The nature of TV storytelling often makes for incredibly complex and gripping stories, often focused on specific characters from within a show’s narrative. The long-form storytelling facilitated by the traditional TV format can make well-crafted shows of the most immersive experiences in visual media. However, a show is only as good as its best characters, and some of the best TV show character arcs are incredible enough to make their entire series better. This seems to be especially true of antiheroes, who usually rank among the most complex individuals on TV, thanks in part to their unique moral or ethical perspectives.
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What makes a great antihero is relatively simple. They must be an innate mixture of both good and evil traits, most commonly with understandable or relatable reasons for their worst aspects. Over the years, TV has delivered some truly exceptional examples of antiheroes that we simply can’t help but love, even if they occasionally engage in truly abhorrent behaviors.
1) Jax Teller (Sons of Anarchy)
Sons of Anarchy is a TV show with a genuinely perfect ending, and that’s simply down to how well it rounds off Jax Teller’s character arc. Introduced in the show’s pilot as the young Vice President of the titular fictional motorcycle club, Sons of Anarchy follows Jax as he learns more about his late father’s true vision for the club and the inner conflict that arises as Jax becomes involved in increasingly severe acts of criminality. Jax attempts to embrace one path, all the while being drawn in the opposite direction.
Jax’s inner turmoil is at the center of the show, and it’s also what makes him a great antihero. Over the course of Sons of Anarchy‘s story, the audience sees Jax engage in some pretty terrible deeds. He’s a hardened criminal beyond any shadow of a doubt, but his constant desire to be better and to create a more positive legacy makes him far more complex than he seems. As such, Jax is a great antihero, as his actions repeatedly struggle to match up to his well-intentioned ambitions.
2) Jaime Lannister (Game of Thrones)
While Jaime Lannister might not have been one of the most powerful Game of Thrones characters, he was undeniably one of its most compelling. His story throughout the show was a complicated one, as it combined redemption, honor, and a ruthless streak that made Jaime an especially divisive figure. While it may be hard to imagine Jaime Lannister fitting the traditional definition of an antihero, he still fits the description, as he possesses some hero qualities with distinctly lacking others.
From the very first episode of the show, Jaime Lannister is shown to be a man possessing some severe moral failings, including his intimate relationship with his twin sister and his willingness to murder a child. However, he is later shown to also be kind and generally honorable, making him an inherently likable figure despite his regular unsavory choices. Jaime Lannister is a complex figure who seems to be both hero and villain simultaneously, making him perhaps the closest thing to an antihero in the world of Game of Thrones.
3) Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Firefly)
Despite being criminally short-lived, it is the general consensus that Firefly is an essential science fiction TV show for those interested in the genre. Its story concerns the ship Serenity, which is piloted by a ragtag group of galactic misfits, led by the charming Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds. Firefly‘s backstory involves Mal’s past serving on the losing side of a galactic civil war, leading to his eventual career choice as being an outlaw and smuggler out on the galaxy’s frontier planets.
Mal’s continued devotion to a lost cause pits him against the system, and forces him to live outside the law on account of his principles. He has an honorable reason for acting dishonorably, and despite breaking a great many laws over the course of Firefly’s short run, he’s an inherently good character. He certainly isn’t a hero, but his actions undeniably qualify him as an antihero, even if he often seems to be one of the last good men in Firefly‘s universe.
4) Don Draper (Mad Men)
Jon Hamm’s performance as Don Draper in Mad Men earned him massive critical praise and elevated him to a household name. The show followed its protagonist and his colleagues throughout the 1960s. A talented and charismatic ad executive, Don Draper’s personal and professional lives served as the backbone of Mad Men‘s story, as well as its success. However, in many ways, Don Draper is a classic example of a TV antihero.
Draper’s professional success stems from his carefully cultivated reputation as a mysterious but brilliant marketing executive, but his morally reprehensible actions repeatedly define his story. He is shown cheating on his romantic partners on multiple occasions, as well as thinking and behaving selfishly at practically every opportunity. However, the show also explores his kinder and more human side, making him a complex figure who undoubtedly qualifies as one of the best antiheroes in TV history.
5) Dexter Morgan (Dexter)
Although Dexter has sadly become remembered as a great show that was terrible by the end, its eponymous protagonist remained the best aspect of its story throughout. The show follows Dexter Morgan, by day a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department, and by night the serial killer known as the Bay Harbor Butcher. From the very beginning, Dexter‘s story makes its protagonist a fascinating character whose motivations are consistently relatable.
