TV shows with bad guys-as-protagonists: problematic?

[DerekG]

Once upon a time, I was an avid Sopranos fan. And in actuality, I still consider it the finest piece of dramatic television since The Twilight Zone. The writing, acting, and direction was impeccable, ushering in a new era for quality storytelling on the boob-tube.

Despite this, I haven't had a desire to return to this series; what's more, I've been feeling some regret, as if I wasted a part of my life following the chronicles of monsters. I ask myself what was gained from watching the turf wars, power-struggles, emotional turmoil, and family crises. Why should I have cared? No matter how compelling a character, Tony Soprano is, in the end, a mobster who makes his living out of exploitation and murder.

I'm fully aware that this has always been a predilection in art. Everyone from Shakespeare to Scorsese have cast their monsters as protagonists. But these were plays, novels, and films. They work precisely because they're so abbreviated, serving as meditations on corruption and the nature of evil. But what of this medium? What is to be gleaned from a hundred-or-so hours of gangsters, serial killers, and meth-cooks?

Any thoughts?

[CBGLuthier]

1. By the end, I thought the Seinfeld gang were a bunch of shallow jerks

yet I could not imagine a life of entertainment without a few anti-heroes.