I’ve always been a bigger fan of TV shows than of movies. Rather than finding new programs to watch, I see myself going back and forth between my favourite ones, those I’ve seen time and time again to the point where I almost have every line memorized. While some characters don’t matter as much, below I’ve dissected five characters from five of my favourite shows who I think are the reason for their shows’ success. Each of them are villains, both brilliantly played and scripted, who I think might go down in history as the most iconic characters of all time.
Theodore Bagwell, Prison Break
Theodore ‘T-Bag’ Bagwell, played by Robert Knepper, is probably the worst character to ever grace a television screen. Leader of a white supremacist group, T-Bag is the most heinous villain of all, having been charged with pedophilia, kidnapping and murder – just to name a few. Though as terrifying as he appears physically, T-Bag has undergone a past far more complex than viewers might have thought. This becomes apparent during the second season as his storyline progresses into a separate subplot where we find out that prior to being incarcerated, T-Bag had been in a serious relationship with the intention of being good to his partner and her two kids for as long as he was living. T-Bag did attempt to hold his family hostage, though he eventually let them go, coming to the conclusion that he couldn’t kill them. This act demonstrated that underneath it all, T-Bag was able to show signs of remorse – the ability to care for someone like his own. By showing this part of his past life, executive producer Paul Scheuring offered viewers a chance to empathize with the villain, something that isn’t often possible in TV shows.
T-Bag is as cunning as he is clever and does a good job at looking after his own in return for sexual favours. You often see one of T-Bag’s fellow prisoners trailing behind him, holding tight to his pants pocket. This is a representation of a hierarchy between T-Bag and his ‘prison slaves,’ as he calls them.
What’s just as interesting is that a lot of the abuse that T-Bag faced growing up was intellectual abuse from his father. He was forced to read and memorize encyclopedias as a kid, which accounts for his colourful manner of speech and quick rebuttals.
Through all five seasons, T-Bag has faced numerous trials and tribulations, putting what little loyalty he has with the main protagonist, Michael Scofield, and other prisoners at risk more times than I can count. He speaks volumes to the definition of the show as he continues fighting his inner demons episode after episode. I can confidently say that this is a show I’ve rewatched at least three times now, each time floored by the stellar performance Knepper puts on as this scummy, despicable villain.
Frank Gallagher, Shameless
Hopefully, the majority of you are familiar with the famous American drama, Shameless. For those of you who aren’t, picture a dirty suburban Chicago neighbourhood, just as musty and dangerous as it sounds. Now, imagine a family of six kids living all together with one bathroom, no healthcare and barely enough money to get by. In summary, through its 11 seasons, Shameless embodies themes of poverty, mental health and marginalization, which are all very real problems as honest as they come. To tie it all together, let me introduce you to Frank Gallagher, the very fetid-smelling, drunken mess of a ‘dad’ to all six Gallagher children, who isn’t very good at being present in their lives — at all.
Frank, played by William H. Macy, gives nothing and expects everything in return. Though he is defined as rude, lazy and narcissistic, he’s resourceful and intelligent at best — when he’s not sleeping in a bar, that is.
During the show, Frank has exhausted multiple options to work around and cheat the system, many of which have been successful attempts. His way of manipulation allows him to easily take advantage of the government and has been able to pocket enough money through begging and makeshift donation bins, which is impressive if you ask me.
Constantly on a quest for alcohol, drugs and sex, Frank might be seen as the world’s worst television father figure, though there are times where viewers are offered a taste of remorse through his actions. This started surprising me more and more towards the later seasons, especially when his oldest daughter Fiona Gallagher, played by Emmy Rossum, left the family house to start a new life elsewhere. Frank appeared sad and almost semi-thankful that she had been able to do the job that he couldn’t do – the job of raising the family. It’s hard to believe that after stealing from his neighbours and sleeping with his son’s girlfriend that Frank would ever understand what it feels like to be sorry for something and truly mean it. This is amazing character development, and we have John Wells to thank for it.
Shameless does a good job at painting the picture that not every family has a bread-winner or the resources they need to survive in good health. Apart from their strong comedic antics, the show excels at being a challenging family drama set in the South Side, fit with phenomenal performances to boot. Overall, as much of a nuisance as Frank was, Macy was hands-down the best choice for the role of this low-life but brilliant father.
Nancy Botwin, Weeds
It wouldn’t be fair of me to write this article without mentioning the unstoppable force of nature, otherwise known as Nancy Botwin. Nancy, who is newly widowed, lives in the suburb of Agrestic with her two sons. Played by Mary-Louise Parker, this character is full of tales and is well worth discussing.
