1. Tony Soprano - The Sopranos
Who else was going to be number one? He is the standard to which all anti-heroes are held and was played to perfection by the late, great James Gandolfini. Tony Soprano is such a complex character who constantly challenges viewers' perceptions of right and wrong as we are made to take the journey along with him. The show starts as he begins his rise to power and continues on to his eventual control of the Soprano crime family. Along the way he must face a multitude of challenges posed by rival gangs, the authorities and even his own family. A man with so much stress on him at all times needs an outlet which leads us to some of the most interesting scenes in the whole show, his therapy. Naturally he has to keep this low-key as to most fellow gangsters it would seem tantamount to snitching. Danger aside, these sessions humanized him and excellently displayed the vulnerable side of this violent criminal. His character keeps the show compelling as he is equal parts despicable and likeable, a real testament to Gandolfini's performance and the writing behind it. If you need any more convincing of why he's the best television gangster you really have to sit yourself down and watch all six seasons of the show again. As for his fate, nobody really knows. I doubt that David Chase even really knows. The most popular theory is that the screen cuts to black because Tony has been shot. However you feel about the ending, there's no denying it's one of the best television shows of all time and one of the main reasons for this is Tony Soprano himself.