# Greatest TV villians ...



## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

Off the top of my head, here are some of my favorites ...

The Daleks - Doctor Who
Tywin Lannister - Game of Thrones
Scorpius - Farscape
Azula - Avatar: The Last Airbender


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

Ben Linus - Lost
The Governor - The Walking Dead
Boyd Crowder - Justified
T-Bag - Prision Break
Sloane - Alias
Sylar - Heroes


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## Thom (Jun 5, 2000)

Gustavo Fring on Breaking Bad


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## Goober96 (Jun 28, 2005)

Well, the greatest TV villain of all time would have to be...KHAN!


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Mr. Burns

He blocked the freaking SUN people!!!


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## smak (Feb 11, 2000)

X files - Cigarette Smoking Man

-smak-


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

the borg queen - star trek: voyager


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

King Jeffy
Many from Justified: Robert Quarles, Mags Bennett, Picker, Nicky Augustine, Daryl Crowe. Kent Chilobeck


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Rupert Murdoch and Fox News. I guess you can include Bill O'Reilly and much of the rest of the team.


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

Luther Mahoney from Homicide Life on the Street.


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## caslu (Jun 24, 2003)

J. R. Ewing from Dallas
Bob from Twin Peaks
The Klingons from Star Trek
6 from Battlestar Galactica
Stringer Bell from The Wire
Al Swearengen from Deadwood
Batiatus from Spartacus
1/2 the cast of Game of Thrones


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

Miles Drentell


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

The Riddler.


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## jollygrunt777 (Feb 28, 2012)

Wile E. Coyote 
Elmer Fudd 
Yosemite Sam


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Servalan from Blake's 7.


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## kaszeta (Jun 11, 2004)

Boss Hogg


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## The Spud (Aug 28, 2002)

jollygrunt777 said:


> Wile E. Coyote
> Elmer Fudd
> Yosemite Sam


Snidley Whiplash


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## Doggie Bear (Jan 16, 2008)

Miss Parker from "The Pretender"

President Charles Logan from "24"

Vic Mackey from "The Shield" 

Evil Queen from "Once Upon a Time"

Q from "Star Trek: Next Gen"


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## bryhamm (Jun 30, 2004)

Avon Barksdale from The Wire


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## nooneuknow (Feb 5, 2011)

Viewer's choice: Pick one from Sons Of Anarchy.

The Master in the ORIGINAL Doctor Who.

Dexter: Dexter Morgan - The whole show revolves around hoping a serial killer of serial killers doesn't get caught.

Dexter: Pick the one that had it coming the most.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

Walter White


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## nooneuknow (Feb 5, 2011)

jsmeeker said:


> Walter White


Yeah, falls into the Dexter category, where the lead role goes to the highest ranking villain. 

Here's one: Competitive reality show participants! - True evil, villainous, soulless, drama kings/queens.


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## nooneuknow (Feb 5, 2011)

I'm trying to think of some of the actors who ALWAYS play the villain...


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

nooneuknow said:


> Here's one: Competitive reality show participants! - True evil, villainous, soulless, drama kings/queens.


oh, come on - that describes colton from survivor better than anyone else i could think of!


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Arthur Mitchell/Trinity


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## alpacaboy (Oct 29, 2004)

getreal said:


> The Riddler.


I was going to say that!

Frank Gorshin version, right?


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## alpacaboy (Oct 29, 2004)

Glory, Spike, ... (Buffy)
Sigfreid(sp?) (Get Smart)
Diana (V)
Sue Sylvester (Glee)
muggum (The Joe Schmo Show) KIDDING!


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

Cast of Boardwalk Empire.


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

Dick Dastardly
Boyd Crowder
Dr. Smith from Lost In Space


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

Rosalind Shay(s?) - LA Law
Frank Burns - M*A*S*H
Johnny Sack - The Sopranos

Some of the names mentioned to me, aren't necessarily villains but anti-heroes. The subtle difference to me is that a villain you love to hate, and they can do no right, and you don't root for them at all. Guys like Walter White, Tony Soprano, Al Sweerengen, were all characters you might have rooted for at one time or another in their shows. I wouldn't consider them really villains.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

Cyrus Beene - Scandal
Jake Ballard  - Scandal
edit: Mama Pope - Scandal

( I watched a marathon of last 4 episodes last night)


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

The Clairvoyant.
The Joker (Heath Ledger version).
Hannibal Lecter.
Bane.


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## brettatk (Oct 11, 2002)

Ben Linus
Gustavo Fring
Sylar
Nina Meyers


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

TonyTheTiger said:


> The Clairvoyant.
> The Joker (Heath Ledger version).
> Hannibal Lecter.
> Bane.


Those are TV villains?


