TV's best villian.

[Scot Eric]

Now we enter a potentially even MORE debatable medium for listing villains and heroes: television

There will be several famous villains I left off due to hardly ever watched the show --- ranging from Dr. Loveless (Wild, Wild West) to Barnabas Collins (Dark Shadows) to Alexis Carrington (Dynasty).  And, as is ALWAYS the case – I'm 100% positive there are dozens I totally forgot…

I also made a decision – a TV show can only be represented ONCE on the list.  Otherwise, there would be several entries for just Buffy the Vampire Slayer! 

A few characters – I didn't feel they truly qualified as villains (even if they do "bad things") – although I do refer to them (you'll see).  Likewise, there's a few here that some may fell don't not fit snugly under the Villainous Black Hat.  And, as I did with the Movie Lists, a few comedic ones were added to spice it up a bit more.

My Top Twenty TV Villains

20. Stringer Bell from THE WIRE
His quiet but lethal intensity as he applied a business model to the drug trade made him one of the more understated villains to make the list.

19. Siegfried from GET SMART
Wickedly funny at being Maxwell Smart's arch-nemesis.  Hey – I just realized I left Dr. Evil of the Movie Villains list – duh!

18. Cancer Man a.k.a. Cigarette Smoking Man from THE X-FILES
Although the convoluted storylines of X-Files became more of a pain than pleasure – this shadowy figure was always fun to watch lurking about.

17. The Penguin from BATMAN (60's series)
Although there was a tussle between a few Batman villains, such as Gorshin's Riddler, Romero's Joker & Newmar's Catwoman – this wily bird bested them all.  Waaugh-waaugh-waaugh….

16. Luther Mahoney from HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET
A villain so great, that he ended up causing more trouble after his death than he did while among the living.

15. Antwon Mitchell from THE SHIELD
Now – one COULD make the case that Vic Mackey could very well qualify as an actual "villain".  However – I choose not to go that way.  Likewise…

14. Livia Soprano from THE SOPRANOS
Again, one could claim that Tony Soprano could show up on this list – but, like Mackey – I think he floats in limbo between hero & villain.  Livia – ah, the show was just never the same after Nancy Marchand's untimely demise.

13. Boris Badenov from ROCKY & BULLWINKLE
Alongside Natasha – a hilarious cartoon villain.  One could have popped in Snidely Whiplash (Dudley Do-Right's arch-enemy) as well, but that was the same show, and I gots ta stick to my rules…

12. Bob from TWIN PEAKS
This was a tough one – as I had Leland Palmer written down – but I realized – for sheer creepiness – one had to pick Bob.

11. Mirror Mirror Mister Spock from STAR TREK
Possibly one of my more "controversial" picks – as most would have gone with Khan.  The fact that he's "redeemed" at the end matters naught – many villains have such moments – otherwise I would have had to take Vader off the Movie Villains list, no?

10. Gaius Balthar from Battlestar Galactica
Although any of the Cylons could have made the list – Balthar makes the grade.  A coward or Christ-figure?  Insane or a Cylon puppet?  Either way, you can't take your eyes off him when he's on the screen. 

9. Arvin Sloane from ALIAS
First he's bad…then he's good…then he's bad again…then he's good…and then…well, you get the picture.  Good or bad – he's always fascinating to watch – just never trust him.

8. Doctor Zachary Smith from LOST IN SPACE
Yes, he became a buffoon fairly early on – but those first few episodes – Dr. Smith is about as underhanded and diabolically evil as any villain on the large or small screen.  And quite frankly, I also liked the silly stuff too – so there!

7. Al Swearengen from DEADWOOD
There may be some who contend that Al isn't really a villain – and perhaps someone like Cy Tolliver or George Hearst could have represented this groundbreaking western series.  But as Al might say – I really don't care what those cocksuckers think.  Watch that first season again and tell me he's NOT a villain.  Nah, you're still wrong…

6. Mel Profitt from WISEGUY
For the few folks who remember Wiseguy – you may have thought Sonny Steelgrave could have gotten some recognition here, but it was Kevin Spacey who carved out the more memorable niche here as the drugged out genius who didn't necessarily frown upon incest.  Only the toes knows.

5. Sideshow Bob from THE SIMPSONS
Another odd choice – as I'm sure most would have given this slot to Mister Burns.  And Burns is a TOTALLY worthwhile choice – but when I DID watch The Simpsons (I gave up on it a few years ago) – there was nothing I looked more forward to than a Sideshow Bob episode.  The Cape Fear spoof is still an undeniable classic (speaking of which, I now realize neither version of Max Cady made the Movie Villain list).

4. Benjamin Linus from LOST
One of the grand puppet-masters on the island – he stands out as the best addition to this show since his first appearance in Season 2.

3. Vern Schillinger from OZ
Many inmates from the Oswald Correctional Facility could have earned a spot on the list – but it came down to a tug-of-war between ol' Vern and Adebesi.  Flipped a coin, and it came up heads for this White Supremacist leader with eyes in the back of his head.

2. Spike from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
As I mentioned in the intro – BTVS possibly has the most dazzling array of villains that could have made the list: Angelus, the Mayor, Caleb, Faith, Evil Willow, Drusilla, the Master, the Gentlemen…but when I had to pick just one character – I had to go with who was the most sheer fun to watch – and even though he "went good" – Spike still gets the nod as the best of the bad.

and...

1. J.R. Ewing from DALLAS
Honestly, I couldn't imagine putting anyone ahead of Larry Hagman's iconic work as this slick oilman.  I'm only mildly ashamed to admit I quoted J.R. Ewing in my High School Yearbook (!!!).

