10 TV Characters We Know Can’t Be Trusted (But Still Love Anyway)

Even though some TV characters show early on that they can never be trusted, they still become fan favorites, and it’s hard not to support them. These characters are so compelling because of their moral complexity. Their unpredictability makes them great to watch, and they can influence their shows more so than most other characters. Despite being duplicitous and untrustworthy, audiences want them to succeed.

Betrayal is usually one thing that can make audiences immediately turn against TV characters, but there are ways that it can be handled properly. TV shows full of bad people are less black and white, and this means that some shady characters can become unlikely heroes. As long as their reasoning is justified and they are entertaining to watch, deceitful characters can be among the most compelling on TV.

10

Tom Wambsgans

Played by Matthew Macfadyen in Succession

Very few of the characters in Succession could ever be trusted, but there are few who are particularly conniving. Tom Wambsgans starts out as something of an outsider in the Roy family, and his relationship with Shiv isn’t the most stable. Throughout the squabbling of the Roy siblings, Tom gradually positions himself to win the ultimate prize after Logan’s death.

Tom’s status as an outsider eventually works in his favor, since he doesn’t have strong bonds with his closest rivals. Succession foreshadows Tom’s fate in several ways, showing that he has always been focused on gaining Logan’s approval. Once he realizes that Lukas Matsson holds all the power, he is quick to pivot away from the Roys, and he presents himself as the ideal candidate for CEO by showing his subservience.

9

Berlin

Played by Pedro Alonso in Money Heist

One of the Professor’s most important rules for his elaborate heist on the Spanish Royal Mint is that none of the members of the gang should know each other’s real identities. This is why they refer to each other using code names, but he and Berlin are actually brothers. This detail almost compromises the entire operation, as the Professor’s emotions consistently cloud his otherwise unimpeachable logic.

Berlin’s terminal diagnosis gives him a nihilistic outlook on life. The other thieves can trust that he will never intentionally put them in harm’s way, but he is so emotionally volatile that there are times he doesn’t grapple with the reality of the heist. His calm exterior slips occasionally to reveal his depressive, nihilistic state. Berlin, the Money Heist prequel show, offers a glimpse at Berlin in his prime.

8

Ben Chang

Played by Ken Jeong in Community

Chang is Greendale Community College’s ultimate wildcard. He starts off as a Spanish professor, but this is just the beginning of a bizarre and ultimately violent career odyssey. He manages to manipulate the board and the student body into establishing himself as an authoritarian ruler on campus. He should be imprisoned for this, but the show continues to find ways of letting him get away with his actions. He’s just too entertaining to write off.

Chang returns to Greendale claiming to have amnesia. This would partially absolve him of his past crimes if it were true, but it’s merely another deceptive ploy to worm his way into the study group. Jeff often seems to be the only one who’s willing to state how absurd it is that he is allowed to still be on campus. Many of the other characters, like the show’s writers, simply shrug it off. Ken Jeong is expected to return for the upcoming Community movie, but there’s no predicting what Chang will be up to next.

7

Susie

Played by Alex Borstein in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Susie helps Midge navigate the waters of stand-up comedy, and she helps grow her career from humble beginnings at the Gaslight to bigger theaters and TV opportunities. Susie’s background has always meant that she lived in a completely different world to Midge. She’s a fighter, and she needs to be, but this means that she can resort to some unsavory dealings if she has to.

Susie’s inelegant approach is often the perfect way to counterbalance Midge’s unfettered optimism. When Midge states that she doesn’t want to do supporting gigs anymore, it’s Susie’s dogged determination that keeps her in paid work. However, Susie’s ties to the mob prove to be one step too far. She never fully discloses the extent of her involvement with Frank and Nicky, and she almost lands Midge in prison in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s finale.

6

Saul Goodman

Played by Bob Odenkirk in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul

Saul Goodman, or Jimmy McGill, is a wayward lawyer who becomes the go-to man for a number of shady characters. Better Call Saul traces his origin story, as he develops into a morally bankrupt lawyer who uses his expertise to profit from all kinds of illegal activities. He’s supremely self-centered, but his deadpan comedic style and his sympathetic backstory make him easy to root for.

