Walter White vs. Tony Soprano (or other)

[Mamba]

Which is the greatest TV character of all time? If other, who?

 

[magnifier661]

I would say Walter white because he's so average. Kinda like the pure that turned bad. Tony was completely opposite.

I loved both characters. Hated the ending of sopranos though. I would be pissed if breaking bad ended that way.

 

[crowTrobot]

crowTrobot

 

[Mediocre Man]

This is a tough one. It is probably Tony Soprano, but it's hard to leave out

Ron Ulysses Swanson
Homer Simpson
Louie DePalma
Archie Bunker
Tyrian Lannister
James Tiberius Kirk
Al Bundy
George Oscar Bluth
Dwight Schrute
George Costanza
Barney Stinson
Joe Carrol
Dexter Morgan
etc

 

[HailBlazers]

This is a tough one. It is probably Tony Soprano, but it's hard to leave out

Ron Ulysses Swanson
Homer Simpson
Louie DePalma
Archie Bunker
Tyrian Lannister
James Tiberius Kirk
Al Bundy
George Oscar Bluth
Dwight Schrute
George Costanza
Barney Stinson
Joe Carrol
Dexter Morgan
Medicore Man
etc

ftfy

 

[BlazerWookee]

Jim Rockford
Matt Dillon
Mick Belker
Adrian Monk
Larry Adler <trying to keep a straight face>
Malcolm Reynolds
Martin Ellingham
Cadfael
Mary Ann Summers

 

[Mediocre Man]

Rockford is a great one.

 

[mook]

#1. (Tie) Al Swearengen (Deadwood) vs Tyrian Lannister (Game of Thrones).
#3. Walter White

 

[Denny Crane]

Peter Griffin vs. Homer Simpson

 

[BlazerWookee]

Rodney McKay
Samantha Carter
Bernard Black
Frank Drebbin
Greg House
Arthur Fonzarelli
Chad Vader

 

[Mamba]

I forgot all about Al Swearengen. Great one.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

This is a tough one. It is probably Tony Soprano, but it's hard to leave out

Ron Ulysses Swanson
Homer Simpson
Louie DePalma
Archie Bunker
Tyrian Lannister
James Tiberius Kirk
Al Bundy
George Oscar Bluth
Dwight Schrute
George Costanza
Barney Stinson
Joe Carrol
Dexter Morgan
etc

There are a few there that do not belong on a list like that at all.

 

[Mediocre Man]

There are a few there that do not belong on a list like that at all.

Every character I mentioned is brilliant. If you don't think so, you're either young, wrong, or both.

 

[BlazerWookee]

Barney Fife
Ralph Furley
Les Calhoun
Bud McPherson

 

[speeds]

Both great characters. Hard to choose. Tony Soprano's problems were mostly internal or managerial. Walt's problems are the result of his actions minus the cancer. Both guys had major health problems. Soprano was impulsive, White more calculating. Soprano wasn't loyal to his wife but was mostly honest with his peers. White is very loyal to his wife and very dishonest with his peers. They both use people but Soprano did so to maintain a system while White did it to feed his ego. Both had to deal with the weight of an empire on their shoulders. Some think that Soprano got whacked after the lights went out on the finale. I don't know what's going to happen with White but the foreshadowing isn't in his favour, either.

 

[speeds]

I'm sure the internet has a more insightful comparison out there than the spotty one I just provided.

 

[THE HCP]

What about Vic Mackie from The SHield and Omar Little from The Wire?

 

[speeds]

A lot of great characters on The Wire but with five seasons and five million supporting characters I think it's hard to put one up against guys like Soprano and White that've had so many hours of back-story and screen time. Bubbles and Stringer Bell and Jimmy and Marlo, on and on so many good characters. Steven King says Felicia Pearson's Snoop might've been the most terrifying female character in TV history.

 

[Mamba]

Both great characters. Hard to choose. Tony Soprano's problems were mostly internal or managerial. Walt's problems are the result of his actions minus the cancer. Both guys had major health problems. Soprano was impulsive, White more calculating. Soprano wasn't loyal to his wife but was mostly honest with his peers. White is very loyal to his wife and very dishonest with his peers. They both use people but Soprano did so to maintain a system while White did it to feed his ego. Both had to deal with the weight of an empire on their shoulders. Some think that Soprano got whacked after the lights went out on the finale. I don't know what's going to happen with White but the foreshadowing isn't in his favour, either.

That is a great post and I would rep it if I could, but I have to spread it.

