The 6 Best Fictional TV Veterans of the 21st Century (So Far)

Television has been providing America with some of the most beloved military characters in popular culture since the first television drama aired in 1928 (yeah, 1928). Since those early days, TV writers have been giving us characters who will forever live in our collective memory.

Who could forget Sheriff Andy Taylor from "The Andy Griffith Show," Hawkeye Pierce of "M*A*S*H" or Thomas Magnum of "Magnum, P.I.?" Archie Bunker was a World War II veteran, MacGyver served in Vietnam and Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler on "Law & Order: SVU" was a Marine in Desert Storm.

But a new generation of vets are coming of age in the 21st century, along with the TV characters who represent veterans of all eras and countries on the small screen. In this latest Golden Age of Television, the new millennium has provided viewers with epic favorite characters whose identities were shaped by their military service.

Richard Harrow, "Boardwalk Empire" (2010-2014)

It's clear from the jump that Harrow is a World War I veteran, as he meets a central character on the show in a 1920s veterans hospital. He was a sniper during the Great War, where a wound left half his face mangled, forcing him to wear a partial face mask to live his everyday life, a very real thing that happened.

Played by Jack Huston ("Ben-Hur"), Harrow is struggling with the memories of the war, but it turns out he's as deadly as he is troubled. In a show where anyone might kill anyone else, Richard Harrow is the angel of death. Unlike the rest of the mobsters of Atlantic City, Harrow is actually looking for redemption -- and finds it in one of the best old-timey, close-quarters combat scenes on TV.

Claudia, "The Americans" (2013-2018)

Just because Claudia, played by Margo Martindale ("Cocaine Bear"), wasn't serving the United States doesn't make her character any less compelling. By the time FX's "The Americans" is taking place, the Cold War is in full swing, but before she became the KGB handler for Soviet Illegals Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, she had a very different life.

Claudia may seem like a nice old babushka at first glance, but don't be fooled. She's as ice cold as they come in Russia. After her family was killed by the Nazis in World War II, Claudia became a Soviet partisan and fought at the Battle of Stalingrad. She will drug you and cut your throat while she tells you stories about it.

Mike Ehrmantraut, "Better Call Saul" (2015-2022)

When actor Jonathan Banks ("Gremlins") first appeared as Mike Ehrmantraut on "Breaking Bad," we knew he was a retired officer with the Philadelphia police department. In the spinoff "Better Call Saul," we learn that Ehrmantraut was also a sniper who served in the Vietnam War, which only adds to his hitman resume.

Over the course of the two shows, we see how seemingly easy it was for him to go from corrupt police officer to stone-cold cartel hitman in just a few years. Cold as he was, he has a soft spot for his wife and daughter, which is the only way his enemies might control him.

Kayce Dutton, "Yellowstone" (2018-)

Before becoming a ranch hand on the Dutton family's Montana ranch, Kayce was a U.S. Navy SEAL, pursuing high-value targets in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region of Central Asia. His encounter with one of those targets forced him into a situation that haunts him -- but also allows him to do things on the ranch that others couldn't do.

Unsurprisingly, death seems to follow Kayce Dutton (played by Luke Grimes, "American Sniper") around, even in the most remote regions of Montana. He's run into meth-lab explosions, hangings and even human traffickers in the course of his "normal" life among his family.

Barry Berkman, "Barry" (2018-23)

What you have to love about Bill Hader's depiction of Barry Berkman, who takes a strange journey as a Marine-turned-hitman-turned-wannabe actor, is that he initially appears just as confused about his transition to the civilian world as any veteran ever.

Still, when it comes time to do the job he knows -- killing people -- there's no hesitation, reluctance or lack of confidence in what needs to be done. Even as Barry struggles to deal with the new world he lives in, it's nice to see a veteran can still thrive in his military career as he makes inroads elsewhere.

Billy Butcher, "The Boys" (2019-)

When "The Boys" takes place, Karl Urban's Billy Butcher is leading a team of regular human vigilantes to take down the corporate-controlled (and most powerful) group of superhumans, known as "The 7." Fighting people who can shoot laser beams from their eyes, have super speed or are virtually invulnerable may seem hard, but Butcher at least has some combat training.

After running away from home in the United Kingdom, Butcher joined the British Army and became a member of the Special Air Service. His clandestine experience led him into a career with the American CIA, which eventually led him to killing "supes" with a motley crew of former associates.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on LinkedIn.

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