Back in July of last year, when the nominations list for the 2023 Emmys dropped, they provided plenty of food for thought and frenzied discussion: where was Elizabeth Olsen’s recognition for her barnstorming turn in Love Death? Why were Ted Lasso and Wednesday nominated for best comedy series, but not Poker Face? And how on earth did Quinta Brunson miss out on a comedy writing nod for Abbott Elementary after winning last year?
In the Vogue office, however, most of the chatter centered on one particular category: outstanding supporting actor in a drama series, which will see the secondary players in both Succession and The White Lotus—who embody some of the most toxic male characters on TV—battle it out for a golden statuette. There were two topics that were hotly debated: firstly, who would win? And secondly, who, ultimately, was the most despicable man on the list?
Now, ahead of the ceremony on January 15, we’ve compiled a (highly subjective) ranking of the contenders—from least to most toxic—and determined who has what it takes to secure the prize.
Will Sharpe, The White Lotus
Perhaps the only thing we can all agree on is that Will Sharpe’s Ethan, the softly spoken tech bro and introverted husband of Aubrey Plaza’s deliciously snarky Harper, is easily the least toxic of the bunch. Yes, he does party with sex workers while his wife is away, but when one of them, Beatrice Grannò’s Mia, kisses him, he tells her that he can’t take things any further. When Harper later confronts him, he lies to her before finally coming clean. Then, after he becomes suspicious of Harper’s relationship with his friend Cameron (Theo James) and she confesses that they kissed, it’s implied that he retaliates with a beachside tryst with Meghann Fahy’s Daphne—one that, in the end, seems to save his marriage. So, all in all, not entirely innocent, but practically angelic when compared to the rest of this ragtag gang.
F. Murray Abraham, The White Lotus
The sort of old-school toxic man whose behavior is frequently explained away with phrases like “harmless” and “of his time,” F. Murray Abraham’s jolly, womanizing patriarch Bert can’t help but leer at everyone he encounters. “I get older and older, but the women I desire remain young,” he grins at his son, Michael Imperioli’s Dominic (more on him later…), and grandson, Adam DiMarco’s Albie. He harasses hotel staff, keeps talking about his virility over dinner, can’t stop saying “rape” in front of Haley Lu Richardson’s Portia, and boasts about how effectively he hid his affairs from his wife—only for his son to confirm that she’d always known. And it’s not only Bert’s own behavior to the women around them that’s damaging—it’s also clear that he’s fundamentally shaped the less-than-ideal relationship his son and grandson have with the opposite sex, setting them up for failure from the very beginning.
Alan Ruck, Succession
Now this is where it gets tricky. Alan Ruck’s hapless, actual eldest boy Connor is, perhaps, the least toxic of all the Succession men on this list, but only because of his seemingly unwavering loyalty to Justine Lupe’s Willa and his complete inability to succeed at any of the nefarious things he turns his hand to. He cuts a pathetic figure in season four, left out of his siblings’ business dealings and with his father’s death overshadowing his wedding. He loses the presidential race, too, though he ends the show as—potentially—the next American ambassador to Slovenia, pending Jeryd Mencken’s confirmation. Had he succeeded in becoming a tax-dodging, right-wing-rhetoric-spewing president himself, rest assured that he’d be far higher on this line-up. Still, we can see him doing a fair amount of damage in this new role, for which he has absolutely no discernible experience.
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Oh, Greggy. Nicholas Braun’s freakishly tall, fumbling Roy cousin has spent four seasons proving his worth. He started out as a broke, boat shoes-wearing corporate hanger-on, but quickly blossomed into a kingmaker, arming Jeremy Strong’s Kendall with the ammunition he needed to take down his dad before deviously switching sides again. In season four, the Disgusting Brother is at his most bro-y and gross: he has sex with his date at Logan’s and then lets security show her out; brags about laying off hundreds of employees; gets in with Alexander Skarsgård’s Lukas Matsson; and passes on intel that drives a wedge between the Roy siblings and eventually leads to their downfall. What happened to your “principles,” man?
Michael Imperioli, The White Lotus
Dominic Di Grasso, the sex-addicted Hollywood producer who, after his wife refuses to join him on their family holiday in Sicily due to his countless infidelities, decides to eschew time with his father and son in favor of sleeping with two young sex workers—and then still tries to win back his wife and even bribes his son to help him do so, is both delusional and incredibly icky. He’s definitely traumatized by his dad’s own philandering, but his utter lack of self-awareness has driven him up this ranking.
Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
Succession’s new CEO, the “human grease stain” that is Tom Wambsgans, has always been stealthily (and also, often, not especially stealthily) toxic: under the veneer of his naïve Midwestern-corporate-drone persona, he’s a viciously competitive and skillful operator—one who has no qualms about covering up criminality, is frequently violent towards Greg, uses other colleagues as footstools, and ended up figuratively stabbing his own wife in the back… twice. It’s no wonder, then, that he ended up at the top of the totem pole come the show’s end—a Boar on the Floor no more. Matthew Macfadyen’s masterful performance, which effortlessly balances Tom’s vulnerability and sadism, recently earned him a Golden Globe, and it’s almost certain that he’ll take home the Emmy too.
Theo James, The White Lotus
Undoubtedly the most toxic of The White Lotus men on this list, Theo James’s swaggering investment manager Cameron is someone who knows exactly how to push everyone’s buttons: he frequently cheats on his wife; flirts with (and exposes himself to) the wife of his best friend; pressures said best friend to give him insider trading tips and invest in his company; and then doesn’t fully pay a sex worker for her services. Truly vile and a total thrill to watch.
Alexander Skarsgård, Succession
“Privacy, pussy, pasta”—if only Alexander Skarsgård’s unhinged Swedish billionaire Lukas Matsson were content with living by his self-proclaimed mantra; but no, he sets out to totally destroy and humiliate the Roys as only he can. He’s the kind of guy who can make millions with just a couple of rogue Tweets; someone who can turn on a dime when it comes to business dealings; someone who walks barefoot from private jet to private jet while wrecking lives and livelihoods, and sends ex-lovers liters of his blood. The actor is extraordinary in the part, sprinkling Matsson’s madness with devilish charm and humor, and remains the only nominee who might feasibly be able to take the Emmy away from Macfadyen. And, after much debate, I’m confident that he is the most toxic of this cohort. After all, we know what the Camerons of the world are capable of. But, the Lukases? We have no idea.
