- 23/07/2025
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 wishful film in the telly. You know, tune in every week to watch rising Hollywood
02:53star Vinny 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, watching
03:04these four idiots get everything they wanted week after week with no peril, no drama, no consequence
03:10or no growth. Vincent was a bland lead, but his titular entourage comprised three of the men you'd
03:15least like to share company with. Manager Eric was whiny, hot-headed and stupid, Driver Turtle was a
03:21greedy, barely believable lech, and brother Johnny Drama, while played with genuine skill by Kevin Dillon,
03:27was just plain gross. And then there's Agent Ari Gold, the show's breakout character,
03:33whose dialogue is 75% racist, homophobic and misogynistic slurs. As a result, this once
03:39aspirational show turned deeply depressing by the end.
03:42Number seven, Top Boy.
03:43The British crime drama recently revived by Netflix and Drake takes a far more sensitive look
03:49at drugs and gangs than most shows of its ilk. This is, for the most part, a sensitive and
03:54restrained depiction 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
04:13refuses to 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 befall
04:24many characters, ordered by or related to our protagonists. The third season brings in young
04:29upstart Jamie, and while he's similarly motivated by the noble goal of keeping his family fed,
04:35we're under no illusions as to what one must be willing to do in order to thrive in a trade so
04:40brutal and short-lived as this. Top Boy walks a tightrope well, keeping its storytelling exciting
04:45and non-judgmental, while never shying away from the cruelty and blood that fuels this world.
04:51Number 6, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Taking its cues from another sitcom great,
04:55which 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, D, 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 at what it
05:45once was, it still has a remarkable ability to dance around difficult issues without doing so for
05:50the sheer thrill of being edgy or button pushing. You'd never want to know these characters in real
05:55life as they'd most likely ruin your life, but you'd certainly want to watch them from afar.
05:59Number 5, Barry. The characters of Barry are commendably complex creations. The show's concept,
06:05that being a reluctant hitman is looking to reinvent himself as an actor, might not initially sound
06:10like the most fresh necessarily. I mean this exact concept is, but the world of wannabe actors feels
06:16as though it's been mind dry. But still, through deeply fleshed out writing and universally terrific
06:21performances, it breathes new life into several worlds. No one, however, is a particularly good
06:27person. On one extreme, of course, you've got the likes of Barry Berkman, who is Bill Hader's
06:32protagonist. He's a scarred and traumatized ex-marine groomed to kill, and kill he certainly
06:37does without flinching. Then there's the de facto villain, Barry's handler, a man without any scruples
06:42either. More subtly irredeemable though, are the depictions of the Hollywood hopefuls. The more we
06:47learn of these actors, the deeper we get to the core of their dishonesty, and their naked ambition
06:51that trumps everything else. Henry Winkler's gene is obliquely self-serving, but even the most
06:57vulnerable and damaged characters like Sally, are individuals clearly motivated by their own
07:01desires and ambitions at the expense of those around them. Barry's two seasons thus far have
07:07shown amazing ability to dig even deeper into the core of its creations, and as the show's ambitions
07:12rise, no doubt it'll only go further in the future. Number four, the thick of it. U.S. spin-off Veep
07:17escapes inclusion on this list by virtue of Gary Walsh, Selena Meyers' laptop assistant whose genuine
07:22sweetness and loyalty keeps him from engaging in any of the group's more evil acts. The thick of it
07:28though, while a little less appealing to watch now that we're actually living it in the UK,
07:32has no such innocent characters. The Westminster satire is packed with the types of backbiting,
07:37cautiously non-committal, frightfully ambitious types that fill parliaments and government buildings
07:42across the globe. From the smallest character, everyone has an agenda. The two quasi-protagonists,
07:49Hugh Abbott and Nicola Murray are by no means evil, but they do see politics not as a noble calling,
07:55but as a means to gain status, power and of course a lucrative career. Principles are pretty much just
08:00a laughing matter in this world. The operators on the sidelines are scarier still, particularly the
08:05show's finest creation, Malcolm Tucker. Played with snarling Glaswegian fury by Peter Capaldi,
08:11Tucker is a spin doctor first and a human being second. Every moment he's scheming his way out of
08:17another pickle, his thought process punctuated by an incessant stream of swear words. He's a
08:23delightfully demonic creature, but ultimately bereft of humanity. Number 3, Better Call Saul.
08:28Breaking Bad was all about the degradation of an initially mostly decent man, but while it had its
08:34fair share of complex heroes, the likes of Walt Jr., Hank and even Jesse Pinkman could hardly be said to
08:40be 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,
08:50was by the end fuelled exclusively by petty jealousy. Even hitman Mike Ehrmantraut is a decent
08:56man willing to do incredibly bad things for his family's security. Its most fascinating character
09:01as well, Kim Wexler, has been on a downfall slide of morality ever since getting involved
09:06with Slip and Jimmy. Her ultimate fate is still dangling in question going into the final season,
09:11but 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 the nuclear
09:32family satire of The Simpsons, Seth MacFarlane's animated sitcom overcame a rocky start to become a
09:38genuine sensation, and key to its success is its flexibility. Any one of its characters can do
09:43and be anything from episode to episode. What is consistent, though, is the nasty streak that runs
09:48throughout the show. MacFarlane delights in the edginess of his writing, and has filled his fictional
09:54New England town with everything from pedophiles to sex offenders to violent anthropomorphized chickens
09:59and everything in between. The central family, of course, is no better either. Comprised of belligerent
10:04drunks, master manipulators, dangerously needy teens, an aggressively pretentious and foul-mouthed
10:10dog, and a worryingly sexual baby with designs of taking over the world, and or killing his own
10:16mother. To 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, and often
10:27downright mean, then it's the show for you. Number 1, Seinfeld. While some of these shows' characters were
10:32irredeemable by virtue of their background or the writer's incompetence, only Seinfeld set out with
10:38a goal of creating a cast of terrible characters. See, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld's mantra was
10:43always famously, no hugging, no learning. And over 9 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 untouched
10:55by the niceties of society. If for some of the most selfish characters ever created, they stick to one
11:01another like glue, having alienated the rest of New York, but are nonetheless ready to betray one
11:06another at a moment's notice should they themselves benefit from doing so. We've seen the New York 4
11:12ruin countless 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 recognize some of their own behavior in
11:33that of the crew. They 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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