No heroes, no good guys, no problem?
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00:00On a long-running television program, it stands to reason that you take the time to, you know,
00:04craft characters who the audience can latch on to. Sometimes, though, TV shows go in the
00:09absolute opposite direction. Not satisfied with generating a few antagonists to be bested by the
00:14gallant heroes, these programs are replete with characters who are not just flawed,
00:19but relentlessly bad, and we love them all for it. I'm Josh from WhatCulture.com,
00:24and these are 10 TV shows with no redeemable characters.
00:2810. Peepshow
00:29In life, everyone is either a Mark or a Jeremy to some degree. It's not something we'd probably like
00:36to admit, but the two fragile, selfish husks at the centre of this seminal flat-share comedy
00:40represent modern society at large, warts and all. Over nine seasons of Peepshow, we witness Mark
00:46and Jeremy subject one another to every atrocity imaginable, while still sharing the same square
00:52foot of a London high-rise. The genius of Peepshow is in slowly illustrating that these two
00:58men, on the surface so different, are actually burdened by the exact same flaws. You know,
01:04things like non-existent self-esteem, overthinking, stubbornness, and an eroding sense of morality.
01:10The supporting characters are no better either, from the criminality of superhands to the indecent
01:15proposing of Johnson, Sophie's inept stabs at motherhood, and even Big Sousa's complete disregard
01:21for anyone on a lower social strata than her. The slightly lame finale of Peepshow illustrated
01:26its ultimate thesis perfectly. Mark and Jeremy can, by this point, barely stand the sight of each
01:32other, but they're doomed to spend the rest of eternity sniping away from the discomfort of their
01:36couch. There's just, there's just no changing them. Number nine, Succession. Succession is a show
01:41about the 0.001%, a family of mega-rich, influential media tycoons who only care about preserving and
01:49inflating their own wealth and power. It was never going to be a show replete with heroic figures,
01:54but few could have imagined that Jesse Armstrong's pitch-black satire would reach the depths it has.
01:59At its core, his patriarch, Logan Roy, played like a monster by Brian Cox. We, the audience, can see from
02:05the off that he's done a number on his kids, but each one of them still takes their turn in the spotlight
02:10to demonstrate the depths of their own depravity. We've got everyone from the younger son, Roman,
02:15who seems to become worse with every taste of power he gets, while even the prodigal Kendal Roy,
02:20who looked poised for a face turn at the end of last season, is still self-serving and prone to
02:25cruelty as much as anyone else. Even the less cruel characters are utterly broken, from moronic and
02:31grasping elder son, Connor, to the lovable but parasitic cousin, Greg. The closest Succession gets to a
02:36heroic figure is the combative anti-capitalist Ewan Roy, but even he's a bit of a jerk too.
02:41Number eight, Entourage.
02:43In theory, the characters in Entourage shouldn't be irredeemable. Indeed, the whole point of the show
02:48was to create a wish-fulfillment telly. You know, tune in every week to watch rising Hollywood star
02:53Vinny Chase and crew traverse the highs and lows of the movie biz and the madcap characters within.
02:58And for a while, it worked. But then it became amazingly repetitive and downright grim,
03:04watching these four idiots get everything they wanted week after week, with no peril,
03:09no drama, no consequence, or no growth. Vincent was a bland lead, but his titular entourage comprised
03:14three of the men you'd least like to share company with. Manager Eric was whiny, hot-headed,
03:19and stupid. Driver Turtle was a greedy, barely-believable lech. And brother Johnny Drama,
03:25while played with genuine skill by Kevin Dillon, was just plain gross. And then there's Agent
03:30Ari Gold, the show's breakout character, whose dialogue is 75% racist, homophobic,
03:36and misogynistic slurs. As a result, this once-aspirational show turned deeply depressing
03:41by the end. Number seven, Top Boy.
