Some Of Television’s Best Male Characters
It’s common to find that the best characters are the stars and the good guys. But sometimes, the characters we tune in for are the secondary roles—and sometimes, they’re the bad guy. Here are some of the best male characters on TV, both the good and the bad.
Richie Jerimovich (The Bear)
Jeremy Allen White’s Carmy is the show's star, and for good reason, but Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie is an interesting case of a character arc. Starting as an antagonist, Richie grows throughout the series into someone viewers want to watch.
Richie Steps Up at the Michelin Star Restaurant - Scene | The Bear | FX , FX Networks
Lip Gallagher (Shameless)
Speaking of Jeremy Allen White, it was on Shameless that he cut his teeth as the smart (genius-level smart) older brother of the disastrous Gallagher family. While Fiona tried and often failed to keep things together, Lip was able to lead from behind, struggling with his roots and his potential.
Shameless (2011-2021),John Wells
Dwight Schrute (The Office)
Steve Carell will always be the star but it was Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute who was the breakout character. Basically a nerd and a foil for Jim (at least early on), Dwight grew as a character over the show’s run, keeping his oddness but showing that he was not only consistently funny, but also, at heart, a good person who means well.
Ray Ploshansky (Girls)
A funny thing about Girls: It was often the boys we turned to as likeable characters, even when they weren’t written that way. Ray was disagreeable and a bit of an antagonist, but he grew and became one of the most relatable characters.
Neo-hippie Gender-Neutral Monsters - HBO's Girls (S5:E9) HD, Mark Cordell
Phil Tandy (Last Man On Earth)
Can you make an off-putting character that viewers tune in to watch? In the case of Phil Tandy, the answer is yes. Maybe he was someone we all wanted to kick, but he grew out of his weird, lonely character to someone who just needed to find his tribe.
How Will Forte Created Phil “Tandy” Miller for Last Man on Earth , Brock Swinson
Thomas Barrow (Downton Abbey)
Thomas Barrow is a classic villain whose backstory and character arc reveal something redeemable. He was usually busy plotting, but it was clearly a self-preservation strategy: he was working class and gay, at a time when one was looked down on and the other illegal. Viewers loved that although he could still be a dark character, he revealed himself as someone bettering himself.
Thomas Barrow's Best Quotes | Downton Abbey , Downton Abbey
Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)
Benedict Cumberbatch’s now iconic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes was built around the given quirks of the classic detective and leaning into it. In Sherlock, the titular character is portrayed in the present day as what we now recognize as someone on the spectrum. Is Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock popular because it’s Benedict Cumberbatch, or is Benedict Cumberbatch popular because he did Sherlock so well?
Mary shoots sherlock | mind palace scene by Mr khan
John Watson (Sherlock)
In the original Sherlock Holmes stories, Dr Watson stands in for the reader, watching Sherlock work his magic and chronicling each case. With Martin Freeman’s portrayal of John Watson, a military doctor with PTSD, we see Watson grow into a more complex character, very much Sherlock’s equal, still the anchor in the relationship, but with his own vulnerability and strength.
Jim Hopper (Stranger Things)
Jim Hopper is a rugged man’s man archetype, a cop thrown into a complex and terrifying series of events. His adoption of Eleven is meant to contrast with his hard exterior—and it does, showing his inner struggle and trauma.
Stranger Things (2016-2022),Netflix
Sergeant Terry Jeffords (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Sergeant Terry Jeffords is over-the-top: muscular, easily agitated, but intent on doing his job well. That large exterior hides a sensitive leader, an attentive father, and a solid friend. Terry Crews infuses the character with a vulnerability that keeps Jeffords from being a two-dimensional tough guy.
Cold opens but it's just the best Terry ones | Brooklyn Nine-Nine , Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Detective Jake Peralta (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Andy Samberg portrays series lead Detective Jake Peralta as quirky and confident, but at times over-confident. His foregrounded immaturity belies a character who cares about his work and his colleagues, and Samberg plays that contrast well.
Cold opens but it's just the best Terry ones | Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Daryl Dixon (The Walking Dead)
In the end, the sometimes-flawed The Walking Dead left us with only a few characters that we could cling to. Daryl is extremely resourceful, a redneck loner who still manages to work with the group for the betterment of everyone. Early on, Daryl is shown to be the victim of his older brother’s bullying and that added bit of vulnerability in Daryl allowed us to embrace the character.
The Walking Dead Fox Networks Group
Captain Ray Holt (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Stoic and deeply principled, Captain Ray Holt is a commanding presence and much of the humor surrounding the character is subtle and dry. Andre Braugher doesn’t give a comedic performance but mostly plays it straight, letting the situations provide the laughs. His presence as a leader who is both Black and gay gives the character some substance, especially within a typically homophobic and racist institution.
