# When/Why did TV heroes become bad guys? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2013, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-tv-heroes-become-bad-guys/660883 "2013-06-13T07:22:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-tv-heroes-become-bad-guys/660883/21 "2013-06-14T17:28:30Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > I have a hard time watching _The Americans_ because if this trend. It’s difficult to root for the protagonists. Why? They’re deeply committed patriots doing almost impossibly difficult work on behalf of their country, at tremendous personal cost. They inflict collateral damage, certainly, but they’re shown trying to minimize it; they aren’t saints, but they’re very far from monsters. These protagonists actually have surprisingly _little_ moral ambiguity to them; the worst you can say is that they’re decent people doing diffiuclt things in service of an (admittedly) regrettable political system. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-tv-heroes-become-bad-guys/660883/22 "2013-06-14T17:49:43Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Why? They’re deeply committed patriots doing almost impossibly difficult work on behalf of their country, at tremendous personal cost. They inflict collateral damage, certainly, but they’re shown trying to minimize it; they aren’t saints, but they’re very far from monsters. These protagonists actually have surprisingly _little_ moral ambiguity to them; the worst you can say is that they’re decent people doing diffiuclt things in service of an (admittedly) regrettable political system. The same reason I don’t typically root for any criminals. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-tv-heroes-become-bad-guys/660883/23 "2013-06-14T17:50:43Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > I don’t root for the FBI guy either. Early in the season there was a scene where Keri Russel’s character killed an innocent civilian because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That breaks the rules for me to root for someone. I don’t remember that. I remember her killing a cop, though. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-tv-heroes-become-bad-guys/660883/24 "2013-06-14T17:54:08Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > The same reason I don’t typically root for any criminals. Would you root for a Western spy - a James Bond or the like? ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-tv-heroes-become-bad-guys/660883/25 "2013-06-14T17:55:23Z")
Sometimes, yes. James Bond does not kill innocent bystanders when it suits his needs. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-tv-heroes-become-bad-guys/660883/26 "2013-06-14T18:00:43Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Sometimes, yes. James Bond does not kill innocent bystanders when it suits his needs. Have you seen the way he drives 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-tv-heroes-become-bad-guys/660883/27 "2013-06-14T18:01:50Z")
Yes, but at least he usually seems apologetic… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-tv-heroes-become-bad-guys/660883.md?page=1)