# Most despicable television character in history, in your humble opinion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2015, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498 "2015-09-10T04:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/101 "2015-09-11T16:28:24Z")
First daytime soap entry: James Stenbeck from “As The World Turns”. No one was safe from his vileness, not even his own family, and you couldn’t even kill the bastard…even if he was actually dead for real! ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/102 "2015-09-11T16:47:50Z")
Bugs Bunny, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/103 "2015-09-11T16:52:12Z")
In Defense of Darren Stevens: His primary motive, as I recall it, was not to stifle his wife or have her “not be herself.” It was rather that he regarded the use of witchcraft to gain benefit as a form of cheating. In other words, even wiggling your nose to create a dinner is unfair, on some cosmic level, because it means that the Stevens family doesn’t have to buy the food and lose the time to cook it, and the family down the block DOES have to expend that money and effort. I admit that his view was also somewhat chauvinistic: he obviously disliked being in a position where his wife, and not he, was the breadwinner for the family – it’s a man’s job to put food on the table (in the sense of earning the money to buy it, anyway) and when Sam’s nose created the food out of ether, his role as a provider was vitiated. In that latter view, Darren was a product of his times; the first season aired in 1964 and was in black and white. The magical aspects of the Stevens’ marriage were minimized, and the show really was about magic as a metaphor for newlywed adjustments. Admittedly that didn’t last. By season 3, the first color season, the network had pushed for more magic and farcical context, and Darren’s character was reduced to griping about Sam’s use of magic for what amount to selfish and petulant reasons. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/104 "2015-09-11T17:04:55Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > I always thought Ralphie mentally ill in some way while Richie was plain sadistic. What he did to the guy who owned the pizza shop (the coffee pot and then the > SUV) was way over the top. It was a great performance. **Tony:** You guys think that Ralph is a little weird around women? **Silvio:** Well, Tone, he did beat one to death for… for…what was it again? ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/105 "2015-09-11T17:09:34Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > No Walter White? This is my answer. Only because Walt was the protagonist, and set up to be a sympathetic character from the beginning. But even after all he did, there were still fans rooting for him up until the last episode. Joffrey and Ramsay Bolton were set up to be villains from the beginning. Honestly, I hate to be sexist, but I think Cersei and Mellisandre are both worse than Joffrey and Ramsay in GoT. Torturing a few girls for fun and one guy who totally deserves it is bad, but Cersei and Mellisandre’s actions predictably killed thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, and plunged the entire realm into violent chaos for totally selfish reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/106 "2015-09-11T18:03:48Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Torturing a few girls for fun and one guy who totally deserves it is bad, but Cersei and Mellisandre’s actions predictably killed thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, and plunged the entire realm into violent chaos for totally selfish reasons. If you’re going down that route Catelyn Stark’s cavalcade of bad decisions set much of those actions in motion. Littlefinger may have set up the dominoes, but Cat was one of the most enthusiastically dense in how she went about tapping the ends of the chain. And I don’t think many would label her evil. Petty, foolish and prideful, but not exactly evil. Cersei and Melisandre _are_ evil characters of course, but they aren’t in Joffrey or Ramsay territory. The women have redeeming features however minor, whereas the boys have none. You can argue they are better characters because they aren’t cartoon psychopaths, but they certainly aren’t _more evil_. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/107 "2015-09-11T18:23:48Z")
Mr Burns. He has a whole wardrobe made out of endangered species. He blocks the sun so he can sell more power. Also, Nelson Muntz. I love evil bully children. