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Summary
There are a band of great villains in boob tube appearance , but eight of them were so unspoiled that they doomed their shows by setting the ginmill too high for anyone else to pass on . Many long - running video show end up cycling through ample lists of villains , while others practice arch over antagonists to meet their villain roles over multiple season . From offence procedurals to big - budget epic fantasy series , every good TV show take a strong baddie , but creating a villain who is too good can also conduct to job .
In many way of life , villains are the most crucial characters in goggle box shows because they are what makes the audience want to cheer for the protagonist . It ’s operose to get invested in a show if the villains are n’t engaging enough to guarantee strong confrontation . Considering how substantive it is to have a inviolable baddie in any given telecasting show , it prepare sense that some serial end up making their villains so bewitch that nobody who number after them is able-bodied to replicate their level of engagement . Eight character in picky , include some ofTV ’s bright scoundrel , stand out for being so good that they make all future antagonists unsatisfying .
There ’s almost nothing more terrifying in goggle box than a glorious villain . Though , in many cases , they are n’t as smart as they think .
8Jim Moriarty — Sherlock
Played by Andrew Scott
Cast
Jim Moriarty ( Andrew Scott ) is easy the best baddie in the BBC’sSherlockseries , and he ’s likely one of the best TV villains ever . Moriarty is at the mettle ofSherlock ’s best seasons , and there is nobody capable of replacing him after his eventual death in season 2 . It take a truly worthy villain to match learning ability with the bright detective Sherlock Holmes ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) , and after Moriarty ’s dying , the show never manages to incorporate a worthy replacement . He ’s simply too pixilated and fascinating for another villain to have the same impingement , andhis grandeur inevitably makes every scoundrel after him seem dim - witted .
7Reverse-Flash — The Flash
Played by Tom Cavanagh
The Flash ’s Reverse - Flash , or Eobard Thawne ( Tom Cavanagh ) , is the show ’s good baddie by far , and he is such a perfect foil to Barry Allen ( Grant Gustin ) that it ’s unimaginable for the series to make another scoundrel anywhere near his floor . The Flash ’s good seasonsare focused on Reverse - Flash ’s skirmish with Barry , and though other baddie appear in the show , they all feel like filler used to take up space until Reverse - Flash can return . He is an ideal archway - curse for a superhero because his turn to iniquity is make by the hero himself , and their ability mirror each otherso intimately that they are the perfect opponents for each other .
6Boyd Crowder — Justified
Played by Walton Goggins
Justified ’s Boyd Crowder ( Walton Goggins ) is a TV villain whose personal appeal is unreplaceable . Crowder is an old friend of the show ’s protagonist , Raylan Givens ( Timothy Olyphant ) , and the characters ' history together gain him a fantastical villain . Crowder is a pitiless individual with few morals , and his leaning for vehemence makes him improbably intimidate . Goggins ' execution is one for the ages , and despite some capital villains that come after Crowder inJustified , there is nobody capable of meet the villainous expectations he created .
5Darlene Snell — Ozark
Played by Lisa Emery
WhileOzarkhas a lot of standout villain , none of them can quite compete with Darlene Snell ( Lisa Emery ) . She isOzark ’s main antagonist in season 2 , and though she remains relevant over the next two season , the show is never as honorable without her making up the central threat . Darlene is a merciless killer and Lisa Emery ’s portrait of her is absolutely haunting . None ofOzark ’s other villains feel as irregular and heady as Darlene , and her willingness to act without thinking thing through makes her a genuine savage circuit card . Because of that , no other theatrical role is able to impart the show the same level of suspense as Darlene .
4Arthur “The Trinity Killer” Mitchell — Dexter
Played by John Lithgow
Dextercycles through peck of villains in its eight seasons , but none of them live up to the criterion set by Arthur Mitchell ( John Lithgow ) , otherwise known as the " Trinity Killer " . first , no other killer inDextermanages to produce the same horizontal surface of awe that Mitchell does when it ’s unveil that he ’s a killer . His facade as a community leader and high school day instructor lay down him far more daunting than a typical serial publication killerbecause he ’s been able to hide in plain sight for so long . Other slayer inDexterare terrorize for various reasons , but none of them are as nonchalantly savage as Miller .
Not all TV villains are created equal . While most are irreclaimable , there exists a class of villains whose inner motivations are much more complex .
3Al Swearengen — Deadwood
Played by Ian McShane
Ian McShane ’s Al Swearengen from the hit HBO seriesDeadwoodis another all - time great television set villain . Part of what make Swearengen such a swell villain is his complexity as a quality . Swearengen ’s penchant for loyalty can be endearing , but the barbarism he is willing to engage in to demonstrate his commitment can be disturbing , as is the vicious dedication he expects in coming back . McShane ’s portrait of Swearengen is also so captivating that every scenery he does n’t feature in feel like a disappointment . As soon as he leaves the screen , it ’s hard not to be impatient for his next coming into court .
2Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell — Prison Break
Played by Robert Knepper
Theodore " T - Bag " Bagwell ( Robert Knepper ) fromPrison Breakis plausibly one of boob tube ’s creepy villains . T - Bag sticks around for much ofPrison Break , but when he turn back being a principal antagonist in the show ’s last few seasons , there is a notable drop - off in the show ’s quality . Part of that dip in quality is due to some repetitive storylines and perhaps a bit excessively knotty patch devices , but T - Bag ’s absence seizure as a elementary villain play a giving theatrical role as well . He is well the show ’s most convincing antagonist , andKnepper ’s harrowing execution is impossible for the rest ofPrison Break ’s villains to match .
1Ramsay Bolton — Game Of Thrones
Played by Iwan Rheon
It ’s no secret that HBO’sGame of Thronesexperienced a decline in its final few season . While this pass off for a identification number of complex intellect , the want of a universally detest villain like Ramsay Bolton ( Iwan Rheon ) decidedly play a role in it . While the Night King ( Vladimir Furdik ) is scarey and powerful , Ramsay ’s sadistic madness makes him a far more piquant baddie . Further , other villains in the show , like Cersei ( Lena Headey ) , were too nuanced to hate in the mode Ramsay is despised .
Ramsay is so fell and hardhearted that he make the Night King look warm , and Rheon ’s operation in the role is perfectly top - mountain pass . One could certainly argue that Lena Headey ’s performance as Cersei is even good , but too many fans of the show eff her character for her to play the same character as Ramsay does . In the final stage , Ramsay turn out to be an unreplaceable persona for the hit serial publication , and the absence of an equally piquant opposer contributed toGame of Thrones ' downfall .
