Certain shows’ protagonists are not always the most honest, upstanding “heroes” that the good-guy-always-wins Hollywood has trained us to expect them to be. Some shows feature down right criminals and monsters and somehow build a story around them that causes the viewer to sympathize with, and even root for, the antihero.
Not all of these shows hit the mark, but the ones that do really explore the intricacies of circumstance, free will, and human emotion.
Last week, you voted Hannibal Lecter from Hannibal as your favorite, narrowly edging Frank Underwood from House of Cards. This week, we've got Round 3 to see who joins Hannibal Lecter and Tommy Shelby for the championship round!
Annalise Keating
How to Get Away with Murder – ABC
An American legal drama/mystery, How to Get Away with Murder stars Viola Davis as a tough-as-nails criminal defense attorney that gets caught up in her husband’s murder and attempts to cover it up by using her extensive knowledge of the law.
Check out our coverage of How to Get Away with Murder starting with the series premiere!
Frank Castle/The Punisher
Daredevil – Netflix
Season 2 of Netflix’s hit Marvel series, Daredevil, features Jon Bernthal as the vigilante soldier out for revenge, the Punisher. Going after the gangs that killed his family (along with other low-level “bad guys” who get in his way) the Punisher kills with military precision—something Daredevil can’t stand by. Juxtaposed with Daredevil’s no-killing policy, the Punisher really draws the line between hero and antihero.
See also: Marvel's Daredevil Season 2: Episodes 1-4
Omar Little
The Wire – HBO
An American crime drama series set in Baltimore, MD, The Wire had several “antiheros” throughout its run, but none more loved than Omar Little, played by Michael K. Williams. Known for his strict moral code that included not harming the innocent or cursing, Omar was a sort of drug-related Robin Hood of the streets of Baltimore that robbed drug dealers.
Dr. Gregory House
House – FOX
Strongly inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Gregory House was a highly-skilled diagnostician that used deductive reasoning and psychology to “solve” or diagnose patients at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in NJ. House’s drug abuse and indifference to the hospital rules (and the cases he deemed uninteresting) caused many problems with his peers and colleagues, however, his skills as a diagnostician saved many lives.
Saul Goodman
Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul – AMC
James Morgan “Jimmy” McGill, Esq., also known as Saul Goodman is the criminal lawyer (a lawyer for criminals and a criminal himself) starring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. A quick-talking, silver-tongued conman with a law degree, Saul Goodman is Walt and Jesse’s accomplice, helping them launder money and stay off the cop’s radar. His likeability in Breaking Bad and his starring role in Better Call Saul make him the perfect antihero to root for.
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