Neal McDonough's 10 Best TV Roles, Ranked

Neal McDonough has been a fixture of television since his debut in China Beach back in 1991, and these are his ten best performances in the medium since then. For most people, Neal McDonough brings to mind one of two characters. He's either the courageous Buck Compton in Band of Brothers or the sinister Dave Williams in Desperate Housewives.

He's been in a lot more productions than just those two, though. McDonough has made a career out of playing slimy and nefarious characters who are still formidable. Between these nastier performances, he still makes the occasional effort to remind viewers that he can be a hero when it's called for.

10 Deputy D.A. David McNorris

Boomtown (2002-2003)

Boomtown was a short-lived police procedural that ran on NBC for two years and deserves a lot more appreciation than it was given at the time. Set in Los Angeles, CA, Boomtown centers around members of the LAPD, lawyers, paramedics, victims, and criminals of each week's investigation.

The series casts a wide net, and unlike many other network police procedurals of the time, offers a variety of perspectives, more in line with the crime dramas you would see on HBO. McDonough co-stars as LA Assistant DA David McNorris, providing a competent, charming performance that pairs with Donnie Wahlberg's Detective Joel Stevens as well as Buck Compton pairs with Wahlberg's Carwood Lipton in Band of Brothers.

9 Anders

The 100 (2020)

McDonough only appears in one season of The 100, but he quickly establishes himself as the most dangerous villain of the seven-season sci-fi series. The 100 takes place far in the future, after an apocalypse has made the Earth uninhabitable. The survivors live in spaceships above the Earth, and eventually 100 people are sent down to recolonize what's left.

It's easier said than done, and among the greatest of the colonists' obstacles are the Disciples, a group of religious fanatics, and in season 7, they are revealed to be led by Anders (McDonough), a charismatic, dangerous individual. McDonough's sneering, calculating portrayal makes the wait to see who is behind the Disciples worth it.

8 Malcolm Beck

Yellowstone (2019)

Malcolm Beck (McDonough) and his brother Teal Beck (Terry Serpico) arrive in Yellowstone as the big bads of season 2, and the next in a line of many who have their eyes set on the Yellowstone Ranch. As head of the Montana Liquor Board, Malcolm asserts control over the state's real estate economy.

Malcolm is one of the meanest characters to even appear in Yellowstone, and he appears to delight in rattling the Duttons more than most. McDonough's performance reaches its peak in his character's death scene, where his screams of pain and frustration seem so real you almost feel bad for him.

7 Dwight D. Eisenhower

American Horror Story: Double Feature (2021)

American Horror Story: Double Feature, the tenth season of Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story anthology series, doesn't usually rank high when compared to the other seasons, but there are enough bright spots to keep it entertaining. One of these bright spots is McDounugh as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Part 2: Death Valley.

In this alternate history, Eisenhower has made a secret deal with extraterrestrial beings, promising them 5000 Americans to be abducted in exchange for alien technology. It's one of McDonough's most unique performances in his career. He turns Eisenhower into a conflicted, unreadable man who hates what he has to do, but is also a little excited by it.

6 Sean Cahill

Suits (2014-2019)

Suits received a major bump in popularity when it came to Netflix in 2023 and introduced viewers to the law offices of Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht). McDonough joins the cast in season 4 as Sean Cahill, a senior SEC official and an old friend of Eric Woodall (Željko Ivanek).

Cahill makes regular appearances in the series afterward, and though he's sometimes at odds with the main characters, he generally proves himself to be a fair and uncompromised official. He's one of the more righteous characters in Suits, and his commitment to justice makes him formidable but also well-liked.

5 Cal Thresher

Tulsa King (2024-2026)

Tulsa King is Taylor Sheridan's attempt to make a crime series with a more comedic bent than his shows are usually known for. It doesn't always succeed in this regard, but there is a lot to recommend it, including McDonough as Cal Thresher, a corrupt politician in Tulsa in seasons 2 through 4.

A billionaire oil tycoon, Thresher seeks to use his political appointment to squeeze Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) out of his empire. It's an exciting and secretly nuanced performance from McDonough. Thresher seems like your run-of-the-mill bully politician, but McDonough gives the character a few more layers that keep you guessing.

4 Robert Quarles

Justified (2012)

Robert Quarles is a recurring character in Justified and season 3's Big Bad. Quarles is a lieutenant for a Detroit crime family who comes to Kentucky to retrieve payment on a debt and ends up embedded in the local criminal underground. After killing Emmitt Arnett, Quarles attempts to take over his portion of the Dixie Mafia.

Quarles comes from a tragic background. His father sexually abused him, and when he was 14, a Detroit crime boss took Quarles under his wing after encouraging him to kill his father. He's well-educated but erratic, and as the show goes on, he becomes more and more untethered from reality, eventually turning his back on just about everyone.

3 Damien Darhk

The Arrowverse (2015-2020)

Damien Darhk (McDonough) is a staple of the Arrowverse and one of the best villains in the entirety of The CW's extended DC universe. He first appears in Arrow and later in The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Darhk is a DC Comics character and the founder of H.I.V.E. after being denied leadership of the League of Assassins.

Darhk is one of the most formidable villains in the franchise, capable of wielding dark magic, absorbing the life force of other people, and healing himself of the most grievous wounds. It's a perfectly diabolical role for McDonough, who brings the exact right amount of charm and menace to the character.

2 Dave Williams

Desperate Housewives (2008-2009)

Davie Williams (McDonough) appears in season 5 of Desperate Housewives, and though he's only around for that singular season, he remains one of the most memorable characters in the show. He's the new husband of Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan), and the pair move to Wisteria Lane together.

Handsome, affable, and successful to Edie and his neighbors, Davie is secretly struggling with the tragic death of his daughter and wife. His grief causes him hallucinations, and it's slowly revealed that his marriage to Edie is one part in a long plot to exact violent revenge. It's a mysterious and thrilling plot line, and McDonough balances both the light and the dark of the character.

1 First Lieutenant Lynn "Buck" Compton

Band Of Brothers (2001)

It's hard to put any of McDonough's performances as his best in Band of Brothers as Lt. Buck Compton, a real-life figure and one of the most interesting characters in the series. In some ways, Buck is the most human character we meet. He's cool under pressure, well-liked, and a sound leader.

However, his humanity and close relationship with those serving under him are what eventually send him off the line. Buck's slow-growing trauma is perfectly portrayed by McDonough, who only gives glimpses into the pain and fear that are festering in Buck's head. He's a tragic figure, and Neal McDonough's stirring performance is heroic and heartbreaking.