Dexter being a serial killer should make him an out-and-out villain, but it doesn’t. By having him stick to a strict moral code – that his victims should all be killers or violent criminals themselves – Dexter redeems the character’s most unsavory trait. Despite his troubling urge to regularly commit murder, Dexter Morgan is largely depicted as a good man, making him an interesting antihero that audiences simply can’t help but root for.
6) Dr. Gregory House (House M.D.)
House M.D. took a fresh approach to medical drama, putting mystery at its core. The show’s premise involves its eponymous doctor, Hugh Laurie’s Gregory House, as he leads up a reputable diagnostic department who specialize in treating mysterious or seemingly impossible maladies. House is much more than a brilliant doctor, however: he’s also dangerously reliant on painkillers, ruthless in his personal and professional relationships, and incredibly abrasive to his patients.
Throughout the show, House’s unconventional methods prove him to be the medical equivalent of an antihero. While he cures the majority of his patients, he often does so recklessly and with an utter disdain for protocol, causing trouble for himself, his team, and his bosses on multiple occasions. House’s refusal to play by the rules is a key part of what makes the character so charismatic, but it’s also what makes him such a complex antihero.
7) Walter White (Breaking Bad)
Breaking Bad is, undeniably, one of the most iconic TV shows in recent history. The crime drama is packed with memorable twists and turns, with countless morally dubious characters of varying degrees packing out its cast. However, at the head of it all is Walter White, played to perfection by Bryan Cranston. Walt’s rise from high school science teacher to New Mexico meth kingpin is the central focus of the show, and one that sees the character embark on a dark journey.
Walter White is one of the greatest TV antiheroes of all time. The reason he gets involved in manufacturing drugs is a simple matter of wanting to provide for his family, but by the time the show’s end comes around, Walt is responsible for some of Breaking Bad‘s most gruesome deaths. Walter White is a character whose personality shifts over the course of his narrative arc, taking him from a naive but likeable family man to a ruthless crime lord capable of horrific acts.
8) Omar Little – The Wire
HBO’s The Wire is an important part of TV history, as it completely redefined the prestige that TV shows could earn thanks to its careful examination and depiction of the lives of Baltimore’s fictional criminal underworld. One of its most popular and interesting characters was Omar Little, played by Michael K Williams, who remains one of The Wire‘s most beloved figures even years after its ending.
Omar’s status as an antihero stems from his strict moral code, which sets him apart from the majority of The Wire‘s other characters. His disdain for profanity, as well as his refusal to harm innocent people, is in stark contrast to the ruthless violence he visits on his enemies. Omar’s reputation on the streets of Baltimore might speak for itself, but his morals, most clearly evidenced by his caring for his grandmother, make him a good man in many ways, and one of the show’s most compelling antiheroes.
9) The Punisher (The MCU)
First introduced in Daredevil season 2 as a side character who stole the show, Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle is the most popular live-action version of Marvel’s most iconic antihero. The Punisher’s backstory involves a highly classified military past, the murder of his family as part of a complex plot against him, and his resulting brutally violent crusade against all criminals. A murderous vigilante, the Punisher is one of the most well-known antiheroes in all of pop culture.
Jon Bernthal’s take on the character has once again brought the character to life in live-action, reigniting the debate that surrounds his actions. Many find Castle’s violent war on crime to be somewhat justified, while others find his methods completely abhorrent. Regardless on an individual’s personal take on the the character, it’s clear that he remains one of the greatest antiheroes in TV history, especially since the Punisher’s official MCU debut in Daredevil: Born Again brought him back to the forefront of pop culture consciousness.
10) Tony Soprano (The Sopranos)
There is perhaps no TV antihero as complete as Tony Soprano. Played by James Gandolfini in HBO’s The Sopranos, Tony was one of the first ever examples of a protagonist who was also the villain of his own show. The boss of the New Jersey mafia, Tony Soprano is an unrepentant and violent criminal who takes no quarter in his professional pursuits. However, there’s another side to the character, and it’s one that makes him an exceptional antihero.
Throughout The Sopranos, Tony’s human side is repeatedly explored. Even between dealing out brutal murders and beatings on his enemies, Tony is shown as a loving family man and a vulnerable human, with the show being framed by his conversations with his therapist. The Sopranos‘ depiction of the mobster is complex, compelling, and occasionally even compassionate, making him perhaps the most remarkable and complete antihero in the history of television.
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