ULTIMATE Best of Sassy Holt | Brooklyn Nine-Nine by Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso is one of the most enthusiastic and positive characters seen on TV in many years. A classic fish-out-of-water, who is dealing with the geographic separation from his son, as well as the breakdown of his marriage, Ted’s optimism shines through. The character is particularly notable for his emotional intelligence in the classically masculine, and often toxic, world of sports.
Ted Lasso Season 4 In The Works! by Small Screen
Roy Kent (Ted Lasso)
Where Ted Lasso is optimistic, aging soccer star Roy Kent is abrasive. His signature swearing is a running gag, and he is soon shown to be a person of great vulnerability. The series can be lauded for making what could have been a one-note character into someone more complex.
Ted lasso - phoebe can’t stop swearing ( Roy Kent is in trouble) and Crusey1988
Barry Berkman (Barry)
Barry is a hitman who wants to leave that world and become an actor. Star Bill Hader doesn’t necessarily fit the role of a military vet and hired killer, but he works that contradiction to his advantage. This is a great example of turning stereotypes and expectations on their head.
Mike Ehrmantraut (Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul)
Is Mike Ehrmantrau a good guy? In the morally complex and brutal world of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, he’s better than most. But he is still a bad guy—a murderer for hire and a brilliantly capable fixer for a drug cartel. He is also a devoted grandfather who has been wounded by life, often self-inflicted, which makes for a compelling character viewers were thrilled to watch through two series.
Walter White Kills Mike Ehrmantraut | Say My Name | Breaking Bad, Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul
Nandor The Relentless (What We Do In The Shadows)
The vampires of What We Do in the Shadows are, of course, characters out of time. They live on Staten Island and are often oblivious to the contemporary human world. Nandor the Relentless was an aristocrat and warrior in life, and as an undead, he carries that bearing into the contemporary world. His naivete makes him endearing.
What We Do in the Shadows | Season 6 Official Trailer | FX by FX Networks
Jimmy McGill (Better Call Saul)
Playing a deeply flawed character is perhaps every actor’s dream and Bob Odenkirk takes that opportunity to build Jimmy McGill into someone we actually care about. He’s shiftless, lies with ease, morally ambiguous, and someone who makes bad decisions in life. However, we are rooting for him, and we want him to prevail while knowing full well that the story will not have a happy ending.
AMC, Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
Otis Milburn (Sex Education)
Playing an awkward teenager would be a challenge, but Asa Butterfield creates a character that is deeply empathetic as he navigates the world. This contemporary portrayal of adolescence leaves behind many of the 80s teen movie cliches; Otis Milburn is not “The Nerd”, he’s curious, often brave, and much more than the nerd trope we usually see.
Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Is Larry David playing himself? We all accept that the fictional Larry, as played by the real Larry, is a close approximation of the real Larry. The biggest revelation of the series is that although his actions and his reactions to given circumstances are wrong, in most instances, Larry tends to be correct about the situation.
HBO, Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-2024)
Ian Gallagher (Shameless)
While Lip is the reluctant co-leader of the family, Ian is somewhat in the background, trying to navigate the challenges the family faces. He’s also gay which adds a complexity to the homophobic world he inhabits.
Shameless (2011-2021),John Wells
Laszlo Cravensworth (What We Do In The Shadows)
Where Nandor the Relentless is aristocratic, if naive, Laszlo Cravensworth is libertine to the extreme, as well as pompous and oblivious to the consequences of his actions. That Laszlo is also clumsy, insecure, and not necessarily too bright, gives the character more depth than simply being a “funny vampire”.
The Best of Laszlo's Perfect Pronunciation | What We Do in the Shadows | FX, FX Networks
David Rose (Schitt’s Creek)
The fish-out-of-water scenario of Schitt’s Creek gives us the over-the-top David Rose character. Much like his family, his initial reaction to losing everything shows him for the spoiled rich kid he is, but the character was able to settle in and grow, eventually marrying and staying in the town. He also did this without compromising who he was: over-the-top but vulnerable.
Top 10 Best David Rose Quotes on Schitt's Creek, MsMojo
Ron Swanson (Parks & Recreation)
Ron Swanson started as the comically contradictory government-hating libertarian who works for the government. In what could have been a one-note character, Swanson ended up showing depth and ability to grow and change, all without sacrificing his core identity and beliefs.
