10 Charming TV Villains You Can't Help But Love

Sylar Villains are just that - bad guys that are meant to oppose the hero or main character. We aren't supposed to like them but of course we do, there's just something about a clever villain in a television show that pulls us in and makes us want more. I constantly find myself rooting for most villains because they are so much more interesting than the main character or "hero." I might be alone here in thinking that there should be more shows focused on villains. We have Breaking Bad and Dexter and for a while we had The Sopranos but that's not nearly enough villainous content. Let's go through the top ten clever villains in television that we just can't help but love. Starting with... NOTE: Contains spoilers. Read at own risk.

10. Lex Luthor - Smallville

Lex Luthor1 Lex Luthor is one of those characters that I believe are hard to portray but Michael Rosenbaum ended up having to do something with him that I've never seen before in the master criminal: He had to be friends with Clark Kent. I loved this in the beginning - Smallville being an origin story for Superman, seeing Kent grow up and become the super caped crusader he is known for today. But then of course, there he was; Lex Luthor, befriending Clark Kent. It was great seeing Rosenbaum develop into the eventual mastermind villain that is set on taking down Superman. The only reason I kept watching Smallville was because of Rosenbaum's portrayal of Lex. Eventually Rosenbaum left and the show became more of a soap opera than anything else. Shame.
Contributor
Contributor

A student of film in New York City, Chris’s true love is with television and he hopes that someday he will be able to work in a writer’s room on a great show. He is also a great juggler, certified in advanced scuba diving, and also a liar.