50 All-time Greatest Characters in Television History: #4-6

#6: Al Swearengen, Deadwood

Born: July 8, 1845

Died:  According to his rediscovered obituary, Swearengen was found dead in the middle of a suburban Denver street on November 15, 1904. He apparently died of a massive head wound and was not hopping a freight train as is often reported.

If HBO had created Deadwood from the perspective of one of the women who worked in the Gem Saloon, this guy would automatically be a top-5 villain of all-time. Instead, Al Swearengen is the star of the show. Subsequently, viewers forgive his murders, corruption, and unbending brutality toward the prostitutes he employs. He does show some humanity at times, and he brings a sinister charm to mix with his wit and charisma when dealing with people.

#5: Archie Bunker, All in the Family

Born: May 20, 1924

Died: June 21, 2001

In January 1971, a new sitcom called All in the Family appeared on CBS television. Its central figure was Archie Bunker, a white, working-class, World War II veteran from the Astoria section of Queens. The show’s humor derived from Bunker’s poorly articulated bigotry and resentment against the social changes of the 1960s—feminism, the counterculture, youth and antiwar activism, legalized abortion, expanded roles for minorities, open homosexuality—and his confrontations with those new forces in his own family and neighborhood. The sitcom was one of the first to deal openly with such controversial topics, and it struck such a chord with American viewers that it was the number-one rated show for the first five of its eight years on the air.

         #4: Heahtcliff Huxtable, The Cosby Show

Born: October 1937

Where he is now: More than likely retired and enjoying time with grandkids, and probably a great-grandkid or two

Not even two decades following passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Bill Cosby and NBC did something Martin Luther King would have certainly smiled about. Leading an all-African American cast, he was repeatedly invited into millions of White America’s living rooms via the screen. Sure, Heathcliff Huxtable was funny, but week after week his character subtly delivered key educational truths the American public needed to understand.

Most defining moment: Countless moments in various episodes where Cliff would show his unwavering involvement and support in his children’s academic lives.












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