10 Smartest Villain Plans In TV Shows
6. I Run This Town - Al Swearengen (Deadwood)
If you're currently mourning the loss of Westworld, then Deadwood from 2004-'06 might just plug the gap.
Set in the 1870s, the show charts the rise of Deadwood from small settlement to bustling town. At the centre of the action are two characters, both of whom are based on real people.
There's Timothy Olyphant as Seth Bullock, the town's Sheriff. And then there's Al Swearengen, the conniving owner of the local bar played by Ian McShane.
Sporting a moustache that could kill a man at twenty paces, McShane's interpretation of the character was as vile and disgusting as the language he frequently wielded. From the comfort of his Gem saloon, Swearengen had his fingers in many different pies and manipulated the events that went on in the town to his advantage.
In the first season alone, he has multiple people killed, sells someone a fake gold claim, and bribes various members of the legal system to swing votes in his direction.
Al's plan is extremely simple - keep Deadwood under his control through a combination of services and threats. It's simple and effective, and it makes him a very powerful man.