You know they’re bad – or, at the very least, definitely not operating within the boundaries law. But there’s just something about them that makes you root for them to get away scot-free.
Maybe their motives are a reflection of real life everyone can relate to. Maybe these fictional characters provide an outlet through which viewers can live vicariously. Or maybe it’s simply that the “bad guys” are really, really hot.
Whatever the reason, it’s difficult to hate the supposed criminals when you watch the following shows.
1. Money Heist
They’re a morally grey and volatile bunch robbing the Royal Mint and, later, the Bank of Spain, but that didn’t stop fans all over the world from sticking with “la banda” through thick and thin.
Viewers are intrigued and captivated by the Professor’s creative manoeuvres to see his meticulous plans through, but it’s the characters’ familial bond with each other that have them hooked and rooting for them to succeed.
It could also be a case of identifying with the spirit of “la resistencia”. Though the heist crew’s methods are no doubt questionable, presenting themselves as underdogs protesting against the “robbers” holding positions of power is a notion that’s relatable, and possibly a form of wish fulfillment, for some.
2. Red Notice
Framed by Bishop (Gal Gadot), the most wanted art thief in the world, for stealing a priceless artefact, FBI profiler John Hartley is forced to team up with the “second best art thief in the world”, Nolan Booth, in a globe-trotting adventure to steal all of Cleopatra’s eggs before Bishop does.
Will they catch up to Bishop before Interpol crashes the party? Whatever the outcome, viewers can’t help but be charmed by this odd couple and their hijinks, played to entertaining effect by Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Renolds.
3. Army of Thieves
Ludwig Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer) is probably the most endearing and wholesome part of the gritty “Army of the Dead”, so it’s only natural that fans would want to protect him at all costs in this spinoff.
In “Army of Thieves”, a prequel to the aforementioned zombie heist caper, viewers get to see Dieter (then known as Sebastian) as he goes from a shy, naive bank teller obsessed with complicated safes, into a kick-butt but still delightful master safecracker recruited for a series of heists across Europe.
4. Lupin
He’s as adaptable as a chameleon, slick as a fox, and a charmer to boot –what’s not to love about Assane Diop, played by the charismatic Omar Sy?
Fans found themselves entirely in his camp when it’s revealed Diop has been working towards exacting justice on the man who framed his father for stealing a valuable necklace, leading to the latter’s eventual death in prison.
5. You
Joe Goldberg is a creep no one would ever want to meet in real life, but he does have some redeeming qualities and moments when he kills someone where it’s easy to go, “You know what? They had it coming.”
That said, please do not stalk people you have a crush on and murder people you don’t like.
6. Breaking Bad
It’s hard not to feel sorry for Walter White (Bryan Cranston) at the start of the show when he was just a high school chemistry teacher working two jobs to make ends meet.
Life threw him another cruel curveball when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and with no other way to secure funds for treatment and provide for his family, he turned to cooking and selling crystal meth with Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul) help.
His transformation from a principled man to a drug kingpin consumed by wealth and power is chilling and inevitable, yet, fans hold on to the hope that he ultimately does right by his family.
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