In most cases, viewers watch television shows because of a relatable hero with a noble cause. Sometimes, however, a show comes along that makes audiences want to root for the bad guy. As they are sometimes defined, villain protagonists or anti-heroes can be just as compelling as traditional protagonists.

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Villain protagonists have complex paths they take on their way to evildoing. Some are born evil, some become evil, and some shift between good and evil as it suits them. Whatever path they're on, they show audiences that sometimes, people do the wrong thing for what they see as the right reasons. But, of course, it's up to viewers to decide if those reasons are genuinely justified.

Updated on January 2nd, 2023 by George Voutiritsas: There are now hundreds of television shows that can be viewed at any given time, and there is literally something for everyone. On that note, most shows follow a set of basic storytelling principles, and that is the reason why the main character is usually a good person. In some instances though, the villain happens to also be the show's main character. Most television aficionados know which shows center around a villain, but there are other shows with this premise that also deserve to be mentioned.

15 Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal

Hannibal Lecter smiles in NBC's Hannibal

Sir Anthony Hopkins won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. NBC brought the cunning cannibal to television in 2013, where he was portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen, who gave an amazing performance of his own.

Hannibal was the star of the show, and he helps the FBI as a forensic psychiatrist. He works with Will Graham, an FBI special investigator who goes on to become his greatest enemy. Interestingly enough, Will also happens to be the only person who can truly understand Hannibal. There is a surprising amount of gore in Hannibal, but it also has stellar acting and writing.

14 Tony Soprano

The Sopranos

Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, sat in his therapist's office in the trailer for HBO's The Sopranos.

Many agree that The Sopranos is one of the greatest television dramas of all time, and the late James Gandolfini earned each of his Emmys for his portrayal of Tony Soprano. Tony starts off as an underboss of the Soprano crime family, but he eventually becomes the head of the organization.

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Tony tries to balance his criminal and family life as best he can, but suffers from panic attacks nonetheless, and secretly visits a psychiatrist for help. The Sopranos focuses on the mob, so it is pretty violent at times, but the character work and storytelling are truly remarkable.

13 Raymond Reddington

The Blacklist

Raymond Reddington Confronting A Member Of The Blacklist

The Blacklist premiered in 2013, and its 10th season will debut this year. This crime thriller follows Raymond Reddington, an ex-US Naval Intelligence officer who becomes a highly influential international criminal and one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives.

After eluding the FBI for decades, he agrees to work with the organization to bring down a list of the world's most dangerous criminals. In exchange, he gets immunity, but the catch is that he must work with agent Elizabeth Keen. Reddington is played by James Spader, who steals the show in nearly every scene.

12 Tommy Shelby

Peaky Blinders

Tommy Shelby, Leader of The Peaky Blinders Street Gang

Peaky Blinders is a British period crime drama set right after the first World War, and it follows the Peaky Blinders crime gang which is led by Tommy Shelby. He is played by Cillian Murphy, who does a masterful job of portraying a criminal mastermind.

The family depicted in the show may be fictional, but the gang is based on one that existed in real life. Tommy has to contend with a skilled inspector and the New York Mafia, and he uses his cunning nature to be elected as a Member of Parliament.

11 Dexter Morgan

Dexter

Dexter Morgan in a bloody room in Dexter

A lot of people disliked the series finale of Dexter, but much of that displeasure was remedied with the Dexter: New Blood limited series in 2020. The show centers around Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who works as a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department.

Unlike most serial killers, Dexter lives by a code, as he only targets other murderers who have escaped proper justice. The show romanticizes Dexter to a degree, as he juggles his two personas, and Michael C. Hall does an exquisite job playing the character.

10 Detective Vic Mackey

The Shield

Detective Vic Mackey from The Shield.

The Shield ran on FX for six years and featured some of the most realistic police brutality on television at the time. Detective Vic Mackey solved all of his problems with violence and stopped at nothing to get what he wanted.

Some of Mackey's actions showed signs of morality, but his ethics were questionable at best. Nevertheless, audiences could understand — and even relate to — the reasoning behind Mackey's actions. No matter how awful his choices may have been, viewers were in Mackey's corner season after season.

9 Nucky Thompson

Boardwalk Empire

Nucky Thompson from Boardwalk Empire.

The HBO series Boardwalk Empire explores prohibition-era Atlantic City with Nucky Thompson at the heart of the action. Nucky is a crime boss and corrupt politician loosely based on the real man who controlled Atlantic City at that time. Steve Buscemi does a superb job of bringing this complicated character to life.