TOP 10 Ron Swanson Moments | Parks and Recreation, Parks and Recreation
Dean Craig Pelton (Community)
Initially a secondary character, the Greendale Community College dean developed into a multifaceted part of the core group. With his elaborate costumes and complex sexuality, he may not have been a competent dean, but he was a crucial part of the group dynamic.
Michael Scott (The Office)
Michael Scott wanted so badly to be liked, to have friends, to get married and have kids, but he generally had no ability to develop the self-awareness needed to achieve those goals. Thankfully, his character was able to grow past the “unpleasant boss” trope and there was growth. He fundamentally remained the same person, but he was able to get to the point where his flaws worked in his favor.
The Creature (Penny Dreadful)
There have been many interpretations of Frankenstein's Monster. In Penny Dreadful, we have a “creature” who is literally more than the sum of his parts. He is very much human and his story in Penny Dreadful is heartbreaking.
Penny Dreadful | Rory Kinnear on The Creature | Season 3, Penny Dreadful
Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)
Jack Donaghy could very easily have been a crude caricature of a male conservative, and although much of the humor came from that well, it was often at the expense of the liberal Liz Lemon. Jack Donaghy is a Republican and a capitalist, but he is also a complex character who is not the butt of jokes but rather someone who knows himself and is not afraid to embrace change, even as he mocks those changes.
Jackson Lamb (Slow Horses)
Playing a slob is a Gary Oldman specialty. In Slow Horses, he plays the deeply unpleasant leader of a group of flawed MI5 washouts but as Lamb’s backstory emerges, we see someone who is principled, loyal, and fearless.
See-Saw Films, Slow Horses (2022-)
Gene Cousineau (Barry)
Henry Winkler gets a well-deserved second act as the acting coach Gene Cousineau. His character is somewhat self-aggrandizing and he’s the type that is common in the margins of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. He ekes out a living teaching acting with little success of his own, but it’s this down-and-out personality which allows Winkler to shine.
Gene Cousineau’s Masterclass In Acting | Barry | Max, Max
George Costanza (Seinfeld)
George Costanza is a now-iconic character, deeply flawed, lazy, cheap, and mostly loyal but not above betraying his friends. As played by Jason Alexander, the character rises above the neurotic New York stereotype into something altogether different.
Castle Rock, Seinfeld (1989-1998)
George Bluth Sr (Arrested Development)
The corrupt patriarch of the Bluth family spends much of his time incarcerated. He lacks a great deal of self-awareness as he attempts to dish out “wisdom” and run the family business from behind bars. As a character, however, this is a brilliant portrayal of someone deeply narcissistic yet completely oblivious to the chaos surrounding the family.
Arrested Development: Season 5 | Family of the Year Acceptance Speech [HD] | Netflix by Netflix
GOB Bluth (Arrested Development)
GOB is the eldest son of the Bluth family and is not held in high regard by anyone in the family. A would-be magician, he mostly drifts through life living on the family yacht and spending the rapidly dwindling family fortune. Yet he remains a sympathetic figure, if only for the fact that his parents “don’t care for him”.
Arrested Development - I've Made a Huge Mistake Compilation and Nico SD
Super Hans (Peep Show)
Peep Show is about two self-involved losers who stumble through life. Their friend Super Hans is someone most would consider a low-life, someone of no fixed employment, who indulges in any and every drug and seems to have no moral core. Yet, he is sometimes the voice of reason, and he has a charisma that goes a long way in explaining how he manages to get along in life.
Jeremy and Super Hans Get A Pub Peep Show, Channel 4 Comedy
Mycroft Holmes (Sherlock)
Sherlock Holmes’ equally brilliant brother Mycroft manages to fit into a society where Sherlock is mostly estranged. Mycroft is arrogant but he cares deeply for his younger brother, and he uses his real-world clout to aid Sherlock in a number of instances.
John Watson Meets Mycroft Holmes | A Study In Pink | Sherlock, Sherlock
Marty Byrde (Ozark)
Marty Byrde finds himself in a desperate situation. While managing the world of dangerous criminals, his resourcefulness and his willingness to do anything to protect his family comes through.
Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)
Is Homer Simpson a good man? Despite a few opportunities, he’s remained 100% faithful to Marge, he genuinely loves his children, and although he can be lazy and inattentive, he manages to remain employed in a job he hates to provide for his family. Yes, Homer is deeply flawed, but on many occasions, he has shown that he is a good father and a good husband.
Lane Pryce (Mad Men)
Jared Harris’s turn as Lane Pryce is a wonderful and tragic character. Financially in over his head, he’s good at what he does but he aspires for much more—and that’s his fatal flaw. In the end, his desire for a better life is his undoing, leading to his shocking and heartbreaking exit.
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