15 Most Deranged TV Psychopaths

HBOAs we saw in our recent round-up of the most deranged psychopaths in film, these deplorable antagonists come in many different forms. From Nurse Ratched to Hannibal Lector, there is no archetypal build of what a screen psychopath should be like. The same goes for television. We encounter these deranged human beings in many different genres of television. Characters of this kind are often some of the most compelling we encounter in a show: whether it be their dark charisma or visually harrowing actions, it can be a very hard task forgetting these television psychopaths. Frequently psychopaths encountered on television are more well realised than their film counterparts. The nature of a television series means that we are given more time to engage with these intriguing, deranged examples of humanity; trying to better realise what motivates them to act as they do. These deranged characters are also given more screen-time to exhibit the qualities which are normally associated with a psychopathic nature which can include being egoncentric, emotionally undeveloped or detached, impulsive, exhibiting strongly antisocial behaviour, needing to be constantly excited, being unable to show empathy or being an egomaniac. Here are the 15 most deranged psychopaths from the history of television:

15. Octavian - Rome

HBOIt must have caused great concern to the inhabitants of Ancient Rome that their first Emperor €“ Augustus €“ exhibited so many psychopathic qualities in his younger years (in the minds of the HBO show€™s creators at least). He may not have the same tendency towards violence as some of the other demented characters on this list but this still doesn€™t prevent Octavian from being a psychopath. Born into the extremely powerful Julii family, Octavian is well aware that his limited combat skills are entirely useless in the violent, dog-eat-dog world of Ancient Rome. This doesn€™t stop him indulging in some violence when given the opportunity €“ we see him savagely attacking an already heavily wounded bandit after Pullo had already done the hard work in an early episode, demonstrating his calculating nature. Octavian is also shown to be extremely well read and his cold persona announces the lack of emotional development which is often associated with psychopathic behaviour. With the teenager€™s development into a young man his deviant sexual preferences also become apparent €“ not only does he harbour sexual desires towards his sister but the future emperor also enjoys indulging in sadomasochism (though thankfully his wife Livia is of a similar persuasion).