Entertainment
10 HBO Shows With the Greatest Main Characters of All Time, Ranked
Throughout its rich history, which has all but defined the modern age of prestige television drama, HBO has presented not only an abundance of thrilling and captivating small-screen stories, but many of the greatest characters the medium has ever seen as well. The premium cable network’s unflinching interest in human drama ensures that its series run not only as enthralling narratives, but also as astute character studies defined by their depth, nuance, and conviction.
Some of these shows revolve around one central figure, a complex yet compelling protagonist whose tumultuous life and shifting fortunes present a perfect framework to explore the intricacies of the human condition. Others feature numerous major leads, all of which are defined by their detail and depth to stand, each in their own right, among the best characters in the history of television. From the enigmatic and complicated to the utterly iconic, these are the best main characters HBO has produced thus far.
10
‘Six Feet Under’ (2001–2005)
An underrated gem from a decade that HBO dominated, Six Feet Under blurs the line between dysfunctional family drama and dark comedy as it focuses on the funeral home managed by members of the Fisher family in the wake of their father’s death. The characters have to battle not only the logistical side of a business, but a litany of their own personal issues as well, and even simmering conflicts between the family members.
The five-season series effectively follows four primary characters in the form of the three Fisher siblings and their mother, Ruth (Frances Conroy), but its scope never diminishes its depth or impact. Ranging from dilemmas of sexuality to mental health crises, the navigation of coming-of-age rebellion, and repressed grief, all while the series maintains an overall focus on existentialism and mortality, the main characters of Six Feet Under are among the most complex, grounded, and intriguing television has ever seen.
9
‘Barry’ (2018–2023)
The use of dark comedy, absurdism, stylized ultra-violence, and blindsiding psychological drama to explore the human condition has been a defining trend in entertainment in recent years. No series has embraced this bizarre yet commanding tonal mixture quite like Barry. Created by and starring Bill Hader, it follows Barry Berkman, a former U.S. Marine struggling with PTSD and depression who tries to give up his vocation as a low-level hitman when he discovers a passion for acting.
The titular character presents a fascinating dichotomy. On one hand, he is a chilling, cold-blooded killer ruled by his eruptions of violence and his icy sense of self-preservation. However, there is also a piercing vulnerability to Barry as well. Viewing himself as a fundamentally good person constantly victimized by circumstance, Barry Berkman is one of the most challenging and intriguing characters television has seen in recent years, one who defies any notion of easy redemption.
8
‘Game of Thrones’ (2011–2019)
Even with its immersive fantasy world-building, astonishing production value, and its frenetic story of violence and betrayal, one of the most engrossing aspects of Game of Thrones was its characters. Based on George R. R. Martin’s stunning fantasy novel series, the show is imbued with an ability to lean on archetypical character designs while subverting them. Its heroes are deeply flawed and complex, while its major villains compel with their rich complexity and shrouded morality.
With such an extensive cast, Game of Thrones wafts over a litany of characters over the course of its eight-season run, and, such was the show’s unpredictable allure, initial leads like Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) and Robb Stark (Richard Madden) didn’t live for long. However, in the midst of the carnage, there did emerge a core group in the stoicism and conviction of the surviving Starks, the lost heir Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), and the three Lannister siblings. Whether they were heroic, heinous, or something in between, the leads of Game of Thrones mark some of the best and most absorbing characters television has ever seen.
7
‘Veep’ (2012–2019)
Strong character design is an essential component of any television series. This fact is only enhanced when it comes to comedy. Soaring as a masterpiece of scorching political satire, Veep follows former American senator Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in her tenure as the country’s vice president. As she works to stifle a ceaseless procession of emerging political catastrophes, she also navigates issues in her own family life and tries to use her station to bolster her own legacy.
Series creator Armando Iannucci revels in the depravity and immorality that so many fear resides at the heart of political power. The chaos of the White House extracts every ounce of corruption, self-interest, ego, and narcissism from its characters, with the juxtaposition between Meyer’s true, acidic self and the pampered image she strives to present to the world making her a particularly exceptional commentary on modern-day politics. Also defined by her penchant for biting vulgarity and Louis-Dreyfus’s mesmerizing performance—for which she won six Emmy Awards—Selina Meyer is HBO’s greatest ever comedy character.
6
‘Succession’ (2018-2023)
Skewering inherited wealth and elitism in the modern day, Succession strikes an intoxicating and remarkably precise balance between barbed satire and gripping, high-octane tension. The biggest reason why it works so well is the series’ main characters, with the four-season arc revolving around the three Roy siblings as they find themselves embroiled in a bitter feud against each other as they all try to position themselves to succeed their aging father as the new CEO of Waystar RoyCo.
As Logan Roy (Brian Cox) says, the Roy siblings “are not serious people.” In many respects, they are trapped in the safety net of the wealth they have always known, existing as emotionally stunted and deeply insecure people who crave the opportunity to prove they can be self-sufficient, yet crumble when such a time arises. While each of the siblings is distinct and defined in their own way, they all share an air of tragedy and ambition as they strive to earn their father’s approval while wrestling with the lingering trauma of their tumultuous upbringings.