As far as knocking out a list of Honorable Mentions…I know that I didn't include any villains from dramatic shows such as 24 (like Nina or the "bad" President), Babylon 5 and Heroes (quite frankly, I don't think Sylar rates a mention, to be honest), to name but a few.  I also missed out on "villainous" comedic foils from shows ranging from Seinfeld (Newman) to Taxi (Louie De Palma – who I just couldn't bring myself to list as an actual villain).  Heck - I left off Frank Burns (M*A*S*H) TOO...and even Suzie from Curb Your Enthusiasm might have qualified.  Harder still for me to leave off was my favorite Daytime TV villain - Adam Chandler from All My Children (never cared much for Erica Kane).  I could go on and on, but I’ll leave the dozens of others I neglected to y'all.

Looking back over all of this I realize two more things:

1. I've had a very eclectic TV viewing history.
2. I've also watched too much frakking television!

I'll take a crack at the obvious companion piece next week – I don't do lists over a weekend, man.

[Doghouse Reilly]

A few of my choices in no particular order:

Ray Luca from Crime Story
An excellently low-key performance from an actor who would go on to be a TV drama journeyman. Luca's rise from street thug to untouchable made man in the Chicago mob, combined with the counterpoint his own life and goals made to the series protagonist Lt. Torello made him an absolutely compelling figure.

Mr. Morden from Babylon 5
Again, a low-key villain, but one that is all the more sinister by being the facilitator of evil rather than the perpetrator.

Vern Schillinger from OZ
An intelligent, charismatic neo-Nazi fuckhead; there's actually tragedy in the character in that you would occasional see glimpses of the man he could have been if his own failings weren't so vast.

Caligula from I, Claudius (if miniseries count)
At turns horrible and hysterical, yet even when you were laughing, you were afraid to do so because the next horror was just around the corner.

The Master from Doctor Who
Holmes had Moriarty, Superman had Luthor, the Doctor had the Master, his equal yet opposite number. The Daleks were the Doctor's greatest enemy, but the Master was his archenemy. Speaking of the Daleks...

The Daleks from Doctor Who
Robot Nazis in rolling cans with death rays and a supreme hatred for anything that wasn't Dalek - the perfect enemy for a benevolent humanist like the Doctor. Plus, when they showed up, shit happened.

[Gardner Grayle]

I have ta' go with Shillinger too.  Along with Shirley Bellinger.  Fucking creepiest character from OZ.

And Balthar. 

[Year6Robin]

-Luther Mahoney from HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET
-Antwon Mitchell from THE SHIELD
-Arvin Sloane from ALIAS
-Sideshow Bob from THE SIMPSONS

I agree with all the above, and pretty much everything you said about them.  Here are a few of mine:

-TEABAG from PRISON BREAK: He's disgusting, he's evil, he's slimy, and I consistantly hope that he will die in a horrible, bloody way.
-SYLAR from HEROES: I don't really know what to say except that he's way too powerful and needs to be stopped!!!

There are many more, but that's all I can think of at the moment.

[measle]

I have ta' go with Shillinger too.  Along with Shirley Bellinger.  Fucking creepiest character from OZ.

And Balthar. 

Adebisi creeped me out more than Bellinger.  He was completely devoid of empathy as well, but has the physical presence to hurt most anyone.  People without that empathy gene freak the fuck out of me.

[Gardner Grayle]

Adebisi creeped me out more than Bellinger.  He was completely devoid of empathy as well, but has the physical presence to hurt most anyone.  People without that empathy gene freak the fuck out of me.

Gotta' disagree.  Adebisi was a monstrous fuck.  No doubt about it.  But ya' knew that about him.  Bellinger was so fucking creepy because of her backstory.  Killing her children because she thought they were possessed.  That's creepy.

[kcekada]

Off the top of my head, the only memorable one that comes to mind immediately is...

J.R. Ewing

What a bastard! And yet, he was a very well-developed character. I think Dallas is often dismissed because it was soap opera, but it was a very entertaining hour, and the oil business scenes were just as interesting as the typical relationship stuff.

Okay, Witchy-Poo from H.R. Puff N Stuff and the Joker (Caesar Romero) were my favorite villains as a kid. The TV Joker really freaked me out!

[OMAC]

At the moment, I gotta go with Theodore Bagwell (T-Bag) from Prison Break too. Especially from the 1st and 2nd seasons of the show. In the third, he's not all that evil anymore (so far, anyway.)

Even though T-Bag is a character you love to hate, I don't want him to die, though... there are even a few instances where you find yourself feeling sorry for him. The show wouldn't be the same without good ol' T-Bag.

Another relatively recent choice for me would be Nina Myers from 24. Not the creepiest of villains, but I so wanted her to die a horrible death at the hands of Jack Bauer!

[Year6Robin]

Another relatively recent choice for me would be Nina Myers from 24. Not the creepiest of villains, but I so wanted her to die a horrible death at the hands of Jack Bauer!

Agreed!  It would have been great to see Jack beat Nina to death with his bare hands.

[Scotty]

Those are all great.

I'll go in a different direction by saying the evil alien Diana as played by Jane Badler (an Aussie by the way) in V (the mini more than the series). Awesomely creepy in a completely hokey kind of way.

God, I loved that show. They are showing the series om cable here at the moment and it is so wonderfully bad, just dying for a remake.

[Scot Eric]

Those are all great.

I'll go in a different direction by saying the evil alien Diana as played by Jane Badler (an Aussie by the way) in V (the mini more than the series). Awesomely creepy in a completely hokey kind of way.

Excellent choice - I was definitely tempted to add her to my original list - but had to draw the line somewhere!

[measle]

IMO The replacement Diana from the ongoing series was nowhere near as good. 

[Aquaman71]

Will Wheat on from The Big Bang Theory.

[powersthatbe]

that goldilocks bitch from little house on the prairie

[StrayCatBlues]

Moriarty in the new SHERLOCK.

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