As of this month, I can officially boast that I have watched all four of the greatest golden age dramas: The Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Wire. Coincidentally, all four of the greatest television dramas feature 'anti heroes' as their protagonists.
I don't necessarily pooh-pooh on amoral protagonists, otherwise, why read literature like Wuthering Heights? As long as we dismiss imitating and glamorizing these troubled characters, we can further contemplate and probe mankind with all of its deficiencies.
Instead of ranking each show, (because that would be much too difficult and cliche), I will instead examine each of the four proverbial anti-heroes:
Tony Soprano - The Sopranos
Deadly Weapon: Sociopathic tendencies
Weakness: Animals (particularly ducks), and classic movies
Villain Ranking: 10
Don Draper - Mad Men
Deadly Weapon: Ladykiller looks
Weakness: Work and an Old Fashioned
Villain Ranking: 7.4
Walter White - Breaking Bad
Deadly Weapon: Book smarts and a borderline personality disorder
Weakness: Living dangerously
Villain Ranking: 9.8
Jimmy McNulty - The Wire
Deadly Weapon: Undeniable charm
Weakness: Flogging Molly and booze
Villain Ranking: 6.8
Which of the four shows are your favorite? And why?
