Television Best TV shows or films revolving around psychopaths?

Fortitude said:
The trailer for Killing Eve prompted me to check out the show, and the portrayal of the psychopath in it has made me wonder if there has been a better one in a TV show. I've not seen Hannibal; does that delve into the mind of the Lecter character or is it more of plot-driven show?

Any recommendations?
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Fortitude said:
I've put off getting the show for a while because I wasn't sure if it was worth the viewing time - and I hate it when shows get canned. I'll give it a whirl. I trust you! :)
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Hannibal is a psychological thriller which deals heavily with the mindsets of the show’s various characters, but the central focus is Will Graham not Hannibal Lecter. It is a character driven show, I would imagine it fits what you are looking for in that sense.

Hannibal is quite a quirky show, with very distinctive visuals giving it a kind of arthouse feel. Clearly not for everyone, given the low viewership. The first half of season one is rather episodic and not particularly strong, but it’s worth sticking with in my opinion - it really shines in the later half and is superb from start to finish in season two. Overall it is a very clever and unique show, which is of a very high quality once it kicks into gear.

As already mentioned, the other obvious one is Dexter. If you haven’t seen it then that’s a no-brainer. I’ve only seen a couple of episodes of both The Fall and Bates Motel but they seem to revolve largely around psychopathic characters. The Fall is about a serial killer and the detective trying to catch him, so may draw some parallels with Killing Eve (though I’ve never seen it, only going by the description). Mindhunters seems to be the latest one to try.
 
spwd said:
Heres a few, you’ve probably seen some.

Natural Born Killers
Hard Candy
Cape fear
No Country For Old Men
Misery
Sexy Beast
Zodiac
Hitcher (Rutger Hauer)
Eden Lake
Identity
Duel
To Catch A Killer
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Would like to add Frailty to that list.
 
@sherrinford

I was contemplating adding Dexter but it’s a difficult one to recommend. I loved seasons 1-4 but the quality started to drop off badly after the Trinity Killer. 5 and 6 were passable but 7 and 8 were just pure crap. I look back at Dexter with frustration more than anything which is a shame.
 
Oaencha said:
@sherrinford

I was contemplating adding Dexter but it’s a difficult one to recommend. I loved seasons 1-4 but the quality started to drop off badly after the Trinity Killer. 5 and 6 were passable but 7 and 8 were just pure crap. I look back at Dexter with frustration more than anything which is a shame.
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I like season five, the main problem it has is that it follows on from Dexter’s best season - the Trinity arc was excellent. The show falls off a cliff for the Doomsday Killers and beyond right enough though - good moments peppered through a story that just gets sillier and sillier. Still, that doesn’t take away from the quality of the show as it builds towards the series high point. Having loved seasons 1-4, surely you are glad you watched it, in spite of the fact the later half dropped in quality? With the strong seasons coming in the first half of the series run, I would happily recommend this to folk - it’s not like I would be asking someone to sit through four seasons of dross to get to the good stuff. Especially with a serial killer being the main character, a great performance from Michael C. Hall complete with internal monologue, etc. it’s a suitable recommendation here.
 
Fortitude said:
;) Yagami Lighto! :D

Should I be worried? :nervous:
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light_yagami_free_icon_by_itachi3399-d3848is.gif

"Fortitude"
 
sherrinford said:
Hannibal is a psychological thriller which deals heavily with the mindsets of the show’s various characters, but the central focus is Will Graham not Hannibal Lecter. It is a character driven show, I would imagine it fits what you are looking for in that sense.

Hannibal is quite a quirky show, with very distinctive visuals giving it a kind of arthouse feel. Clearly not for everyone, given the low viewership. The first half of season one is rather episodic and not particularly strong, but it’s worth sticking with in my opinion - it really shines in the later half and is superb from start to finish in season two. Overall it is a very clever and unique show, which is of a very high quality once it kicks into gear.

As already mentioned, the other obvious one is Dexter. If you haven’t seen it then that’s a no-brainer. I’ve only seen a couple of episodes of both The Fall and Bates Motel but they seem to revolve largely around psychopathic characters. The Fall is about a serial killer and the detective trying to catch him, so may draw some parallels with Killing Eve (though I’ve never seen it, only going by the description). Mindhunters seems to be the latest one to try.
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I'll be watching it within the next few weeks - got it in a queue behind some other recommendations in here. First stop, Mindhunter!
 
Yagami said:
I wouldn't have the heart to do that. You have my word that if I ever come across a Death Note, I will not write your name in it. I like you too much! :D
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Haha "just stay on my good side, and we cool!" ;)

Duly Noted! see what I did there? nyuk nyuk
 
sherrinford said:
I like season five, the main problem it has is that it follows on from Dexter’s best season - the Trinity arc was excellent. The show falls off a cliff for the Doomsday Killers and beyond right enough though - good moments peppered through a story that just gets sillier and sillier. Still, that doesn’t take away from the quality of the show as it builds towards the series high point. Having loved seasons 1-4, surely you are glad you watched it, in spite of the fact the later half dropped in quality? With the strong seasons coming in the first half of the series run, I would happily recommend this to folk - it’s not like I would be asking someone to sit through four seasons of dross to get to the good stuff. Especially with a serial killer being the main character, a great performance from Michael C. Hall complete with internal monologue, etc. it’s a suitable recommendation here.
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I agree with what you’re saying and despite the poor later seasons, Michael C. Hall does a great job with what he is given.

I’m glad I watched 1-4 (maybe 5) but wish I had stopped there as instructed by the friend who recommended it to me. Curiosity killed the cat though and it’s very difficult not to think ‘aww.. it can’t be that bad!’

If anyone thinks they can definitively stop after 4-5 then I highly recommend the show.
 
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