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There's no question that Nucky Thompson displays some wickedness in how he conducts his business. He governs Atlantic City in a harsh, take-no-prisoners manner and ensures he gets a cut of every profitable enterprise on the Boardwalk. But, on the flip side, the writers give Nucky a sense of fairness and loyalty that redeem him in the eyes of fans.

8 Pinky & The Brain

Animaniacs

The Brain from Animaniacs.

Pinky & The Brain began as just another segment on Animaniacs, but it gained a cult following over the years. The Brain is undoubtedly the star, with Pinky as his dim-witted accomplice. The Brain entertains audiences with sarcastic humor, perfectly timed insults (usually directed at poor Pinky), and zany schemes.

The mice are on an endless quest for world domination, and The Brain will do anything necessary to achieve this goal. Luckily for the world at large, his plans are foiled time and time again.

7 Norman Bates

Bates Motel

Young Norman Bates in Bates Motel.

Villain origin stories always make for satisfying television, and the A&E series Bates Motel is no exception. The series is a prequel to the infamous movie Psycho and follows young Norman Bates on his descent into murderous ways.

From Norman's uncomfortable relationship with his mother to the ongoing violence and suspenseful thrills, Bates Motel delivers everything a good prequel should. Young Norman is as disturbing as he is relatable, and fans could hardly finish an episode without being excited about what the next one had in store for the anti-hero.

6 Zim Is An Alien Invader

Invader Zim

Invader Zim with his hands raised in the Invader Zim cartoon.

Invader Zim is the zany Nickelodeon classic about a vicious little alien with plans for world domination. After quitting his own banishment, he is sent on a supposed secret mission and inadvertently lands on Earth. In reality, the elders of his world wanted to get rid of him.

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Though Zim is an invader — a classic villain type — he has also suffered continuous ridicule from his own people. This makes him a somewhat sympathetic character because viewers can relate to his state of being an outsider. Nevertheless, it's hard to find redemption for an animated villain that is single-mindedly obsessed with doom.

5 Joe Goldberg

You

Joe Goldberg in You.

You is a Netflix hit that stars Penn Badgley as the unassuming anti-hero Joe Goldberg, a New York bookstore owner who happens to be an obsessive stalker. As with many Netflix original series protagonists, Joe is portrayed as clever and inventive. He devises methods of digitally spying on his love interest, Guinevere, that are both scary and impressive.

Joe murders at least a dozen people throughout the series, including Guinevere. The show features an ongoing internal monologue from Joe, which gives viewers intimate access to his twisted motivations. This helps viewers form a close connection with this disturbed character, for better or worse.

4 Stewie Griffin

Family Guy

Stewie Griffin from Family Guy.

Viewers can always count on Seth McFarlane to create implausible-but-hilarious characters, and Stewie Griffin is one of his best creations. Family Guy wouldn't be the same without its baby genius main character, who also happens to be the show's primary villain.

Stewie is perpetually concocting new schemes to exact his revenge on Lois for simply being his mother. He plots against real and imagined foes at every turn, using his exceptional intelligence to build diabolical devices when needed. Sometimes he is so devious that viewers forget that he is an infant.

3 Boyd Crowder

Justified

Boyd Crowder in Justified.

Though he doesn't typically have top billing, Walter Goggins' portrayal of Boyd Crowder steals the show in the FX series Justified. Boyd Crowder is a gun-toting, bank-robbing, white supremacist and career criminal who makes life difficult for deputy Marshall Raylan Givens.

In fact, Boyd's crimes are the whole reason that Raylan comes back to Harlan County in the first place. His story arc shifts from villainy to redemption in the form of finding religion, but he eventually falls back into his criminal ways. This journey of the self makes him the most multi-faceted character in the series.

2 Eric Cartman

South Park

Eric Cartman on the computer in South Park.

He may be just a fourth-grader, but South Park anti-hero Eric Cartman possesses all the traits of a classic villain. He is quick with an insulting joke or belittling comment and genuinely doesn't care about others' feelings.

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Though Cartman is arguably one of the funniest characters in South Park, he is also a selfish bully. He even bullies his mother into giving him whatever he wants and letting him have free rein in the house. In short, he's both a compelling villain and every parent's nightmare.

1 Walter White

Breaking Bad

Walter White from Breaking Bad.

Sometimes, unlikely characters end up being villains. A good example is Walter White, a teacher-turned-kingpin who uses his chemistry skills to build a meth empire in Breaking Bad. There's no doubting Walter White's intelligence, but the evil ways he uses it are sometimes brutal to watch.

Walter White is undeniably skilled at manipulating situations to his advantage, from letting Jane die of an overdose and poisoning a child to assure Jesse Pinkman's loyalty. Yet, despite all of his misdeeds, Walter White remains one of the most relatable TV villains.

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