15 Greatest HBO Characters Of All Time
The very best characters from some of the best TV shows of the modern age.
There's quality TV, and then there's HBO. The American PPV powerhouse has been the number one name in searing drama, gratuitous violence, and boundary-pushing nudity on the small screen for two decades now. Although the competition is more fierce than ever, it's still the content producer to beat.
Its slogan may be “It's not TV, it's HBO”, but it's the network's commitment to long form, patient, classical storytelling that truly sets it apart. With no commercial breaks and no sponsors to appease, they have the time and the freedom to develop characters over many episodes, and explore the darker faucets of humanity that other networks may balk at.
HBO didn't invent the antihero, of course, but the recent glut of televised bad men doing bad things who you can't help but root for takes its cue from HBO's ability to conjure characters you ought to loathe, but simply can't. From hard drinking detectives to faded sports stars to magical unburnable dragon ladies, you'd be hard pushed to find a more successful and influential run of creations - and these are the absolute best of them.
15. Richard Harrow
Most of us can agree that Boardwalk Empire somewhat underwhelmed. With its Sopranos/Scorsese pedigree, it always had big shoes to fill, and in the end, proceedings leaned towards the dour and stodgy. Performances, sets, costumes etcetera were luxurious and meticulously crafted, but the show on the whole could be a little flat – even boring.
An exception to this, however, came in the form of Richard Harrow, the disfigured war veteran gruffly brought to life by Jack Huston. A man of few words, Harrow's battle torn face is half-hidden by a crude mask, which, combined with lumbering gait and rasping voice, gives him the aura of a horror villain.
But in fact, Harrow's arc is one of sadness, loss, friendship and redemption. He primarily plays the part of sidekick/hired gun (giving the show some of its brutal high points in the process), and yet manages to find more humanity and pathos in his role than the majority of the starring cast. The fact that Jack Huston's performance never dips into the camp melodrama that the show can lean towards is even more impressive.