TV Villains: Oh, How We Love Those Bad Boys and Girls

We love to hate them. They're what makes television worth watching. Let's face it, no one watched Dynasty for the dinner parties and to talk about the cut and style of the diamonds the various women on the cast were sporting. But everyone who watched the show, and even some who didn't, remember the rousing cat fight that broke out between angelic Linda Evans as Krystle Carrington, and the sneaky, backstabbing Joan Collins as Alex Carrington Colby, during which both women flew into the fountain the front yard.

It was a move demure would have had no part in under normal conditions. Enter the villain: Alexis. Those evil characters drive even the nicest characters to do wrong (under the right circumstances, of course).

From that same time period is one of the most beloved and hated characters of all time: Larry Hagman as (former President George W. Bush would call him) evil-doer J.R. Ewing. You knew you should hate him. He was a philanderer who turned his wife into a raging drunk, a guy who would cut the heart out of his brother while trying to destroy his brother's marriage...then present him with the best Christmas present money could buy. It's no wonder that during one of the cliffhangers of all time: Who Shot J.R., the inevitable happened. For the summer hiatus, we all wondered who or who of several people, finally took a shot to rid the world of the plague of dishonesty, chicanery and backstabbing just for the fun of it. Still, all in all, the guy was charming. Just ask Tina Louise, (the former bombshell Ginger of Gilligan'sIsland), one of the many ladies J.R. enticed along the way, though like his other affairs, it was short lived. Still for all his bad ways, J.R. had that impish smile and confident stride. Nonetheless, he was a villain of the nth degree.

The world of daytime TV laughs at itself during its awards show, the Emmys, when it pokes fun at the evil characters running wild in the imaginary towns. In the imaginary town of Salem on Days of our Lives, Stefano DiMera, played by Joseph Mascola, died countless times---that the viewers found out about it. He many have died and came back to life many more times. I think defeating death is a requisite for being a villain

During his reign of terror he erased the memory of one of the most beloved characters of soap history (John Black, who then thought he was Roman Brady, then John Black again---you had to watch to understand). Not content to eradicate the man's personality, he replaced it with a less likeable one---that of a trained killer, a sleeper, to be brought back to life figuratively when needed. In his real life Mascola has played the clarinet with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. That sort of puts a bit of damper on his street cred as a villain, eh?

You may not recognize the next guy's real name readily, but few will forget the famous phrase associated with him: "Hellllllooooo, NEWMAN!!" uttered by a thin-lipped, sneering Jerry Seinfeld on the appropriately named show: Seinfeld. Wayne Knight gave this villain life as the arch nemesis of main character, comedian Jerry Seinfeld. That villainous laugh added to the show's postman whose mail often never made it to its destination. Quick. Extra points if you get this one. What was Newman's first name? If you find out, let us all know because under www.imdb.com (the acting database), while everyone's full character name is listed, Wayne Knight is listed simply as Newman. That's how you know you are carry some serious weight---when you don't even need a first name to have people fear you.

Major actors such as Jimmy Smits have signedon to play villainous roles with the Showtime hit Dexter. A recent favorite villain, John Lithgow playing Arthur Mitchell, takes the cake, as well as all of the victim's blood in many cases. Lithgow isthe churchgoer, neighborhood volunteer, devoted father, etc. in front of the public.

Dexter, played by Michael C. Hall, and the TV audience got to see the real Lithgow: the serial killer who among other things forced young mothers with husbands and children to leap to their deaths under the threat that he would go back, capture their children and do the children bodily harm instead. His aim was to make it look like the women jumped, as opposed to being pushed, always leaving their families to feel inadequate and think Mommy just didn't love them enough. Mommy left because she didn't love them. Talk about evil. Lithgow should get an award for his portrayal of this character.

Notice I didn't include Dexter here as a famous villain. For many, he'd be considered a famous vigilante as opposed to a famous serial killer. I'd be among that group.

The next one is more like a bumbling villain, and he never seemed to prevail, but his intentions were rarely good, so he makes the list: Dr. Zachary Smith, played by the late Jonathan Harris, of Lost in Space. In the original for the series, the creators made Dr. Smith evil in the real sense of the word, but soon recognized that he had a penchant for being a bit of a bumbling idiot. So, as often as happens with television, the character evolved to fit the actor's ability. A good choice.

It would be remiss to write an article on TV villains and not include the likes of Simon Cowell, judge of American Idol. How many 16-year-olds' hopes have been dashed with lines like: "Did someone actually tell you that you could sing well, my dear?" Yikes. Not sure that it falls into villain, but it sure is evil.

This list is infinite as mean is always more interesting than nice. Feel free to add your own names to this list. No fair adding the names of in-laws!