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

brettatk said:


> Ben Linus
> Gustavo Fring
> Sylar
> Nina Meyers


Sylar is a good one. Forgot all about him.

How about Amanda and Percy from Nikita?

Bryce Larkin and Alexei Volkoff from Chuck?


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

Steveknj said:


> Some of the names mentioned to me, aren't necessarily villains but anti-heroes. The subtle difference to me is that a villain you love to hate, and they can do no right, and you don't root for them at all. Guys like Walter White, Tony Soprano, Al Sweerengen, were all characters you might have rooted for at one time or another in their shows. I wouldn't consider them really villains.


I agree. Characters like Walter White or Tony Soprano definitely aren't villains in the traditional sense. Yes, they are criminals, but they are also the shows' protagonists.


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## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

Wile E. Coyote


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## obixman (Sep 7, 2004)

Number 2 - any of them - from The Prisoner (original).


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

gossamer88 said:


> Cast of Boardwalk Empire.


Manny!


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## sharkster (Jul 3, 2004)

I really don't think of Dexter as a villain. Am I messed up? Yeah, I know I'm twisted. 

The Trinity Killer was a favorite villain of mine. Lithgow is so amazing as the creepiest of bad guys and that villain did some pretty messed up stuff.


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

Are there any better villain names than Snidely Whiplash and Wile E. Coyote?


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

sharkster said:


> The Trinity Killer was a favorite villain of mine. Lithgow is so amazing as the creepiest of bad guys and that villain did some pretty messed up stuff.


Alas, someone agrees with me. He was diabolical in with such a calm manner.


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## Swirl_Junkie (Mar 11, 2001)

Plankton is the greatest villain.


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## nooneuknow (Feb 5, 2011)

waynomo said:


> Arthur Mitchell/Trinity


He certainly does seem to be my most likely choice...

I had just wrapped-up that one. I hope the rest isn't all downhill. Never had premium channels. So, now that I remembered to check Netflix for anything past Season 2, and saw it all available on there, I figured I'd better binge before it gets taken off...


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## rloper (Mar 25, 2002)

Lex Luthor - Smallville

I mean Michael Rosenbaum just put so much depth to the character. Watching Lex's fall from grace over 7 seasons really made the show work.


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## jgickler (Apr 7, 2000)

Newman


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

Lentulus Batiatus on Spartacus


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

Steveknj said:


> Those are TV villains?


Two of them are. I forgot the topic!

So sue me.


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## rifleman69 (Jan 6, 2005)

jgickler said:


> Newman


+1


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

sharkster said:


> Lithgow is so amazing as the creepiest of bad guys and that villain did some pretty messed up stuff.


I love Lithgow! He's easily one of the most versatile actors working today. He was amazingly good in Dexter.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

dr. zachary smith - lost in space


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

The Master from classic Doctor Who
Boyd Crowder
JR Ewing
Diana (Jane Badler, yummy)
Spike (Buffy)
Moriarty (BBC Sherlock)
Omar (The Wire)
Thor (Hell on Wheels)
Durant (Hell on Wheels)


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

NorthAlabama said:


> dr. zachary smith - lost in space


Only in the pilot and first season before they decided to Batman camp LOS and Dr. Smith became a buffoon.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

nooneuknow said:


> The Master in the ORIGINAL Doctor Who.


Which actor?


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

MikeAndrews said:


> Only in the pilot and first season before they decided to Batman camp LOS and Dr. Smith became a buffoon.


Yep. He started out as this totally serious cold war Russian spy, and ended up being the show's comic relief.


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

mattack said:


> Which actor?


I'd say Delgado.


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## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

gweempose said:


> Yep. He [the Doctor Smith character in Lost in Space] started out as this totally serious cold war Russian spy, and ended up being the show's comic relief.


The transition made the series a success it otherwise would not have been. The character was a pretty good villain, a comic villain to be sure, but a good villain nonetheless. Not great though, as per the subject of this thread, like say Ray Sharkey in Wiseguy, or Kevin Spacey and a bunch of other guys in that same series. Or some great villains in Crime Story.


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## jamesl (Jul 12, 2012)

Swirl_Junkie said:


> Plankton is the greatest villain.


:up:


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

MikeAndrews said:


> Only in the pilot and first season before they decided to Batman camp LOS and Dr. Smith became a buffoon.


you're right, i should have added an "*". there are better dr. smith quotes on imdb, but i'll never forget:


> oh, the pain, the pain.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

For me, Glory (Buffy S5) was probably one of the all-time villains. Probably part of the reason that I didn't think S6 and S7 were as good, because it was pretty much impossible to top her.


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

After watching last nights Law and Order: SVU I would say the William Lewis character ranks up there.


