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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
03:14comprised three of the men you'd least like to share company with. Manager Eric was whiny,
03:19hot-headed, and stupid. Driver Turtle was a greedy, barely-believable lech. And brother Johnny
03:24drama, while played with genuine skill by Kevin Dillon, was just plain gross. And then there's
03:30Agent Ari Gold, the show's breakout character, whose dialogue is 75% racist, homophobic, and
03:36misogynistic slurs. As a result, this once aspirational show turned deeply depressing by the
03:42end. Number seven, Top Boy. The British crime drama recently revived by Netflix and Drake takes a far
03:48more sensitive look at drugs and gangs than most shows of its ilk. This is, for the most part,
03:53a sensitive and restrained depiction of drug pushers, customers, and the neighbourhoods it
03:57affects. To that end, there's a sensitivity afforded to its characters. These young men
04:02selling drugs and carrying guns aren't doing it just for a laugh, often it's just the life they
04:07were born into, and the only opportunity that was afforded to them. But while the depiction
04:11is thoughtful, it simultaneously refuses to shy away from the horrors it portrays. The two lead
04:17kingpins are no psychopaths by any means, but they're obliged to run their estate with an iron fist.
04:22At such, gruesome fates befall 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
04:33goal of keeping his family fed, we're under no illusions as to what one must be willing to do
04:38in order to thrive in a trade so brutal and short-lived as this. Top Boy walks a tightrope well,
04:44keeping its storytelling exciting and non-judgmental, while never shying away from the cruelty and blood
04:49that fuels this world. 6. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
04:53Taking its cues from another sitcom great, which we will definitely get to later,
04:57It's Always Sunny manages to keep us invested in a gang of absolute villains week upon week
05:02by ensuring that the joke is, for the most part, firmly on our main characters. To varying degrees,
05:08the custodians of Paddy's pub are deeply problematic. Each is deeply selfish to varying degrees,
05:14but some prove to be genuine menaces to society by virtue of their unpredictable triggers, Charlie,
05:20their vindictiveness, D, undiagnosed psychopathy, definitely Dennis, or a propensity for gunplay,
05:26Frank. And while sensitive Mac has moments of vulnerability, it has been made plenty clear
05:32that even he has no place in polite company, with his wild religious views and frightening obsessive
05:37qualities making him a danger in spite of his more sympathetic elements. While the show,
05:42now a cultural behemoth, is nowhere near what it once was, it still has a remarkable ability to
05:47dance around difficult issues without doing so for the sheer thrill of being edgy or button pushing.
05:52You'd never want to know these characters in real life as they'd most likely ruin your life,
05:57but you'd certainly want to watch them from afar. 5. Barry
06:00The characters of Barry are commendably complex creations. The show's concept that being a reluctant
06:06hitman is looking to reinvent himself as an actor might not initially sound like the most fresh
06:12necessarily. I mean, this exact concept is, but the world of wannabe actors feels as though it's
06:17been mined 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. The more we learn of these
06:48actors, the deeper we get to the core of their dishonesty and their naked ambition that trumps
06:52everything else. Henry Winkler's gene is obliquely self-serving, but even the most vulnerable and
06:57damaged characters like Sally are individuals clearly motivated by their own desires and
07:02ambitions at the expense of those around them. Barry's two seasons thus far have shown amazing
07:07ability to dig even deeper into the core of its creations, and as the show's ambitions rise,
07:12no 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,
07:20Selina Meyers' laptop assistant whose genuine sweetness and loyalty keeps him from engaging in
07:25any of the group's more evil acts. The Thick of It though, while a little less appealing to watch now
07:30that we're actually living it in the UK, has no such innocent characters. The Westminster satire is
07:35packed with the types of backbiting, cautiously non-committal, frightfully ambitious types that fill
07:40parliaments and government buildings across the globe. From the smallest character, everyone has an agenda.
07:47The two quasi-protagonists, Hugh Abbott and Nicola Murray, are by no means evil, but they do see
07:53politics not as a noble calling, but as a means to gain status, power and of course a lucrative career.