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/108 "2015-09-11T20:21:20Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > In Defense of Darren Stevens: > > His primary motive, as I recall it, was not to stifle his wife or have her “not be herself.” It was rather that he regarded the use of witchcraft to gain benefit as a form of cheating. In other words, even wiggling your nose to create a dinner is unfair, on some cosmic level, because it means that the Stevens family doesn’t have to buy the food and lose the time to cook it, and the family down the block DOES have to expend that money and effort. > > I admit that his view was also somewhat chauvinistic: he obviously disliked being in a position where his wife, and not he, was the breadwinner for the family – it’s a man’s job to put food on the table (in the sense of earning the money to buy it, anyway) and when Sam’s nose created the food out of ether, his role as a provider was vitiated. > > In that latter view, Darren was a product of his times; the first season aired in 1964 and was in black and white. The magical aspects of the Stevens’ marriage were minimized, and the show really was about magic as a metaphor for newlywed adjustments. > > Admittedly that didn’t last. By season 3, the first color season, the network had pushed for more magic and farcical context, and Darren’s character was reduced to griping about Sam’s use of magic for what amount to selfish and petulant reasons. Indeed, and I’m fairly sure (though it’s been awhile since I’ve seen them) that the earliest episodes made clear that the “Don’t Use Magic” policy was Samantha’s idea, not Darren’s. I recall reading an analysis of _Bewitched_ once that stuck with me, and makes Darren’s resistance to witchcraft somewhat more sympathetic. Think of witchcraft as analogous to inherited wealth. Think of Darren as a middle-class man who ends up marrying an heiress from a fabulously wealthy family. A woman whose money could (as if by _magic_) buy anything they could ever need or want. A huge mansion, incredible sports cars, trips around the world, the most luxurious of indulgences. Things that Darren could never have dreamed of having, and they could now be his for the asking. But he doesn’t want all that. He didn’t marry Sam for her money, her married her because he loves her. Isn’t it natural that he would be uncomfortable around the obvious evidences of his wife’s great wealth? He doesn’t want to take advantage of that wealth, doesn’t feel entitled to it. Rather, he wants to make his own way in the world. It’s an old-fashioned attitude to the role of the sexes in a marriage, to be sure, but it’s somewhat understandable from Darren’s point of view. It relates a bit to the idea **Bricker** mentioned, about being able to get things so easily when those around you–those who were your peer group not long ago–can’t. Who wouldn’t feel a bit conflicted about that? And in this metaphor, _of course_ Endora and the rest of Sam’s family hate him. He’s clearly Not Their Kind, just some upstart who has the gall to think he’s good enough for Samantha. How dare he presume? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/109 "2015-09-11T20:37:28Z")
> [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](#): > > Bugs Bunny, obviously. _chomp_chomp\* “Ain’t I a stinker?!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why_Bother)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/110 "2015-09-11T20:49:21Z")
Stannis Baratheon, if only because I kinda liked him until _that_ episode. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/111 "2015-09-11T22:56:42Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Black Jack Randall, **Outlander**. Holy God, that man is pure evil. Ooh, yeah. Good call. Complete and utter bastard, made all the worse because he can appear to be charming and repentant, until… His total-bastardy adds just a little frisson to Frank’s character, doesn’t it? Tobias Menzies is one hell of an actor (although Graham McTavish is the one I can’t ever take my eyes off when he’s on screen). ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/112 "2015-09-11T23:51:35Z")
Snidely Whiplash. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/113 "2015-09-12T00:15:10Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > . . . I recall reading an analysis of _Bewitched_ once that stuck with me, and makes Darren’s resistance to witchcraft somewhat more sympathetic. Think of witchcraft as analogous to inherited wealth. . . . > > But he doesn’t want all that. He didn’t marry Sam for her money, her married her because he loves her. Isn’t it natural that he would be uncomfortable around the obvious evidences of his wife’s great wealth? He doesn’t want to take advantage of that wealth, doesn’t feel entitled to it. Rather, he wants to make his own way in the world. . . . But he also wants to deny her the benefits of her wealth! He won’t let her buy herself a dishwasher (clean the dishes by magic.) He won’t let her hire a maid (use magic to clean the bathroom.) What creep, marrying an heiress, demands that she live in poverty? If he doesn’t want the benefits of the wealth (magic) well, fine. Stupid, but fine. But to set limits on what she can buy (conjure) for herself? That’s psychotic. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Snidely Whiplash. Dishonest John. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/114 "2015-09-12T00:16:06Z")
That deranged killer who killed his adoptive parents in “Hollywood Wives.” ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/115 "2015-09-12T00:37:26Z")
Todd Alquist ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/116 "2015-09-12T01:53:59Z")
Joyce Davenport (Hill Street Blues). She was a nasty, lizardy woman who was always giving Frank Furillo grief. Second choice: Eddie Munster. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/117 "2015-09-12T07:44:13Z")
