The Toughest TV Cops

Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), The Shield

Corrupt cops may be TV's biggest cliché, but Vic Mackey was the only one to get his own show. Chiklis' quasi-sympathetic portrayal of a family man with a warped sense of ethics had audiences rooting for him. In the end, Vic got his: a soured immunity deal put the adrenaline junkie in a desk job.