03:43The British crime drama recently revived by Netflix and Drake takes a far more sensitive look at drugs
03:49and gangs than most shows of its ilk. This is, for the most part, a sensitive and restrained
03:54depiction of drug pushers, customers, and the neighbourhoods it affects. To that end,
03:59there's a sensitivity afforded to its characters. These young men selling drugs and carrying guns
04:04aren't doing it just for a laugh, often it's just the life they were born into, and the only
04:08opportunity that was afforded to them. But while the depiction is thoughtful, it simultaneously refuses
04:14to shy away from the horrors it portrays. The two lead kingpins are no psychopaths by any means,
04:20but they're obliged to run their estate with an iron fist. As such, gruesome fates
04:24befall many characters, ordered by or related to our protagonists.
04:28The third season brings in young upstart Jamie, and while he's similarly motivated by the noble goal
04:33of keeping his family fed, we're under no illusions as to what one must be willing to do in order to
04:39thrive in a trade so brutal and short-lived as this. Top Boy walks a tightrope well, keeping its
04:44storytelling exciting and non-judgmental, while never shying away from the cruelty and blood that
04:49fuels this world. Number 6, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Taking its cues from another sitcom
04:55great, which we will definitely get to later, It's Always Sunny manages to keep us invested in a gang of
05:00absolute villains week upon week by ensuring that the joke is, for the most part, firmly on our main
05:06characters. To varying degrees, the custodians of Paddy's pub are deeply problematic. Each is deeply
05:12selfish to varying degrees, but some prove to be genuine menaces to society by virtue of their
05:18unpredictable triggers, Charlie, their vindictiveness, Dee, undiagnosed psychopathy,
05:23definitely Dennis, or a propensity for gunplay, Frank. And while sensitive Mac has moments of
05:30vulnerability, it has been made plenty clear that even he has no place in polite company,
05:34with his wild religious views and frightening obsessive qualities making him a danger in spite of
05:40his more sympathetic elements. While the show, now a cultural behemoth, is nowhere near what it once
05:45was, it still has a remarkable ability to dance around difficult issues without doing so for the
05:50sheer thrill of being edgy or button pushing. You'd never want to know these characters in real life
05:55as they'd most likely ruin your life, but you'd certainly want to watch them from afar. Number 5,
06:00Barry. The characters of Barry are commendably complex creations. The show's concept, that being a
06:06reluctant hitman is looking to reinvent himself as an actor, might not initially sound like the most
06:12fresh necessarily. I mean, this exact concept is, but the world of wannabe actors feels as though
06:17it's been mind dry. But still, through deeply fleshed out writing and universally terrific performances,
06:22it breathes new life into several worlds. No one, however, is a particularly good person.
06:28On one extreme, of course, you've got the likes of Barry Berkman, who is Bill Hader's protagonist.
06:32He's a scarred and traumatised ex-marine groomed to kill, and kill he certainly does without flinching.
06:38Then, there's the de facto villain, Barry's handler, a man without any scruples either.
06:43More subtly irredeemable though, are the depictions of the Hollywood hopefuls.
06:47The more we learn of these actors, the deeper we get to the core of their dishonesty, and their
06:51naked ambition that trumps everything else. Henry Winkler's gene is obliquely self-serving,
06:56but even the most vulnerable and damaged characters like Sally, are individuals clearly motivated
07:01by their own desires and ambitions at the expense of those around them. Barry's two seasons thus far
07:06have shown amazing ability to dig even deeper into the core of its creations, and as the show's
07:11ambitions rise, no doubt it'll only go further in the future. Number 4, The Thick of It.
07:16US spin-off Veep escapes inclusion on this list by virtue of Gary Walsh, Selena Meyers' laptop
07:21assistant, whose genuine sweetness and loyalty keeps him from engaging in any of the group's more evil
07:26acts. The Thick of It though, while a little less appealing to watch now that we're actually living it
07:31in the UK, has no such innocent characters. The Westminster satire is packed with the types of
07:36backbiting, cautiously non-committal, frightfully ambitious types that fill parliaments and
07:41government buildings across the globe. From the smallest character, everyone has an agenda. The two
07:48quasi-protagonists, Hugh Abbott and Nicola Murray, are by no means evil, but they do see politics not as
07:54noble calling, but as a means to gain status, power, and of course, a lucrative career.
