Although you won't find him on any primetime network TV offering (except maybe the evening news), former NASDAQ executive and hedge-fund honcho Bernard Madoff has earned himself a special place atop the list of "people we love to hate."  Bernie's cutthroat scheming makes any of the villains we've seen on the airwaves look like petty thieves - and his sentencing this past Monday morning just as fulfilling as any comeuppance we've seen.

So, to celebrate the biggest and greediest scoundrel of them all getting his, let's take a look back at some of the other wealthy yet unscrupulous baddies from TV land and some of the lessons that Bernie could - or might - have learned from them:

1. Charles Widmore (LOST)

Say what you will about him faking plane wreckage or dabbling with Blackwater-esque mercenaries, one thing you can say about Charles Widmore: he knows how to invest.  After being banished from the island, Widmore managed to establish himself as a heavy-hitter in Britain's industrial scene (do the Others have a healthy 401k program or something?).  Yet, like a certain other financier, his narrow-sighted, self-absorbed plan has derailed his relationships with those closest to him.  Though with the final season of LOST approaching next January, something tells us we haven't seen the end of Charles' obsessive drive to make it back to his old home.

2. Wilhelmina Slater (Ugly Betty)

Where do you even begin with the plotting and scheming that Wilhelmina has unleashed on MODE and its employees?  Showing that all is fair in love and war, the former supermodel and current Creative Director for the magazine has used sex, lies, and Medusa X to try and swindle control of MODE out from under the Meade family and the good-natured Betty.  However, like Madoff, Wilhelmina's "comic book villain" urge to spill the beans on her evil plans, which her assistant Marc used to his advantage, is something she should try to keep a lid on in the future.

3. John Ross "JR" Ewing, Jr. (Dallas)

The eminent symbol of Reaganomics greed, the eldest Ewing son used his controlling interest in the family business to wreak havoc on the Lone Star State.  Thanks to his questionable ethics and unending quest to make more money, JR kept his friends and family at bay - and made plenty of enemies in the process.  JR's wheeling and dealing to turn a profit eventually caused two different would-be assassins to storm into JR's office and settle the problem the Dallas way: with a gun.  Given their similarities, it's surprising we didn't see a "Who Shot Bernie?" headline.

 

4. Anthony John Soprano, Sr. (The Sopranos)

If anyone knows the ups and downs of leading a double life, it's the head of the DiMeo crime family - Tony Soprano.  Hiding behind the reputable front of consulting for Barone Sanitation, Tony takes and steals to get what he needs to keep him and his "family" on top of the Mafia food chain. With a diverse portfolio (wink, wink) of construction projects, security and protection services, and merchandise distribution, he made enough money to keep Camilla and his goombas away from needing Madoff's investment fund. Maybe for those left dissatisfied by the end of Tony's story, we can look to Bernie's as a place to pick up and fulfill a few loose ends - and not just go out in a slow fade.

5. Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns (The Simpsons)

Perhaps the greediest and most corrupt businessperson of them all - and given this list, that's saying something.  Come on, who else beside Darth Vader could get away with "The Imperial March" as their theme song?  Mr. Burns is about as old money as you can get and over his long career, he has managed to diversify his assets over a huge number of incredibly successful business ventures (remember Lil' Lisa Recycling?).  Despite his complete and utter disregard for the safety, financial standing or general well-being of any of Springfield's citizens, Monty has a Midas touch and let's face it, he makes corporate greed look "Excellent."

*And while we revel in breaking all of the rules, we're throwing in one extra.  Consider him a "Madoff-in-Training" - after all, they have to start somewhere, right?

6. Eddie Haskell (Leave It to Beaver)

Sure, he didn't manage a multi-billion dollar conglomerate or pioneer the Ponzi scheme, but the get-rich-quick ideas of Eddie Haskell paved the way for the rest of them.  His well-practiced two-faced nature, coupled with his conniving mind and willingness to pass the blame to either "Wallace" or "Theodore" shows why this original bad boy lent his name to a generation of swindlers and easily fits on this list.  We wouldn't be surprised if he ended up as one of Bernie's 17th Floor so-called traders.

Now that Bernie is going to have plenty of TV time in prison, maybe he can tune in and watch these masters at work.

Who are some of your favorite dishonorable and rich TV villains?  Leave a comment and let us know.

Cason Murphy started in the entertainment business at the age of three when he "picked a rabbit out of his hat" during a tap recital - and hasn't had the good sense to get out yet.  When he's not selling his soul to academia at UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television, he is making good use of his DVR.