When your husband dies, rather than seeking a new job with a steady income, why turn to the concept of growing and dealing pot for a living? Well, that’s a question for Nancy. Since episode one, she has always been a character who stirs up chaos, whether intentionally or not. Through eight seasons embroiled with gang members, federal agents, human trafficking and murders, Nancy never stops looking for a way out, even though she got herself into this mess in the first place. It’s clear that her character would do anything for her sons, whether it’s confessing to a crime she didn’t do or bringing their uncle in to live with them as a source of protection.
The show definitely would not have seen the kind of success it did if it weren’t for Nancy. She was manipulative, willing to trade her sexuality to get what she wants to survive, using her beauty to succeed at all costs, which is something the show plays off of. Though she was definitely a likeable character, her morals have been questioned one too many times for me to say she was a heroine. By the end of the show, Nancy doesn’t exactly get the ending she had hoped for, but she did finish her work with the gang and was able to start fresh. Her toxicity pushes a lot of people away from her; this is because whether the decision she wants to make is good or bad, she always has to be in charge.
Nancy Botwin will go down as one of the best (worst) characters of all time, simply because her dominant, feminist persona will reign on, even when the hype of the show dies down for good.
Berlin, Money Heist
This show is filled with dozens of excellent characters, each with intricate backgrounds and an intense storyline. However, for the purpose of this article, I had to choose one of the masterminds behind the whole heist, Berlin. Played by Pedro Alonso, Berlin is arrogant, narcissistic and just straight-up evil. However, he carries himself very professionally and eloquently, with an extensive vocabulary; a cunning manipulator to say the least.
At the beginning of the show, the Professor notes that attachments aren’t allowed inside the heist. That means that each character has to trade in their old name for a new name – the name of a city. Fans have since failed to adhere to this rule too, choosing their favourite characters and barring their least favourites. For many, Berlin was a controversial one on that list. Considered the leader in command (behind the Professor, their boss), he was often the one calling the shots, whether or not his other teammates agreed with him.
As intimidating as he was to the hostages and his teammates, fans were shocked when he gave up his life to save others during the Part 2 finale. Berlin, who became terminally ill before beginning the heist, pulled on fans’ heartstrings, begging for empathy. Though others weren’t a fan of his bullying and misogyny, we can still recognize his intelligence and dedication to the heist, which doesn’t take away from the fact that the character is incredibly well-written. He served a purpose to the story, leaving viewers to decide which side of the fence they sat on when it came down to the likes of Berlin.
Tiffany Doggett, Orange is the New Black
“Pennsatucky,” played by Taryn Manning, is one of the protagonists and inmates at maximum security. From the beginning of the first season, it’s clear she has split-personality disorder. On one hand, Pennsatucky is a bible-thumping Christian who rants about sins, and on the other hand, she curses and attacks other inmates (specifically Chapman and Vause) like crazy. A lot of her religious beliefs began during her time in prison, which is probably why she seems confused about her identity, making homophobic slurs some days while praying in the church other days.
In short, she was the villain of the show; the meth-mouthed bully in the laundry room who was always working on her next plan of attack. Pennsatucky is perceived by others as bossy and ignorant, and it isn’t until the third season that we really get a taste of what her life was like before prison.
We see in an episode that Pennsatucky gets sexually assaulted by Coates, a security guard working at Litchfield, and we’re later told that this wasn’t the first time she had been raped. Her relationship with Coates began flirty and progressed into a deep cycle of verbal and sexual abuse, something she was very familiar with. This episode is both heartbreaking and messed up, sending fans spiralling. It’s hard to watch somebody who already seems like they have nothing left in them get chipped away at more and more, disrespected over and over.
Pennsatucky’s childhood flashbacks include how she was put in prison, which was by shooting in an abortion clinic— not for ethical reasons, but because a nurse made a joke about how many abortions Pennsatucky previously had.
Watching Pennsatucky over the seasons, we see how she opens up more to her friend, Big Boo, whom she considers to be her closest ally. She grew over the course of the seasons, evolving further as her faith was challenged in season two and even when the directors dug deeper into her past in season three.
Pennsatucky was definitely a character that, looking back on, viewers might have never thought they could empathize with. However, with her crazy character development, we were able to get further under her skin, peeling off another layer of her persona. Most importantly, we were able to understand why she is the way she is, which was executed so beautifully.
After reading about these five popular villains, I should hope you’re getting your Netflix ready to start streaming one of these shows I’ve mentioned above— I promise you, you won’t regret it.