# Charming Psychopath Protagonists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270 "2015-12-12T21:17:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/1 "2015-12-12T21:17:20Z")
A lot of my favorite shows have protagonists who are charming/entertaining psychopaths. Greg House, Thomas Durant, Cumberbatch’s Holmes, etc. I’m sure there’s a long, rich tradition of these, but who were the earliest? I want to limit this to network television shows; no **Masterpiece Theater** or **GE/Texaco Theater** adaptations of classic novels and plays. I’m looking for episodic network television, primary or secondary characters only (Someone in the weekly credits, not the twice-yearly appearance by Paul Lynde or Jack Cassidy). I guess everyone on **The Addams Family** qualifies, so let’s exclude situation comedies: Hourlong dramas only. Who are the earliest charming psychopath protagonists on American network television? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/2 "2015-12-12T21:30:07Z")
I’m not sure that “psychopath” is the word you’re looking for here. “Sociopath,” perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/3 "2015-12-12T21:35:15Z")
Assuming _Gilligan’s Island_ was actually a tragedy and “The Professor” was actually masterminding a plan to keep them all on the island… Otherwise, I have to go with Jim Profit. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/4 "2015-12-12T21:42:49Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Assuming _Gilligan’s Island_ was actually a tragedy and “The Professor” was actually masterminding a plan to keep them all on the island… Ginger and Mr. Howell are much better candidates, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/5 "2015-12-12T23:58:50Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Ginger and Mr. Howell are much better candidates, IMO. Nah, Ginger is just a narcissist and Mr. Howell clearly suffers from some kind of obsessive disorder focused on money. But The Professor appears to be sabotaging every attempt to escape by assigning the terminally incompetent Gilligan to a lynchpin role so that he will be blamed when the plan fails and leaves them stranded on the island yet again. The guestion is what is Roy Hinkley’s motivation? Is it a sociology study without informed consent? Is he on the run from the FBI and wants company on is hidden island retreat? Is there a more sinister plot behind his persistant sabotage? Tune in next week to find out, here on Gilligan’s Isle. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/6 "2015-12-13T00:40:45Z")
Most of the cast of characters on daytime soaps (even the “good” characters) struck me this way, and some of them go way back. Limited to prime time…well, JR Ewing was pretty evil, right? Was he the protagonist? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/7 "2015-12-13T00:50:28Z")
Dexter Morgan ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/8 "2015-12-13T00:58:30Z")
That Serling guy on The Twilight Zone just kind of stood by and let awful things happen to people. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/9 "2015-12-13T02:06:06Z")
Hannibal is capable of being charming and is sort of a protagonist on the TV show Hannibal. He is a psychopath, too. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/10 "2015-12-13T02:52:35Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Nah, Ginger is just a narcissist and Mr. Howell clearly suffers from some kind of obsessive disorder focused on money. But The Professor appears to be sabotaging every attempt to escape by assigning the terminally incompetent Gilligan to a lynchpin role so that he will be blamed when the plan fails and leaves them stranded on the island yet again. The guestion is what is Roy Hinkley’s motivation? Is it a sociology study without informed consent? Is he on the run from the FBI and wants company on is hidden island retreat? Is there a more sinister plot behind his persistant sabotage? Tune in next week to find out, here on Gilligan’s Isle. > > Stranger Dude was doing Mary Ann. And, when she had a headache, Ginger. Why would he ever want to go home? ETA: And yes, the antecedent of “she” is supposed to be ambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/11 "2015-12-13T02:56:53Z")
Peyton Place, prime time’s original soap opera, had enough sociopaths to at least fill a suburb: Leslie Carrington, Catherine Harrington, Stella Chernak and Jill Smith, among others. Like most soaps, characters flipped between good and evil as the story required. ---
**Author:** ![MsKaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@MsKaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsKaren)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/12 "2015-12-13T04:53:08Z")
As far as earliest I always found Bob Cummings a sociopath as the protagonist. An early Charlie Harper but the 1950’s version. As a photographer “Bob’s business consists almost exclusively of shooting glamour girls, who Bob pursues with a singleness of purpose.” from [URL=“[http://www.tv.com/shows/the-bob-cummings-show/](http://www.tv.com/shows/the-bob-cummings-show/)” Sargent Bilko also comes to mind as someone whose moral center may be nontraditional. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/13 "2015-12-13T06:38:19Z")
And Quentin McHale. And who was that older enlisted guy who always seemed to be working on a scam, Which reminds me – Sargeant O’Rourke and Corporal Agarn, and the Hakawe chief. . ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/14 "2015-12-13T14:29:40Z")
Tony Soprano of course ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/15 "2015-12-13T14:46:22Z")
Ramsey Bolton. Total psychopath. He can be charming for brief periods, too. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/16 "2015-12-13T14:58:23Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Tony Soprano of course Tony was greedy, brutal, and fundamentally dishonest. He was also a pathetic, sad, assclown who was terrified of his mother. One thing he never was, though, was charming, IMO. He could project an untrustworthy likability when it suited him, but charm? No. Gandolfini’s acting was fantastic in that he kept us interested for so long in the day-to-day life of a scumbag. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/17 "2015-12-13T15:27:12Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > And Quentin McHale. And who was that older enlisted guy who always seemed to be working on a scam, > > Which reminds me – Sargeant O’Rourke and Corporal Agarn, and the Hakawe chief. . Lester Gruber is the sailor you are thinking of. The character was a stereotypical small-time grifter. He was played by Carl Ballantine, perhaps the inventor of comedy stage magic. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/18 "2015-12-13T22:46:07Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Tony was greedy, brutal, and fundamentally dishonest. He was also a pathetic, sad, assclown who was terrified of his mother. One thing he never was, though, was charming, IMO. He could project an untrustworthy likability when it suited him, but charm? No. Gandolfini’s acting was fantastic in that he kept us interested for so long in the day-to-day life of a scumbag. A lot of people on the show were drawn to his personality. His wife, children, members of his mob family (most notably Christopher.) Few outside people liked him, but that is because he did not try to be charming with them. He was charming enough to his family and mob family that a lot of people were tricked into thinking he genuinely cared about them. Other charming psychopaths: Vic Mackey, Don Draper, and Al Swearengen, ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/19 "2015-12-13T23:07:00Z")
Sheriff Lucas Buck from American Gothic (1995-96). ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270/20 "2015-12-13T23:16:31Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > And Quentin McHale. And who was that older enlisted guy who always seemed to be working on a scam, > > Which reminds me – Sargeant O’Rourke and Corporal Agarn, and the Hakawe chief. . Oh! How about Sgt. Bilko? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charming-psychopath-protagonists/740270.md?page=2)