Saul is initially welcomed into Breaking Bad as an antagonist, but he offers his services to Walt and Jesse to get himself out of a bind. He pounces upon what he sees as a good business opportunity, and he soon becomes instrumental in expanding their business and laundering their money. He also introduces the two of them to Gus, which shows the kind of dangerous lifestyle Saul leads.

5

Dan Egan

Played by Reid Scott in Veep

Veep presents a murky portrayal of D.C. politics, but Dan Egan still manages to stand out as one of the most deceitful and reptilian characters in the show. Dan starts out as a relatively low-level staffer while Selina is the vice president, but he soon claws his way into more prestigious positions of power. He usually achieves this by stabbing others in the back or otherwise deceiving Selina.

Veep‘s best seasons tend to show Selina’s political campaigns, and this is also where Dan gets his chance to shine. He sees the entire political system as a kind of Machiavellian game, and elections are no different. He obsesses over optics and poll numbers, and he knows when to abandon a sinking ship. By switching allegiances and working with Jonah, Dan proves once and for all that he has no political beliefs or ethics. His only goal is to maintain his status.

4

Billy Butcher

Played by Karl Urban in The Boys

Butcher is Hughie’s guide into the twisted reality of Vought’s operations. He shows him how the company deceives the public to cover up the true nature of their corrupt and dangerous supes, but Hughie slowly figures out that Butcher is no saint himself. Butcher harbors a personal vendetta against Homelander, and he is willing to stop at nothing to take him down once and for all.

Butcher tries to hide the detrimental side effects of Temp-V from Hughie, he kills Gunpowder in cold blood, and he teams up with the volatile and dangerous Soldier Boy, despite knowing that he is responsible for killing Mother’s Milk’s family. All of this goes to show that Butcher has lost sight of his moral argument against the supes at Vought. If his trajectory continues, The Boys season 4 could prove conclusively that he’s just as bad as Homelander.

3

George Bluth

Played by Jeffrey Tambor in Arrested Development

The first episode of Arrested Development opens with George Bluth being arrested for embezzlement, but this turns out to be one of his less serious crimes. As he puts it himself, George engaged in some “light treason” by building homes for Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and he tries to cover this up from everyone, even when Michael is trying his best to help him. George is deliberately obtuse when Michael questions him.

None of the members of Arrested Development‘s Bluth family should be trusted, but George is particularly shifty. He manages to switch places in prison with his brother, and he then lives in the attic of the model home while on the run from the law. George also leads a dishonest personal life, as evidenced by his affairs with Kitty and many other women, and his decision to adopt Lindsay just to spite Stan Sitwell.

2

Mathias Barneville

Played by Thibault de Montalembert in Call My Agent

The death of Samuel Kerr leaves a power vacuum at his high-profile talent agency, and Mathias is one of the most obvious candidates to fill that vacuum. Using his years of experience in the industry, he is able to outmaneuver Andréa and start pulling the strings. However, as soon as he sees the writing on the wall, he is quick to sell his acquaintances out to a rival agency.

Mathias embodies the stereotype of an untrustworthy entertainment industry figure. He knows how to keep his clients happy, but he shows a completely different side to himself behind the scenes. His lies also bleed into his personal life, with his affairs and his attempts to conceal the fact that Camille is his daughter. For all his flaws, however, Mathias is often precisely the kind of person who ASK need. He is the only agent in the office who knows how to fight dirty.

1

Carolyn Martens

Played by Fiona Shaw in Killing Eve

Carolyn only got to the top of British intelligence by keeping her cards close to her chest. Eve is never sure how far she can trust her, but she eventually has to learn to adopt some of Carolyn’s tight-lipped secrecy, and some of her talent for political scheming too. Carolyn knows every corner of the international intelligence community, and this means she knows exactly where she can bend the rules.

Carolyn oversees MI6’s operations in Russia, but she has several ties to the country which should call her loyalty into question. She is frequently willing to trade information with Konstantin, and she even starts working with Villanelle when she believes it’s advantageous for her. Despite her allegiance to the British government, Carolyn shows that she doesn’t respect its rules and boundaries. She’s a ruthless operator who Eve slowly figures out can’t be trusted.