nick Brody, who was held as a prisoner-of-war by al-Qaeda terrorists for years, was hailed as a hero upon his return home. But CIA officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) suspects — rightly — that he was turned and came back with the intent of carrying out a terrorist act. Still, that didn't stop her from starting up a romantic relationship with him.
Does brilliantly saving lives excuse you from being a complete jerk? Dr. House's prickly bedside manner left something to be desired, but he often saved the day when no one else could.
CTU Agent Jack Bauer killed, maimed and (most controversially) tortured countless people — all in the name of saving lives from terror attacks. A slew of academic papers and political debates sprung up about the post-Sept. 11 antihero's methods.
Edie Falco's strong-willed and brilliant emergency room nurse, who worked in a New York City hospital, was a lapsed Catholic with an occasional weakness for taking Vicodin and Adderall to help get her through the days.
Omar (Michael K. Williams) was based on Baltimore area robber Donnie Andrews. During the show's run, the gay stick-up man expressed a dislike for profanity and lived by a strict moral code. He also refused to rob or threaten people not involved in "the game" (aka, drug trafficking).
As a "fixer" for the rich and famous, Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber) does the dirty work for L.A.'s top power players. He makes the problems of the city's celebrities, superstar athletes and business moguls disappear.
The firefighter (played by Denis Leary), a relapsed alcoholic, became addicted to prescription drugs following the events of 9/11. In a controversial season three story line, he sexually assaulted his wife, leading some viewers to complain that it too much resembled a rape.
Jax Teller and his mother Gemma Teller Morrow must navigate the inner workings and outside threats to the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original. You may root for them and at the same time cringe at their sometimes brutal methods.
He might have been a detective in the Los Angeles Police Department, but he wasn't on the up-and-up. Mackey (Michael Chiklis) stole from drug dealers, routinely beat suspects and committed murder — more than once.
Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) was a regular soccer mom until her husband died. Wanting to continue her cushy lifestyle and support her kids, she turned to dealing marijuana.