Just in time for the election, BuddyTV brings you our list of the 15 worst politicians from TV.
#15 Mayor Adam West, ‘Family Guy’
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Mayor Adam West does not deserve to hold any sort of public office. On Family Guy, West is the insane mayor of Quahog who has a strange affinity for cats and once brutally murdered the mascot for a national pizza chain. Nonetheless, the clueless residents of Quahog continue to keep him in office. He also once had an affair with Luke Perry, which is probably the closest thing to a compliment we can give him.
#14 City Councilman Doug Wilson, ‘Weeds’
On Weeds, Doug Wilson was a terrible city councilman, a guy who smokes copious amounts of marijuana, embezzles from the town, and routinely curses during city council meetings. However, as terrible a politician as he is, we still can’t help but love him. Doug is the kind of guy you’d love to have a beer with (or smoke a joint with), but in this case, that doesn’t mean he should be running the government.
#13 Mayor Gray Anderson, ‘Jericho’
By season 2 of Jericho, Gray Anderson became an honorable mayor, fighting for justice and the survival of America. But in the first season, he was the obnoxious rival to Johnston Green for the mayoral race. Anderson riled up the citizens and used fear to help get himself elected. He ran a dirty campaign and intimidated the people of Jericho into siding with him, and while he eventually did the right thing, we won’t forget how he got elected.
#12 Town Selectman Taylor Doose, ‘Gilmore Girls’
Taylor Doose’s devotion to the rule of law is what makes him both a great and terrible politician. To his credit, the market owner followed all the rules and truly wanted the best for the citizens of Stars Hollow. The problem was his disciplined and strict adherence to all the rules made life dull. The town briefly voted him out, but upon learning how much work and effort it took to run the town, Taylor was put back into office.
#11 Mayor Victor Lang, ‘Desperate Housewives’
(Image courtesy of ABC)
His politics might not be dirty, but his deeds were. Victor Lang’s whirlwind romance with Gabi was little more than a ploy to get him more votes. Lang also threatened her and Carlos’ lives when learning they were having an affair, leading to the epic fight between Victor and Carlos during the tornado. In the end, Lang was impaled by a picket-fence post, an appropriate end to the man who tried to manufacture a wholesome family life.
#10 President Caroline Reynolds, ‘Prison Break’
It would be nice to be able to look up to a female president like Caroline Reynolds, except she’s one of the most corrupt people to ever take office – and that’s saying a lot! She staged her brother’s death, pinning it on a small-time criminal, Lincoln Burrows, which landed him on death row. In her quest for power, she’ll stop at nothing, even openly admitting, “Anyone who gets in the way is expendable.” What President Reynolds seems to forget is that karma’s a bitch and so is she. After Paul Kellerman’s testimony about the conspiracy, Reynolds hasn’t been heard from since.
#9 Mayor E.B. Farnum, ‘Deadwood’
The epitome of an empty suit, E.B. Farnum on the HBO Western Deadwood became mayor by default when no one else wanted the position during a town meeting. Pointlessly proud of his job, he took great pride in acting like the leader of the town when, in reality, he had no power and asked Al Swearengen for permission to do anything. His silly preening and ineffectual leadership certainly make him one of the worst politicians in TV history.
#8 Presidential Candidate Tim Calhoun, ‘Saturday Night Live’
It’s a mystery why Tim Calhoun thinks it’s a good idea to run for president. By his own admission, Calhoun has been to jail on over two dozen occasions, is a voracious reader of child pornography, hates dwarfs and Mexicans, and has fathered numerous illegitimate children, despite being mostly gay. Though Saturday Night Live gives Calhoun a platform for his horrible and disturbingly worded thoughts, he has not held any office that we know about. Which is a good thing for everyone.
#7 Mayor Joe Quimby, ‘The Simpsons’
Joe Quimby is the very definition of a corrupt politician. He gladly accepts all bribes, romps around the town of Springfield with his beauty queen mistress, and will sell out the town in a heartbeat if he’ll benefit in every way. It helps that Homer is in charge of safety at the nuclear power plant because severe brain damage due to exposure to radiation is the only reason the residents of Springfield would keep Quimby in office.
#6 President Gaius Baltar, ‘Battlestar Galactica’
(Image courtesy of Sci-Fi Channel)
Gaius Baltar had a hand in wiping out most of humanity on Battlestar Galactica, but that didn’t stop him from winning the race for president a couple of years later. Unfortunately, Baltar was more interested in drinking and womanizing than politics, and his citizens suffered due to his ineptitude. When the evil Cylons invaded New Caprica and enslaved humanity, the cowardly president crumbled in the face of pressure, worrying about no one but himself. Though he was eventually ousted from office and tried for treason, humanity would have been better off had Baltar never been elected.
#5 Mayor Richard Wilkins, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
(Image courtesy of The WB)
You wouldn’t expect someone as polite and chipper as Mayor Richard Wilkins to be secretly evil, attempting to turn himself into a giant demonic snake to rule the world. Lucky for the town of Sunnydale, Buffy and her gang caught on and blew him up in the high school library. The Mayor’s final words before being blown to pieces were “Well, gosh.” Good to know that an evil demon can remember his manners in his final moments of existence.
#4 Senator Nathan Petrelli, ‘Heroes’
In the first episode of season 3 of Heroes, Nathan Petrelli was chosen as the new junior senator from New York. Since then, his life has consisted of traveling the country with Tracy Strauss finding out about their pasts. Nathan Petrelli isn’t a bad politician because he doesn’t care about doing the right thing, he’s a bad politician because he doesn’t do anything with his governmental power.
#3 Mayor Woody Goodman, ‘Veronica Mars’
This role may have revitalized Steve Guttenberg’s career, but when it comes to TV politicians, a man who molested the boys on the Little League team he coached is clearly near the top of that list. The disturbingly named Woody Goodman was always a little peculiar, and even though he wasn’t responsible for the bus full of kids that went over the cliff, his original molestation of Cassidy Casablancas was the impetus.
#2 President Charles Logan, ’24’
Presidents are meant to inspire, intimidate and make tough decisions when nobody else can. 24‘s Charles Logan, who had the presidency thrust upon him after the real Commander in Chief was injured, was capable of none of these things. When he wasn’t waffling on issues or begging his advisers for help with the tiniest of problems, he was organizing a massive conspiracy that led to the deaths of many of Jack Bauer’s friends. Logan was both extremely evil and pathetically weak-willed, which is a deadly combination for anyone in power.
#1 Mayor Dan Scott, ‘One Tree Hill’
(Image courtesy of The WB)
It’s fitting that Dan Scott, who is easily the evilest and morally corrupt character on One Tree Hill, would dabble in politics. Dan successfully convinced the citizens of Tree Hill to elect him mayor, but only after running a smear campaign against his opponent/ex-girlfriend, and producing some fake tears to make the people feel sorry for him. After clawing his way to power, Dan had his brother arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, then ended up killing the man after he was acquitted and released from prison. With his twisted determination and ability to manipulate others, Dan could have run for president one day. Too bad those pesky murder charges got in the way.
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