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## sean67854 (Jul 11, 2001)

Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

sean67854 said:


> Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz


:up::up:


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## argicida (Feb 17, 2009)

To be the greatest villain, I think they need to be the star of show - I can only really think of J.R. Ewing as a great villain star.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

argicida said:


> To be the greatest villain, I think they need to be the star of show


That's a rather peculiar opinion, as it is so constraining to be rather unrealistic.

If you ask me, one sign of a great villain is that, if not for the constraints of television storytelling, that he/she/it could have a realistic chance of defeating the main character(s) of the show.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

argicida said:


> To be the greatest villain, I think they need to be the star of show - I can only really think of J.R. Ewing as a great villain star.


How about Gilligan? The show was even named after him.


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## argicida (Feb 17, 2009)

LoadStar said:


> That's a rather peculiar opinion, as it is so constraining to be rather unrealistic.
> 
> If you ask me, one sign of a great villain is that, if not for the constraints of television storytelling, that he/she/it could have a realistic chance of defeating the main character(s) of the show.


That's not a bad alternative way to look at it.

But I really think being the star is key - if we went into theater rather than television, I'd argue that in Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas qualifies because objectively he is the lead.


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## argicida (Feb 17, 2009)

waynomo said:


> How about Gilligan? The show was even named after him.


Well he does keep the good guys trapped on that island as effectively as any conventional villain could.


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## jamesl (Jul 12, 2012)

Cole - Belthazor


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## Mr. Soze (Nov 2, 2002)

My current avatar, Crowley from _Supernatural_. Hello??? King of Hell.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

argicida said:


> Well he does keep the good guys trapped on that island as effectively as any conventional villain could.


Exactly. That was my point.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

Sammy - (From Amy's baking company) ((Kitchen Nightmares))


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## Zevida (Nov 8, 2003)

Angel (Buffy)
Nina (24)
Boyd Crowder (Justified)
Gus Fring (Breaking Bad)
Greg Pikitis (Parks & Rec)
Charles Miner (The Office)
Aaron Echolls (Veronica Mars)


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## Howie (May 3, 2004)

Otis Campbell
Aunt Bea


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## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

gweempose said:


> I agree. Characters like Walter White or Tony Soprano definitely aren't villains in the traditional sense. Yes, they are criminals, but they are also the shows' protagonists.


What about Frank Underwood?


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

wprager said:


> What about Frank Underwood?


He may be a sociopath, but I wouldn't call him a villain. Again, it boils down to the fact that he is the show's protagonist. Because of this, "anti-hero" seems like a more fitting label.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

gweempose said:


> He may be a sociopath, but I wouldn't call him a villain. Again, it boils down to the fact that he is the show's protagonist. Because of this, "anti-hero" seems like a more fitting label.


+1

I'm not sure if I'm rooting for him or not. I don't want him to get caught, but I know he deserves to spend a long time in jail.

ETA: After having a senior moment and spelling "rooting" as "routing" I decided I better check to make sure I got the right one.

I found this definition in the Urban Dictionary with interesting anecdote.

"In America it means cheering, in Australia it means f**king.

Jim Courier, the American tennis player, was commenting on a match for Australian television. A female player was close to victory on court, while the players for the next match wanted her to close out the match so they could get on court. Courier, "There's two guys in the locker room rooting loudly for her."


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## Wheens (Jan 1, 2003)

gweempose said:


> He may be a sociopath, but I wouldn't call him a villain. Again, it boils down to the fact that he is the show's protagonist. Because of this, "anti-hero" seems like a more fitting label.


Having premeditatedly "offed" 2 people certainly qualifies him as a villain by my definition.


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## Rocketslc (Jan 5, 2004)

Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless


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## Wheens (Jan 1, 2003)

Rocketslc said:


> Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless


Great choice! I can see how he might be _overlooked_.


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## MacThor (Feb 7, 2002)

Moriarty - _Sherlock_


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Rocketslc said:


> Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless





Wheens said:


> Great choice! I can see how he might be _overlooked_.


[media]http://www.wildwildwest.org/www/otherbio/md/md_arcade.jpg[/media]


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## replaytv (Feb 21, 2011)

Female Serial Killer, Nicole Wallace in Law and Order, nemesis of Goren.

[media]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_C5XdK4lX7gg/R8z6iV8kzZI/AAAAAAAABFc/2shBuwww9o0/s1600/0000dabo37.jpg[/media]



Thom said:


> Gustavo Fring on Breaking Bad


He was so calm scary, like someone you meet getting your car serviced, or the receptionist at your dentist, but they are killers through and through.