07:59Principles are pretty much just a laughing matter in this world. The operators on the
08:03sidelines are scarier still, particularly the show's finest creation, Malcolm Tucker. Played with
08:08snarling Glaswegian fury by Peter Capaldi, Tucker is a spin doctor first and a human being second.
08:15Every moment he's scheming his way out of another pickle, his thought process punctuated by an
08:20incessant stream of swear words. He's a delightfully demonic creature, but ultimately bereft of
08:26humanity. Number 3. Better Call Saul
08:28Breaking Bad was all about the degradation of an initially mostly decent man, but while it had
08:34its fair share of complex heroes, the likes of Walt Jr., Hank, and even Jesse Pinkman could hardly be
08:39said to be irredeemable. Better Call Saul, meanwhile, invests its time in an altogether nastier and more
08:45criminally inclined bunch of characters. Its self-styled moral compass, Chuck McGill, was by the end
08:51fueled exclusively by petty jealousy. Even hitman Mike Ehrmantraut is a decent man willing to do
08:57incredibly bad things for his family's security. Its most fascinating character as well, Kim Wexler,
09:02has been on a downfall slide of morality ever since getting involved with Slip and Jimmy. Her ultimate
09:07fate is still dangling in question going into the final season, but we can bet it won't be one of
09:13sunshine and rainbows. And then of course, there's Jimmy himself. It being a prequel, we know he's
09:18going to survive, but viewers of Breaking Bad will have seen the slippery lawyer behaving even worse
09:23in years to come. This one is a morality tale without a hero. Number 2. Family Guy
09:29Blending the button-pushing adult content of South Park and the nuclear family satire of The Simpsons,
09:34Seth MacFarlane's animated sitcom overcame a rocky start to become a genuine sensation,
09:39and key to its success is its flexibility. Any one of its characters can do and be anything
09:44from episode to episode. What is consistent though is the nasty streak that runs throughout the show.
09:50MacFarlane delights in the edginess of his writing, and has filled his fictional New England town with
09:55everything from pedophiles to sex offenders to violent anthropomorphized chickens and everything
10:00in between. The central family of course is no better either. Comprised of belligerent drunks,
10:05master manipulators, dangerously needy teens, an aggressively pretentious and foul-mouthed dog,
10:10and a worryingly sexual baby with designs of taking over the world, and or killing his own mother.
10:17To that end, Family Guy isn't for everyone. It often lacks The Simpsons' warmth and South Park's
10:21ability to juggle storylines cohesively, but if you like your comedy detached, freewheeling,
10:26and often downright mean, then it's the show for you.
10:29Number 1. Seinfeld
10:30While some of these shows' characters were irredeemable by virtue of their background,
10:34or the writers' incompetence, only Seinfeld set out with a goal of creating a cast of terrible
10:40characters. See, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's mantra was always famously,
10:45no hugging, no learning. And over nine seasons, they stuck to this vibe resolutely.
10:50So, Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine are by no means evil, but what they are is completely
10:54untouched by the niceties of society. If for some of the most selfish characters ever created,
11:00they stick to one another like glue, having alienated the rest of New York,
11:04but are nonetheless ready to betray one another at a moment's notice should they themselves
11:08benefit from doing so. We've seen the New York 4 ruin countless relationships, their own and
11:14others, for the pettiest of reasons. Cause the closure of several small businesses, make enemies
11:19across town, and cause at least one death through sheer stinginess. And yet, without exception,
11:25it works. The Seinfeld crew reflect the worst in each one of us, but there's nary a viewer who
11:31can't recognise some of their own behaviour in that of the crew. They can never ever change,
11:37but we wouldn't want them to. So that's our list. I want some of you guys think down in the
11:40comments below, are there any similar casts on telly like this? And what do you think of these
11:45shows? While you're down there as well, could you please give us a like, share, subscribe,
11:48and head over to whatculture.com for more lists and news like this every single day. Even if you don't
11:52though, I've been Josh. Thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you soon.