 

[Mamba]

What about Vic Mackie from The SHield and Omar Little from The Wire?

Vic Mackey was a great character. I love The Shield. I need to give that series a re-watch. I think people forget a lot about the Shield and Mackey and just how good they were. Is he a better character than Walt or Tony? I don't think so, but he is probably on the level below them.

As for Omar, I loved his character, but like speeds said, I just think the Wire had so many characters and story lines that in a sense, it hurts Little in comparison with other people.

A lot of great characters on The Wire but with five seasons and five million supporting characters I think it's hard to put one up against guys like Soprano and White that've had so many hours of back-story and screen time. Bubbles and Stringer Bell and Jimmy and Marlo, on and on so many good characters. Steven King says Felicia Pearson's Snoop might've been the most terrifying female character in TV history.

Snoop was awesome.

 

[PapaG]

What about Vic Mackie from The SHield and Omar Little from The Wire?

What about STRINGER BELL? One of the GOATs. MM's list is a fraud without him.

 

[PapaG]

A lot of great characters on The Wire but with five seasons and five million supporting characters I think it's hard to put one up against guys like Soprano and White that've had so many hours of back-story and screen time. Bubbles and Stringer Bell and Jimmy and Marlo, on and on so many good characters. Steven King says Felicia Pearson's Snoop might've been the most terrifying female character in TV history.

She has nothing on Lydia from Breaking Bad. Or Skyler, in her own way...

 

[THE HCP]

I'm the Stringer Bell of the S2 world!

 

[Run BJM]

I would say Walter white because he's so average. Kinda like the pure that turned bad. Tony was completely opposite.

I loved both characters. Hated the ending of sopranos though. I would be pissed if breaking bad ended that way.

Interesting take. I've always viewed Tony as such a fugging great character because he's really the average Joe of that era. The mob lifestyle is the backdrop to the story, but his struggles are identifiable because hes just like you or I. He struggles with family and work. He has some sort of conscience that makes him want to kind of do the right thing. Hes confused and angry about his masculinity in a world where everything he grew up learning has changed. He thinks everyone else is a whiny, lazy, bitch yet hes very contradictory as he can be quite the whiny bitch himself and even play the victim (i.e. the anti-Italian American racism he claims to have suffered). The backdrop of the mob allows for the characters to go to tremendous extremes as far as our emotional response. The psychology aspect really allows Tony to be both very open about his feelings and more reflective than you would expect a guy like him to be.

Both great characters. Hard to choose. Tony Soprano's problems were mostly internal or managerial. Walt's problems are the result of his actions minus the cancer. Both guys had major health problems. Soprano was impulsive, White more calculating. Soprano wasn't loyal to his wife but was mostly honest with his peers. White is very loyal to his wife and very dishonest with his peers. They both use people but Soprano did so to maintain a system while White did it to feed his ego. Both had to deal with the weight of an empire on their shoulders. Some think that Soprano got whacked after the lights went out on the finale. I don't know what's going to happen with White but the foreshadowing isn't in his favour, either.

Great post. Both shows deal with an "every man" kind of guy struggling with morality as he struggles to balance career and family. Walt was more of a transformation from pure white to pure black. Tony was always sitting in the middle of choosing right and wrong, leaning more toward the wrong side most of the time and ultimately settling there, though he seemed to have good intentions much of the time. Really hard to pick a better character. Their criminal lifestyles really allowed us to see the most extreme that those characters could go in all directions.

 

[Run BJM]

For all you pimping Tyrion as an all-time great TV character, do yourselves a favor and read the Song of Ice and Fire series. The chapters from his point of view are a freaking joy to read.

Just gotta shout out to Tommy Gavin. Underrated show and underrated character. Like most of the great shows of the "Golden Era" of television, Rescue Me centered on a soon-to-be middle aged (and into middle age) white male head of the family dealing with morality, keeping his family together, and dealing with work. The show was very bold and made you really fear and value Tommy. SPOILER AHEAD: Tommy Gavin was always great but I liked that he didn't go the Tony Soprano route in the end- he eventually did get his shit together, overcame his demons, and righted the ship.

Has Don Draper even been mentioned yet? He won't measure up to Walter White or Tony Soprano, but deserves mention for sure (that show did great developing EVERY character).

 

[Mamba]

Love Rescue Me. Such a funny show, but it dragged on a bit towards the end. Tommy was great in that show, but I think Lou was just as brilliant. I do love how Tommy was able to work out his demons though. Damn, FX has had some amazing shows.

 

[BlazerWookee]

Robert Ironside.