NorthAlabama said:


> the borg queen - star trek: voyager


I only liked the mindless Borg beings, not the Borg Queen. Assimilation for most Borgs weren't about evil, they were just doing a job. They even ignored civilizations that wouldn't improved the collective.



waynomo said:


> Rupert Murdoch and Fox News. I guess you can include Bill O'Reilly and much of the rest of the team.


I laughed, but then cried. I thought this thread was about amusement, not true life horrors/evil.



The Spud said:


> Snidley Whiplash


You couldn't help but love Snidley.... even his name was enjoyable to say, and bespoke of his evil nature.



Doggie Bear said:


> Q from "Star Trek: Next Gen"


I hated any Star Trek that had the Q in it. If he showed up on my watch I would just sit back and do nothing, as he was only there to amuse himself, and I wouldn't have anything to do with it. After a while I wouldn't even watch a episode that he was in.



jsmeeker said:


> Walter White


Walter had to one of the biggest villains of all time, to make so much more drugs of such better quality and efficiently than anyone before.



NorthAlabama said:


> dr. zachary smith - lost in space


I couldn't even watch Lost in Space because I hated Dr. Smith so much.



Howie said:


> Otis Campbell
> Aunt Bea


Good to include them, as what town hasn't been dragged down in the filth of life by a busybody and the town drunk with a key to his own cell??!!



waynomo said:


> How about Gilligan? The show was even named after him.


How can you possibly call our 'little buddy' a villain?! He was held the others together so they didn't all go crazy stuck on a island for so many seasons!


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

*Witchiepoo*..H.R. Pufnstuf:


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

errol (aka spaghetti monster, lawnmower man, the yellow king) - true detective


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## Jstkiddn (Oct 15, 2003)

The Hamburglar.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

replaytv said:


> I laughed, but then cried. I thought this thread was about amusement, not true life horrors/evil.


Thread title said TV. Nothing about fictional characters, although Fox News is known for some of their fictionalizations.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

TIVO_GUY_HERE said:


> Cyrus Beene - Scandal


After that last episode, Cyrus has definitely climbed up a few rungs on the ladder of TV villains. The man has no conscience whatsoever.


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## Alf Tanner (Jan 18, 2014)

Allanon said:


> Ben Linus - Lost
> The Governor - The Walking Dead
> Boyd Crowder - Justified
> T-Bag - Prision Break
> ...


Boyd Crowder is just awesome! Any suggestions for anything else Walton Goggins is in that's worth watching?


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

Eddie Haskell


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## JLucPicard (Jul 8, 2004)

Alf Tanner said:


> Boyd Crowder is just awesome! Any suggestions for anything else Walton Goggins is in that's worth watching?


If you haven't seen _The Shield_, it is definitely worth watching! And if you have seen _The Shield_, his brilliant appearances in _Sons of Anarchy_ will give you an idea of the scope of this guy's talent!


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

Sideshow Bob


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## Edmund (Nov 8, 2002)

Wo Fat, original Hawaii 5-0.


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## goblue97 (May 12, 2005)

Antwon Mitchell from The Shield.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

Alf Tanner said:


> Boyd Crowder is just awesome! Any suggestions for anything else Walton Goggins is in that's worth watching?


The Shield is a really good show, and Goggins is great in it!


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

cheesesteak said:


> Are there any better villain names than Snidely Whiplash and Wile E. Coyote?


Crabby Appleton (he was rotten to the core).


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

argicida said:


> To be the greatest villain, I think they need to be the star of show - I can only really think of J.R. Ewing as a great villain star.





waynomo said:


> How about Gilligan? The show was even named after him.


Hannibal.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

Lorne Malvo.


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## PuddingRiot (May 30, 2014)

William Bell.


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

Skip Bayless


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## DougF (Mar 18, 2003)

Grandma Ida - Malcolm in the Middle


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## 702 (Feb 9, 2003)

The town that Murder She Wrote took place in... such a small town... so much murder.


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## kaszeta (Jun 11, 2004)

702 said:


> The town that Murder She Wrote took place in... such a small town... so much murder.


Jessica Fletcher obviously brainwashed all those people into committing murders.

(Have you seen the original Manchurian Candidate?)


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## rifleman69 (Jan 6, 2005)

cheesesteak said:


> Skip Bayless


He's just an idiot...little different than a villain.


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## Edmund (Nov 8, 2002)

The Master Cylinder


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## MikeAndrews (Jan 17, 2002)

lpwcomp said:


> Crabby Appleton (he was rotten to the core).


There are some of those - not polictally correct - on archive.org
https://archive.org/details/TomTerrificGoWestYoungManfred

I was showing the pilot of Felix the Cat on Netflix to my niece. The Perfessor.

OOOOOO https://archive.org/search.php?query=felix cat AND collection:animationandcartoons


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