20 TV Villain Performances That Are Practically Flawless

There are several villains on this list who constantly toe the line between all-out villainy and being some kind of antihero, and Claire Underwood is one of the best examples of how an antagonist can also make an effective protagonist.

Played by Robin Wright as a powerful and uncompromising woman who frequently acts as the shadow to her malevolent husband Frank, Claire is often calculating, manipulative and cold, using everyone around her for her own gain.

Brilliantly, though, it's the shades of goodness that Wright brings to the role that makes Claire such a forceful villain. Sometimes feeling guilt or second guessing her actions, there's under her tough demeanor the hint of a genuinely good person.

In the end, however, this is exactly what makes Claire - and Wright's understated performance - so powerful: No matter how many virtues she has, she's always willing to throw them away for the power she so desperately craves.