TV shows have increasingly gained more prominence with each passing year since the dawn of the 21st century. With more prominence and respect has come a surplus of talent in front of, and behind, the camera. The emergence and dominance of streaming in the past decade has only expedited the escalation and prestige of the small screen. A-list actors flock to this medium with the recognition that the length of a show can provide extraordinary depth, development, and complexity for both character and story.
A monologue can be an effective device used to convey the emotional and logical depth of a character. The best TV show monologues are the ones that feel earned, when an audience already has an established parasocial connection to the character. Or, it’s the monologues that inspire and strengthen such a connection between audience and character. When it comes down to it, great actors seek great material. Great material has a way of finding, and sometimes aggrandizing great actors. The most notable TV show monologues are built on the synergy between expertly crafted writing, and compelling line delivery. A monologue should come from the soul of the character giving it, thus the actor performing it needs to match that energy and make it resonate on a deep level with the audience.
Monologues have become a staple in quality TV shows. The cream of the crop monologues tend to hold a special place in the hearts of the audience. These monologues have the power to mesmerize, as striking diction adds muscle to the weight of words and cuts deep in our hearts and minds. Here is a look at the top 15 TV show monologues of the century, in no particular order.
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15 Breaking Bad - Walter White: “I am the one who knocks”
SonyAMC
From apathetic high school chemistry teacher, to dangerous, terminally ill drug kingpin, Waler White’s transformation, though extreme, often reveals more about his pent-up repressions, past transgressions, and inner demons than anything external.
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In season four of Breaking Bad, White delivered a signature moment for the show with his egotistical “I am the one who knocks” rant against his wife Skylar. This moment offers a concrete checkpoint into White’s twisted state of mind and a revelation as to just how far gone he is. His words suggest that his longing to be respected and recognized have evolved into a need to be feared somewhere along the way. White is truly possessed in the heat of this moment, but in the come down of the scene’s final moments, Bryan Cranston conveys White’s trembling vulnerability and humanity. We think maybe, just maybe, he is not all the way lost, and it gets us every time.
14 Euphoria - Rue Bennett: “The world went quiet”
Warner Bros.
Euphoria’s tendency to grant its characters big, showy, and expressive displays of emotion often strike a successful chord. Zendaya’s main character, Rue Bennett, is often called upon to deliver such a moment. Though she has a handful of notable monologues, like her rock bottom deflection lash out in the middle of season two, it’s Bennett’s quiet and poignant story about her first experience with drugs that takes the cake as far as monologues go in this show.
The scene occurs late in season one during a party where Bennett and her good friend and drug dealer, Fezco, share a memorable moment. What makes the monologue so palpable and moving are the vivid details pulled from this character’s memory. Her struggles with grief and anxiety are placed into a context that feels lived in, deeply personal, and relatable.
13 Game of Thrones - Tyrion Lannister: “On trial for being a dwarf”
HBO
A prime example of an awards moment clip is Tyrion Lannister’s resentful, rage-filled rant while on trial for murder in the back end of Game of Thrones season four. Peter Dinklage always delivered as Tyrion, even when the show started to falter in the end. His signature moment came here when fighting for his life. Tyrion opted to ditch his calculated wisdom for overt, direct insults against his accusers. He leaves nothing unsaid as his disgust with the situation boils over into his every facial expression and vile word. Here, he fully embraces his inherent traits that have pitted everyone against him and uses them to turn the tables on his foe. His cunning stubbornness does not succumb to some false confession, but rather finds a loophole to bide his time as a man among the living.
12 Mad Men - Don Draper: “The Carousel”
Dry eyes are difficult to come by when this monologue is in front of us. Heck, not even some of the characters can keep it together. The season one finale of Mad Men sees Don Draper giving an unforgettable presentation on a product that has the power to represent a little bit more than just a technological advancement. It’s not even worth it for us to try and match Draper’s diction and syntax when selling the brilliance of this monologue to you. Draper is able to seamlessly conjure all the right words to do that himself. All you have to do is watch or rewatch this scene to buy into everything Draper is attempting to evoke.
11 Barry - Sally Reed: “It’s my story to tell”
It’s difficult to make an exposition dump exciting, worthwhile TV. But that is exactly what the show Barry did late in season two when Sally Reed, whose mind is running a million miles an hour with high-functioning anxiety, dumps every single self-aware and insecure thought on to Barry’s lap. For almost three straight minutes, Reed’s fast-talking, psychotic rant bursts with unprecedented ranges of inflection, emotion, and inner conflict.
The choice to not move or cut with the camera at all during this impressive monologue allows us to hang on every word and capture every facial expression. Reed may not always be the easiest character to love, but boy does Sarah Goldberg always deliver the best possible representation of this character.
10 True Detective - Rust Cohle: “And then I woke up”
Season one of True Detective stands on its own, and so far, it also stands the test of time. In the final moments of the finale, Matthew McConaughey delivers Rust Cohle like we had never seen him before. Following an existential experience, Cohle provides a heartfelt monologue about a love he thought was lost and could never be found again.
The moment is a far cry from the character we had come to know as some emotion, albeit very earned, is put on display. The way McConaughey uses pauses and is able to convey Cohle’s bewildered enlightenment at this moment never fails to take hold of us.
9 How to Get Away With Murder - Annalise Keating: “The promise of civil rights”
ABC
Network television has taken a continued hit in quality, but when a talent like Viola Davis is attached to a show, it is worth checking in on. Towards the end of How to Get Away With Murder season four, Annalise Keating touches the hearts of America with an impassioned courtroom speech about systemic racism and its effects on her plaintiff.
