Mount Rushmore of TV’s Anti-Heroes
The television characters who are good at being bad, and bad at being good.
A long, long time ago, in the olden days of television, there was a bold line between the protagonist and the antagonist of a story. The protagonist was a morally sound individual of upstanding character who was looking to defeat the immoral antagonist. For decades, this was the prototype for just about every TV show. Sure, it was a fine formula, but it became a little repetitive. Then, in the 90s, something changed. Our main characters weren’t as go-lucky and goodhearted. Rather, they exhibited questionable morals and contemptuous character. They had become… anti-heroes.
Anti-heroes are protagonists who lack the characteristics of your average, run-of-the-mill “hero”. They’re often shallow, selfish, immoral, and just flat-out mean. But some of the most popular characters in modern television are anti-heroes, whether it be Charlie Kelly from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” or Frank Gallagher from “Shameless”.
Television has experienced a wave of new anti-heroes, but these are the four who have made the biggest impact on their shows, and on pop culture as a whole. Here is the Mt. Rushmore of anti-heroes.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Walter White, “Breaking Bad”
Walter White has become one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. His character arc from dorky high school chemistry teacher to cold-blooded meth lord is a work of screenwriting magic. Over the course of five seasons, we see Walter gradually abandon common morality as he becomes totally infatuated with the drug game, a game for which he eventually pays the ultimate sacrifice. It’s almost impossible to think of a more complete, mesmerizing character than Walter White.
Don Draper, “Mad Men”
On the surface, Don Draper is a detestable character. He’s a selfish, womanizing ad man who regularly cheats on his wife. But as “Mad Men” carries on, we begin to learn more about Don’s troubled past, and we start to understand why Don behaves the way he does. We see him struggle to overcome his flaws, and through his struggle, we can sympathize with him. Don is one of the more complex and controversial anti-heroes, but whether you love him or hate him, it’s hard to argue that “Mad Men” would be the same without him.
George Costanza, “Seinfeld”
If questionable values and immoral behavior are the key attributes of anti-heroes, then no one fits the mold better than George Costanza. The self-proclaimed “Lord of the Idiots” is an unapologetic narcissist who intends to float through life with no real motivation or concern for other people. Seinfeld was a cultural landmark because it was the first show to magnify the most trivial moments of life and reveal the worst, pettiest details of human behavior. This was the spirit of the show, and no other character embodied this spirit like George. The peak representation of human laziness, cynicism, and narcissism, Costanza was Seinfeld’s everyman in the absolute worst way possible. Thirty years later, he remains one of television’s most relatable (and disdainful) characters.
Tony Soprano
Costanza might’ve been the first true anti-hero in a sitcom, but it was Tony Soprano who broke the mold for dramatic television. On the surface, Tony was a fat, Italian-American mobster fueled by a hot temper and a penchant for money and power. But through his therapy sessions with Dr. Melfi, we learn that Tony Soprano might be the most complex, troubled character in TV history. He was the prototype from which Don Draper and Walter White were created.
Tony Soprano was the first character to regularly toe the line between good and evil. His motives were rarely ever clear, and he constantly left viewers wondering if he was acting out of human decency or if there was a darker ulterior motive behind his actions. He was selfish and ruthless, yet somehow eerily relatable and sympathetic. It’s damn near impossible to think of a character who changed television more than Tony Soprano.