07:58Principles are pretty much just a laughing matter in this world. The operators on the sidelines are
08:04scarier still, particularly the show's finest creation, Malcolm Tucker. Played with snarling
08:09Glaswegian fury by Peter Capaldi, Tucker is a spin doctor first and a human being second. Every moment
08:16he's scheming his way out of another pickle, his thought process punctuated by an incessant stream of
08:21swear words. He's a delightfully demonic creature, but ultimately bereft of humanity.
08:26Number 3, Better Call Saul. Breaking Bad was all about the degradation of an initially mostly decent
08:33man, but while it had its fair share of complex heroes, the likes of Walt Jr., Hank and even Jesse
08:38Pinkman could hardly be said to be irredeemable. Better Call Saul, meanwhile, invests its time in an
08:44altogether nastier and more criminally inclined bunch of characters. Its self-styled moral compass,
08:49Chuck McGill, was by the end fuelled exclusively by petty jealousy. Even hitman Mike Ermantrout is a
08:55decent man willing to do incredibly bad things for his family's security. Its most fascinating
09:01character as well, Kim Wexler, has been on a downfall slide of morality ever since getting
09:05involved with Slippin' Jimmy. Her ultimate fate is still dangling in question going into the final
09:10season, but we can bet it won't be one of sunshine and rainbows. And then of course, there's Jimmy
09:16himself. It being a prequel, we know he's going to survive, but viewers of Breaking Bad will have
09:21seen the slippery lawyer behaving even worse in years to come. This one is a morality tale without
09:27a hero. Number 2, Family Guy. Blending the button-pushing adult content of South Park and
09:32the nuclear family satire of The Simpsons, Seth MacFarlane's animated sitcom overcame a rocky
09:37start to become a genuine sensation, and key to its success is its flexibility. Any one of its
09:42characters can do and be anything from episode to episode. What is consistent though is the nasty
09:48streak that runs throughout the show. MacFarlane delights in the edginess of his writing, and has
09:53filled his fictional New England town with everything from pedophiles to sex offenders to violent
09:58anthropomorphised chickens and everything in between. The Central Family of course is no better either,
10:03comprised of belligerent drunks, master manipulators, dangerously needy teens, an aggressively
10:08pretentious and foul-mouthed dog, and a worryingly sexual baby with designs of taking over the world,
10:15and or killing his own mother. To that end, Family Guy isn't for everyone. It often lacks The Simpsons'
10:20warmth and South Park's ability to juggle storylines cohesively, but if you like your comedy detached,
10:25freewheeling, and often downright mean, then it's the show for you. Number 1, Seinfeld.
10:30While some of these shows' characters were irredeemable by virtue of their background,
10:34all 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,
10:44no hugging, no learning, and over 9 seasons they stuck to this vibe resolutely. So, Jerry,
10:50George, Kramer, and Elaine are by no means evil, but what they are is completely untouched by the
10:55niceties of society. If for some of the most selfish characters ever created, they stick to one another
11:01like glue, having alienated the rest of New York, but are nonetheless ready to betray one another
11:06at a moment's notice should they themselves benefit from doing so. We've seen the New York 4 ruin
11:12countless relationships, their own and others, for the pettiest of reasons. Cause the closure of
11:18several small businesses, make enemies across town, and cause at least one death through sheer stinginess.
11:24And yet, without exception, it works. The Seinfeld crew reflect the worst in each one of us,
11:29but there's nary a viewer who can't recognise some of their own behaviour in that of the crew.
11:34They can never ever change, but we wouldn't want them to.
11:38So that's our list, I want some of you guys to think down in the comments below,
11:40are there any similar casts on telly like this? And what do you think of these shows?
11:45While you're down there as well, could you please give us a like, share, subscribe,
11:47and head over to whatculture.com for more lists and news like this every single day.
11:52Even if you don't though, I've been Josh, thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you soon.
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