4. "Nate Fisher" Six Feet Under
This character deserves his place on this list because this was the first time I had ever watched a show where their were times when I really, really, really disliked the main character (not even love-hate, just hate-hate) but still loved the show. Don't get me wrong, I love Nate as a character and think Peter Krause played the role to perfection, but the reason I love him so much is because I hate him. This show was genius in showing characters that felt human and real. Nate felt real to me. He did terrible, cruel things to the people he loved, and was unbearably fickle and annoying, but that's what people are like most of the time, and to show a character who we always loved or we loved to hate all the time is somewhat unrealistic of real life. That's not to say that there weren't times that I felt sorry for Nate, or that I really respected him, but the simple fact that he had an affair with a woman while his wife was pregnant and even told his wife on his death bed that if he were to survive he wanted a divorce after she forgave him, was just too much for me. He was so unlikable in his final moments on the show, that he even died without being able to redeem himself. That right there is incredibly rare for any show.I suspect Dexter will come off at his most sympathetic and lovable by the shows end, but the writer's were brave enough on Six Feet Under to allow their main character no real redemption and little pity. They were also brave enough to kill him off before the shows end rather unexpectedly, especially considering they gave all the other characters a dignified send off, and had Nate be at his most unlikable just before he dies. Truly brilliant.