I don’t get **McNulty** —he’s certainly a flawed human being, but a good cop. Im someone that often roots for the bad guys on TV, but I have to tell you I was happy when **King Joffrey** met his demise. **Blackjack Randall** is one of the most demonic TV characters ever. **T-Bag** on Prison Break just oozed creepiness. I’d like to nominate **Tuco** from Breaking Bad. He has a short arc, but was a method out crazed Mexican drug lord who would kill one of his own crew for looking at him the wrong way. I’m not sure how many people have seen Mr. Robot yet (and you should, like, as of now), but Martin Wollstrom’s **Tyrell Wellick** does a perfect American Psycho turn. Two Netflix nominees: –Sam Neill’s Inspector **Chester Cambell** on Peaky Blinders –Chin Han as the conniving “Cricket” Prime Minister **Jia Sidao** on Marco Polo and – **Kahn Souphanousinphone** from King of the Hill was pretty despicable ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/118 "2015-09-12T11:00:49Z")
> [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](#): > > Todd Alquist Todd is, by any objective evaluation, a dangerous and violent criminal but he is nowhere near being the worst character in Breaking Bad. Todd’s main crimes are he kills the kid on the motorcycle but he does this after Walter had emphasised there must be absolutely no witnesses to the train robbery. He also kills Andrea but he does this to ensure future compliance from Jessie. In both cases he murders people for a reason and his actions are successful. One can also note Todd saves Jessie’s life at least twice and probably saves Walter’s life - he is certainly the reason Walter is left with a (literal) barrel of money. Walter is the obvious contender of worst character in Breaking Bad although he suffers from ‘over exposure’ - we see so much of his life compared to all the other characters we therefore see so many of the bad things he does. Walter’s main crimes are he is arrogant enough to poison an innocent kid confident (correctly as it turned out) the kid won’t die. He stands and watches as Jessie’s girlfriend chokes to death. Sure, he’s upset by it… But he watches her die for several minutes and, much later, has recovered enough to gloat over her death to Jessie. Who at this point is about to be killed… Because Walter has commissioned Jessie’s execution. Walter also commissioned the execution of the ten of Mike’s men in prison. Walter, arguably, caused Todd to kill motorcycle boy by stressing there must be no witnesses. Walter persuaded an (admittedly pretty evil) old man to commit suicide by bomb to kill another man, Gus, plus putting others at risk from the explosion. Walter corrupted Jessie to the extent he got Jessie to murder Gale. Walter poisoned Lydia. Walter murdered various drug dealers and thugs along the way. Like Todd, most of the murders committed by Walter were ‘justified’ in that they benefited Walter. However Walter also committed senseless crimes. Most notably when he murdered Mike. Mike was set to disappear so there was no real need to kill him. Admittedly Walter wanted Mike to name the ten imprisoned men but that was unnecessary as he, belatedly, realised Lydia knew the names and would provide them freely anyway. Looking at crimes other than murder there is the fact Walter is turning out industrial quantities of illegal drugs. Walter is endangering his family, friends and neighbours. Walter continues to make and sell drugs even when he has no need for the money. Looking at morality rather than outright criminality. When Walter is first told he has cancer he wants to simply die rather than try to live for his wife and family which includes an unborn daughter. Once Walter decides he is prepared to fight the cancer he chooses a life of crime rather than lower himself to accept freely offered financial help from his former partners at Grey Matter. Based on events actually shown on screen Todd is a saint compared to Walter. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/119 "2015-09-12T11:27:28Z")
Milburn Drysdale - the neighbour and also bank manager for the Clampetts in the Beverley Hillbillies. Totally contemptuous of the Clampetts for their background and previous poverty, prize arsehole of a boss to Miss Jane, willing to connive and compromise his ethics to exploit any advantage in his position as the bank manager and perhaps worst of all, too gormless to do any of this except behind everyone’s back. And the missus was just as bad. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498/120 "2015-09-12T14:18:26Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Totally contemptuous of the Clampetts for their background and previous poverty. In what way did he ever show “contempt” for the Clampetts? He was always very tolerant of their eccentricities and bent over backwards to keep them happy, even if his primary motivation was to keep their money in his bank. (That was, after all, his job.) His wife, on the other hand, was a Grade-A certified bitch! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-despicable-television-character-in-history-in-your-humble-opinion/730498.md?page=7)