For nearly three minutes, Davis executes every word with channeled conviction and purpose. Keating maintains her cool as her argument aims to educate. She comes off like a world leader on a national broadcast with words so sharp and eloquent you could understand the clip being shown in a school classroom.
8 Ted Lasso - Ted Lasso: “Be curious, not judgmental”
Apple TV
In two seasons of Ted Lasso, we have been gifted a collection of effective monologues. Nate’s disdain at the end of season two is a notable choice for a moment of explosive quality. Still, Ted Lasso’s speech during a darts game against Rupert in the back end of season one is too good to not be here. “Be curious, not judgmental” are simple yet powerful words to live by, and the way Lasso’s story in this scene revolves around his message ultimately place this monologue in the upper echelon. The audience learns a bit about his fractured upbringing and why he chooses to conduct himself in the manner he does.
Positive vibes win out here, not because the monologue is cheap or cheesy, but because it adds to our understanding and appreciation of the character in an inspiring fashion.
7 The West Wing - Josiah Bartlet: “I think you’re just vindictive”
Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Leave it to Aaron Sorkin to pen a mighty call to God’s cruelty. In the season two finale of The West Wing, President Josiah Bartlet has had enough with God following a tragic loss. He requests to be alone in a cathedral with the man upstairs, just so he can quite literally spit in his house. Bartlet makes himself comfortable in his stroll through the cathedral, but his words are hardly comforting. At this moment, he is no god-fearing man, rather he attempts to strike fear in God.
The way Martin Sheen is able to weave into a latin tongue to deliver some of this monologue never ceases to amaze. It is a powerhouse snippet of performance and writing, making it an obvious selection for this list.
6 This Is Us - Randall Pearson: “I’m exhausted”
NBC
Sterling K. Brown was consistently excellent in his portrayal of the character Randall Pearson in NBC’s massively popular This Is Us. Back in the season five premiere, Randall’s personal troubles concerning race, growing up black in a white family, that have been long suppressed, come to a head in a sobering, tempered discussion with his sister Kate. The choice to express the character’s issues though deflated exhaustion rather than some big display give realistic weight to how he feels being bogged down as a black man in America. The nuance and subtlety in Brown’s performance add layers to this scene that touch our core.
5 The Bear - Carmen Berzatto: “Let it rip”
Disney Platform Distribution
The Bear served up a platter of rich drama and comedy throughout its first season. At the heart of the show is Jeremy Allen White’s performance as Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto. In the season finale, Carmy delivers an epic seven-minute long monologue at a support meeting. Everything that had been carving up his insides over the course of the season is flushed out in one fell swoop. Carmy often pauses to collect his thoughts and finds himself working through and making sense of his entire life through this intimate process. The regret, anger, and sadness he feels blend into an effective offering the audience can connect with and latch on to.
4 WandaVision - Wanda & Vision: “What is grief, if not love persevering?”
We love when a monologue can impart priceless wisdom. A memorable phrase, in the form of a question, can come together right in front of us, giving us the words we never could form to see some deeply troubling aspect of our lives through a fresh, optimistic lens.
Plenty of shows have adequately tackled grief, but Marvel’s miniseries product, WandaVision, does so with such innocence and dignity. Two beings of very different makeup, sorting through and solving problems has never been more beautiful than when Wanda and Vision share an intimate bedside moment in the penultimate episode of the show.
3 The Newsroom - Will McAvoy: “America is not the greatest country in the world”
HBO Entertainment
Aaron Sorkin’s writing makes another entry on this list. Shocker. The pilot episode of The Newsroom introduces main character Will McAvoy in pronounced fashion. That may be an understatement. When McAvoy is asked to answer a question during a panel discussion about why America is the greatest country in the world, he fails to keep to his cool and deliver cold hard truths about America’s many inadequacies. McAvoy pulls no punches as he goes on and on with impressive ammunition.
Jeff Daniels manages to deliver the monologue with a dry yet spirited tone. Like he had been waiting to blow his top on the matter for some time. This monologue sets the stage for the show and introduces the snappy stakes quite effectively.
2 Ozark - Ben Davis: “Just a guy, out of his mind”
Ozark’s most volatile and unpredictable character, Ben Davis, is given the spotlight in the opening of the penultimate episode of season three. Tom Pelphrey does not let Ben’s shine time go to waste. Sitting in back of a taxi, Ben’s mental illness takes over to let his mind and mouth wander through his tangled web of inner demons. Startling, angry, and scary in one moment, vulnerable, sad, and caring the next. The monologue highlights Ben’s distinct empathic capacity and why it is both a gift and a curse.
1 Peaky Blinders - Luca Changretta: “I heard you dress well”
BBC
One of the most anticipated moments of Peaky Blinders came together in stunning and stoic fashion. The big season four meet up between crime bosses Luca Changretta and Tommy Shelby delivered a back-and-forth for the ages. Changretta’s calm demeanor and powerful aura finally felt like a match for Shelby. His thick Italian accent through a hushed monotone, and twirling toothpick, strikes as much fear in the audience as it does Shelby.
After a battle of wits ensues, Changretta gets the last laugh with an unforgettable threatening monologue. He floats through the room moving where he pleases until he is face to face with Shelby. This moment justified the build up for a worthy adversary. The writing couldn’t be more impressive.