5
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ (2026–Present)
The past 30 years of television have largely been defined by powerful and, at times, confronting drama. With HBO being a major catalyst of this tone, it is rare for the network’s productions to flaunt joyous and uplifting heroes. Rare, but not non-existent. As a delightful expansion of Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms surprised many with its gleeful and warm-hearted tone as it follows an aspiring knight who makes for a tourney to prove his worth and finds himself becoming an unlikely hero of the common folk when he stands against a cruel prince.
Its charm resides in a great many qualities, but chief among them is the beautiful bond between Dunk (Peter Claffey) and his young squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). Dunk’s humble, morally upright, and occasionally naïve view of the world is perfectly complemented by Egg’s sharp wit and inquisitive wonder of the world beyond a Targaryen castle. Quaint, wholesome, and often hilarious, while still exuding earnest qualities of chivalry and hope, Dunk and Egg are not only enshrined among HBO’s greatest ever heroes, but they are also arguably the most likable characters of any major show the network has produced.
4
‘Deadwood’ (2004–2006)
Deadwood is another in a long line of HBO series that flaunts magnificent production design, gripping storytelling, and an unrelenting sense of visceral tension and atmospheric pull, but is ultimately defined by the strength of its characters. Given the Western series excels with the strength of its ensemble, it is difficult to contain it to just a handful of key characters, but overwhelmed lawman Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and conniving saloon owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) are two standouts who loosely occupy the station of hero and villain respectively while illuminating the depth of moral ambiguity and character nuance the series was renowned for.
It is easy to view them as opposite sides of the same coin. While they are cast on opposite sides of the law and share something of an antagonistic relationship throughout Deadwood’s three-season run, the two leads do share a grudging respect for one another as Bullock’s staunch moralism and fiery integrity complement Swearengen’s cunning and pragmatic realism. They both represent different pillars of American society, and many of the secondary characters the show features exist somewhere between their conflicting ideals of justice, order, and industry. With both characters brought to life with exceptional writing and memorable performances, Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen present perhaps the best hero-villain combination in HBO’s television catalog.
3
‘True Detective’ (Season 1) (2014)
Even as somber and atmospheric mystery has become a staple of crime television since True Detective’s impeccable first season aired, the original eight-episode season of the anthology show remains something of a high point in the genre’s recent history on the small screen. An essential reason for this is the strength of its lead characters, two partnered detectives who, in many ways, serve as each other’s antagonists even as they fight on the same side of the law and work to bring an occultist serial killer to justice.
Matthew McConaughey’s portrayal of Detective Rustin Cohle was instantly iconic, with the character’s bleak pessimism, poetic worldview, and rich philosophical depth making him an endlessly compelling figure. Detective Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) is something of a straight man by comparison, even if he is forced to grapple with a litany of his own personal issues throughout the season’s 17-year timeline. Both Cohle and Hart are outstanding characters in their own right, but as a pairing that perfectly complements and contrasts each other, they stand tall among the greatest detective duos television has ever seen.
2
‘The Leftovers’ (2014–2017)
The Leftovers is one of the most underrated series in television history, a hidden gem of HBO’s illustrious catalog that unfolds in a world mourning the “Sudden Departure,” an inexplicable event in which two percent of the world’s population mysteriously vanished. Rather than running as a high-stakes mystery thriller or a ferocious post-apocalyptic drama, the three-season series unfolds more as a meditative exploration of grief, loss, and humanity. It is an approach that thrives thanks to the contemplative depth of its writing, the air of empathetic gravitas the series conjures, and the incredible strength of its lead characters.
Both Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), a police officer trying to maintain some semblance of normality, and Nora Durst (Carrie Coon), a woman who lost her entire family in the Sudden Departure, are rife with psychological intrigue. Desperately clinging to their sanity in a maddening world, they both strive to present an image of calmness and composure even as their own mental states continuously spiral due to their personal issues. Like every major character in The Leftovers, both Kevin and Nora are realized with exceptional emotional intelligence, making for two of the most intimately examined and dissected characters in television history, and two wonderfully complex, self-contradicting, and captivating explorations of the human condition.
1
‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
Breaking Bad gave the world Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Mad Men presented Don Draper (Jon Hamm). Even The Shield deserves consideration for the complexity of Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis). But when it comes to great television antiheroes and the best protagonist the medium has ever seen, there is only one answer. The Sopranos revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey mob boss whose struggles in his intense professional life and spiraling personal life lead to him attending therapy in secret.
The series presented a dramatic shift for crime drama at large, with Tony still featuring the volatile gangland ruthlessness associated with the genre but exhibiting a tender vulnerability and profoundly human complexity as well. Anchored by what is the greatest performance the small screen has ever seen from Gandolfini, The Sopranos features the finest main character in television history, a challenging, confronting, and confounding meditation on morality that remains the greatest icon of the medium even nearly 20 years since the series concluded.
The Sopranos
- Release Date
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1999 – 2007-00-00
- Network
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HBO
- Showrunner
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David Chase
- Directors
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Tim Van Patten, John Patterson, Alan Taylor, Jack Bender, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Attias, David Chase, Andy Wolk, Danny Leiner, David Nutter, James Hayman, Lee Tamahori, Lorraine Senna, Matthew Penn, Mike Figgis, Nick Gomez, Peter Bogdanovich, Phil Abraham, Rodrigo García
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