From Cunning to Crazy: Reddit Ranks the 7 Best TV Villains
Here are the best villains modern television has to offer.
While crafting an interesting hero for a TV show isn't a hard task for skilled writers, creating a repulsive yet believable villain is much more difficult. Many TV villains appear to be similar to each other, and only a few have managed to stick in the minds of viewers through ingenious writing, character development, and acting.
Here's the list of seven best TV villains, based on fans' reviews on Reddit.
7. Benjamin Linus (Lost)
Played by Michael Emerson, this conniving villain is as weird as they come, constantly tormenting the show's main characters while trying to look as harmless as possible. Thanks to Emerson's impeccable performance, Linus became synonymous with the success of the series and joined the ranks of iconic villains.
6. Theodore 'T-Bag' Bagwell (Prison Break)
Robert Knepper's T-Bag is not only a pretty scary villain but also a very popular character. Fans loved him to death, and the character was the reason many viewers decided to stick with the show despite the overall decline in quality.
5. Arthur Mitchell (Dexter)
John Lithgow's serial killer, also known as The Trinity Killer, became a real apex predator for Dexter Morgan, taking the life of his beloved wife. Throughout Season 4, people were biting their nails trying to keep their hopes up that Dexter would kill the ruthless maniac.
4. Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal)
One of the most iconic fictional serial killers in history really came into his own on the small screen when Mads Mikkelsen was cast as the cannibal psychiatrist. Mikkelson managed to reinvent the fan-favorite character, making him both sexy and extremely deadly.
3. Boyd Crowder (Justified)
Walton Goggins' redneck gangster is probably the main reason Justified is still considered one of the best realistic crime dramas out there. The villain's ferocious personality and love-hate relationship with Raylan Givens proved to be top-notch television to watch.
2. Jim Moriarty (Sherlock)
Sherlock Holmes' iconic adversary got a fresh start thanks to Andrew Scott's take on the character, which made Moriarty even more prominent than Sherlock and Dr. Watson.
1. Gustavo 'Gus' Fring (Breaking Bad)
For a show filled with despicable people, Gus was definitely the biggest bad guy on Breaking Bad. The drug kingpin did so many vile things on the show that even a thousand years in hell couldn't absolve him of his sins.
Source: Reddit.