When Kevin Costner got candid about Yellowstone’s ending, he admitted that all the characters should probably “be in prison” — and that’s true for the casts of quite a few popular TV shows. While heroic main characters give viewers someone to root for, some television series benefit from leaning into morally dubious figures instead.
This is certainly true of Yellowstone, as the Dutton family engages in all kinds of questionable behavior in order to maintain their ranch and lifestyle. It’s also the case for a number of hit TV series that follow characters who engage in illicit activities. There’s a reason the best crime shows are so popular: people want to know what leads characters to make such choices.
Sometimes, that leaves viewers rooting for characters who really don’t deserve it. Just look at the widespread response to Breaking Bad‘s Walter White, and you’ll see there’s an appeal to following a character as they stray further and further from the law — and from their initial morals.
And some shows support entire casts who engage in criminal activities, making it more surprising when they don’t all wind up in prison. Although we can make excuses for some characters in dire straits, others should clearly be held accountable for their actions. This is especially true for shows where most characters are both legally and morally corrupt.
5
Yellowstone
2018-2024
Yellowstone
7/10
- Release Date
-
2018 – 2024
- Network
-
Paramount Network
Costner is right that most of Yellowstone‘s characters belong in prison, as they lean into criminal activities to get what they want. They also prove repeatedly throughout the series that they aren’t good people. Although they showcase some redeeming qualities, they’ll throw just about anyone under the bus for their own ends — even each other.
This is part of what makes Yellowstone so gripping, and the Duttons’ manipulation skills extend beyond their family. They use their connections and scheming talents to get away with far more than they should, sometimes to the point where it’s unbelievable they don’t see more consequences.
There are just too many deaths and crimes that lead back to the Duttons, making their continued freedom throughout the show a head-scratcher.
There are just too many deaths and crimes that lead back to the Duttons, making their continued freedom throughout the show a head-scratcher. Sure, John Dutton gets a different sort of comeuppance in Yellowstone season 5, and Beth is arrested in the finale. But given that Beth and Rip are getting their own spinoff, we can assume her punishment is short-lived.
4
Breaking Bad
2008-2013
Breaking Bad sees its main character getting into the meth-making business after being diagnosed with cancer, so it’s no surprise that most of the characters we meet are doing something illegal. Most of Walt’s allies and enemies are tied to the drug trade, even the ones we like. Surprisingly, none of them end up in prison at the end of Breaking Bad.
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Of course, most Breaking Bad characters meet more sinister ends, losing their lives to their questionable choices rather than winding up behind bars. This might be considered more believable given the nature of their trade, but it’s still surprising how few of them are held legally accountable for everything that happens in the show.
The one character that does face life in prison doesn’t receive that sentence until the end of Better Call Saul. And a couple of major players get off fairly easily, all things considered, with Jesse Pinkman changing his identity and fleeing to Alaska in El Camino and Walter ensuring that Skyler isn’t suspected of her role in his crimes.
There are a few characters, like Walt Jr. and Hank, who probably didn’t deserve a prison sentence when all was said and done. But even supporting characters like Marie did their share of questionable activities over the course of the show, driving home that nearly everyone in Breaking Bad was legally iffy.
3
Succession
2018-2023
Succession
10/10
- Release Date
-
2018 – 2023
- Network
-
HBO Max
One of Succession‘s biggest storylines sees the Roy family worrying over who will go to prison for the family’s crimes, but nothing ever comes of this — which feels like an honest assessment of how wealthy criminals are handled in the real world. In reality, most of Succession‘s main characters break the law in some significant way.
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The business practices of Waystar Royco are pretty shady, and it’s clear that the show’s leads don’t offer much in the way of oversight. Tom and Greg destroying the evidence of this should certainly have landed them in a cell. However, they wind up among the better off characters at the end of Succession instead.
There’s also the matter of the Roys interfering with an election, one of the worst things they do throughout the HBO series. None of the Roys have much of a moral compass, and they’re all willing to do anything — legal or not — to ensure their status, comfort, and ability to climb the ladder. This is why pretty much every character should have wound up in prison in the last season.
2
Ozark
2017-2022
Ozark
- Release Date
-
2017 – 2022-00-00
- Showrunner
-
Bill Dubuque
Netflix’s Breaking Bad replacement, Ozark, follows a cast of similarly dubious characters — but the entirety of the main family walks away from the series finale unscathed. This isn’t to say there aren’t major deaths throughout Ozark, driving home the very real dangers of money laundering and getting involved with the cartel.
Ultimately, the Byrde family gets away with everything they’ve done, despite Marty and Wendy breaking the law frequently.
But the fact that most of the characters who face accountability do so through murder is telling; only a couple of Ozark‘s supporting players actually serve time for their crimes. The rest either wind up dead or walk away without consequences. Ultimately, the Byrde family gets away with everything they’ve done, despite Marty and Wendy breaking the law frequently.
And the Byrdes don’t just break the law in small ways; they’re wrapped up in some pretty heinous crimes, including murder, which makes their freedom at the end even grimmer. Their kids are probably too young to receive real prison sentences, but even they do dubious things that further their family’s illegal enterprise. All in all, most of Ozark‘s characters deserved lengthy sentences.
1
Your Honor
Your Honor‘s ending sees Bryan Cranston’s disgraced judge returning to prison to serve more time, but the rest of the series’ players continue to walk free. In some cases, we’re inclined to root for this outcome. Eugene is young and traumatized, and he never meant to shoot Adam in the season 1 finale — though he still broke the law.
Big Mo and the Desire street gang commit enough crimes to earn them prison sentences as well, but they’re also easier to root for than the Baxter family or even Charlie Figaro. Still, when it comes down to it, every character in Your Honor is corrupt and questionable in some way.
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The gangs and crime families break the law more openly than others, which makes it more shocking that none of them wind up in jail alongside Michael Desiato. But even the crooked cops and politicians should be in cells as Your Honor concludes. There are only a couple of characters who don’t deserve that outcome, like Detective Nancy Costello and Elizabeth.
Of course, the reality that several important characters don’t face consequences for their actions leaves the door open for Your Honor season 3. While it’s not clear if that will ever happen, this could be the thought process behind leaving people like the Baxters with their freedom.
