TV shows have increased time frames compared to movies or cartoons to flesh out their villains. Fans are less forgiving because of this fact. No matter the genre, the story is more interesting with a little conflict from a worthy adversary. Some of the best TV series still benefit from compelling villains.
With certain shows spanning as many as 33 seasons, it feels right to depict well-rounded antagonists, even ones audiences root for. Great shows with multiple villains sometimes make a few less interesting or even cartoonishly evil ones if they can get away with it. Other times, supposed villains have laudable reasons.
10 Charles Miner Makes Quite The Impression In The Office
Though Charles Miner is on The Office for a short time, he makes an impression. Quotable gems like “I am aware of the effect I have on women” and “must be nice to get some rest from all your rest” make Charles a solid part of The Office’s history. His decisions were based on observations.
Even die-hard fans of The Office can agree that Michael, lovable as he is, is not fit for his position. Charles also changes his mind based on new information. He is not wrong for thinking Jim is a slacker and Dwight is a good worker. However, when he finds out Dwight is childish, he drops him. Also, Charles was only supposed to be at Dunder-Mifflin for a day.
9 Toby Flenderson Is Perhaps Michael's Worst Enemy In The Office
The management in New York and Toby just want Michael Scott to be a competent manager. Toby is right to tell Michael some of his actions are offensive.
Apart from his crush on Pam which leads to a very out-of-character leap over the fence, he gets along with most of Dunder-Mifflin's employees. The fact that Toby is Michael’s nemesis as the HR manager proves the point that he is far from a villain. In fact, Michael’s actions and a few other managers are mostly antagonistic to employees’ well-being.
8 Sam Keating Fails To Be A Convincing Villain In How To Get Away With Murder
Annalise Keating’s husband, Sam Keating, is HTGAWM's posthumous antagonist. He is the central boogeyman. Keating is an easy man to hate on the surface, which is exactly why he fails to be a convincing villain. He is a person who orders murders, an adulterer and an unethical therapist. However, he has underlying issues stemming from his troubled childhood. Sam and his sister Hannah were neglected by their parents.
Though Sam orders Frank to commit murder, he is not the one who does it himself. Frank has a track record of planning murders on his own. There were no real consequences for defying Sam’s orders. Also, Annalise has affairs of her own. A delay in executing the death of an innocent woman would have resulted in Sam rethinking his actions based on his past.
7 Rita Castillo Is Not Convincing As An Antagonist In Why Women Kill's Season 2
Why Women Kill's second season has a more convoluted plot than the first. Its villains also do not measure up to the nuanced, convincing villains in Season 1. Rita Castillo is a tragic character, though she starts off as an antagonist. However, even as an antagonist, she is not convincing.
Rita’s biggest crime is running a completely voluntary gardening club of upper-class women with an iron fist. It is normal that she does not want a lower-middle-class woman like Alma to be a part of the club. Also, Carlo, Rita’s much older husband, is cruel while Her former husband was also abusive. It is perfectly valid that she seeks a way out of the brothel into a world that provides financial security.
6 Marlo Stanfield Picks Fights That Do Not Serve A Wider Strategic Purpose In The Wire
Unlike the charismatic and insightful Barksdale gang with the likes of Stringer Bell, Marlo is cartoonishly evil. He does not have a moral code or any lines he will not cross. Marlo murders a woman he was involved with and also murders one of the closest people he has to a mentor, Prop Joe, for business purposes.
Marlo is eventually able to get off scot-free. His crew is also cartoonishly evil and has few endearing qualities, they have limited thoughts of their own. Marlo is also childish at times and picks fights that do not serve a wider strategic purpose.
5 Robert Zane's Actions Are Never Really Unethical In Suits
Rachel Zane's father, Robert Zane, is an antagonist at various points in Suits. His actions are never really unethical. Zane’s biggest failure is to be an emotionally unintelligent father earlier in the show. As a lawyer, however, his actions are above board. His ruthlessness is mostly limited to the court.
Robert Zane’s decision to take the fall for the fraudulent lawyers in Suits is unnecessarily heroic. His guilt over a mugger’s death is unwarranted. It is not his fault that a guilty person is harmed by his fellow inmates, that is the job of officials, not a lawyer.
4 David Dash/Dave Williams Is In Need Of Guidance In Desperate Housewives
Dave Williams is Edie’s husband and the wronged husband of the victims of a tragic accident. He understandably has a mental breakdown after his toddler daughter and his wife are run over by Susan Delfino. Dave believes the culprit is Mike Delfino since he takes the blame for Susan.
Dave’s reaction is justified as someone who loses their entire family in one single accident. As someone who was institutionalized for years, transitioning to just a phone call is a bit irresponsible for the medical providers. Dave indefinitely needs constant help, guidance, and counseling and does not get it.
3 Pilar Ramirez Is An Overprotective Mother In Modern Family
Pilar Ramirez, the mother of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (neé Ramirez), receives a lot of flack for her antagonistic role in Modern Family. Pilar is not acting strangely as a mother, her hostility is not unwarranted. Gloria is married to a man who has a daughter older than her.
Any parent who has a son-in-law potentially older than them is right to be a tad perturbed. This is true no matter how wealthy the spouse is. She is wrong to pull a gun on Jay, but she is right about her fears of the child being Anglicized like Manny. She just wants a grandchild who is not alienated from their Colombian culture.
2 Michael Is More Of A Caricature In Lucifer
Michael is Lucifer’s evil identical twin and is more of a caricature than a well-rounded villain. Through his devious ways, Lucifer avoids accountability for starting the rebellion in hell. Michael’s ability to play on people’s fears allows him to successfully impersonate Lucifer as a detective.
However, Michael is only able to manipulate what is already there and is not able to create fears from scratch. Lucifer is ultimately still responsible for his own rebellion. Their father, God, despite being manipulated by Michael, is also partly to blame as he is all-knowing and could have prevented the tragic timeline.
1 Sonia Ramirez Is The Most Wronged Character In Modern Family
Sonia Ramirez, the younger sister of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (neé Ramirez), is the most wronged character in Modern Family. She is presented as Gloria's jealous sister when, in reality, Gloria stole the life she could have had. The pie Jay sent to the table in the diner is originally meant for Sonia. He is attracted to her voice and wants to meet her. The letter from the US about a job offer that Gloria steals is Sonia’s as well. Also, Gloria secretly uses the sauce recipe that both she and Sonia inherit to start a business.
When Sonia finally gets a chance at a life with security, Gloria spooks her fiancé away instead of speaking to Sonia first. Sonia’s life in Colombia is a far cry from what it should have been. She does endless domestic chores even in the Pritchett household because of all the work she does at home. Though fans gush about Jay and Gloria’s bond, they are both originally attracted to each other for superficial reasons. Sonia is far from a villain.