Shows like HBO's hit "The Sopranos" and FX's stark cop drama "The Shield" have introduced TV viewers to a new kind of protagonist. It's tough to call him a "hero." He kills his enemies (they were bad guys anyway), rebels against legitimate authorities (the authorities don't know what's really going on), and grabs whatever he can (stealing from a criminal isn't a crime, is it?). But he also shows flashes of humanity: he cares for his family, takes risks for his friends, and occasionally bursts out in honesty. Apparently, the writers and producers want us to root for these guys.

John Furia, Jr., a TV professor at the University of Southern California, isn't so sure these new flawed heroes are good for us. Speaking of the brutal and corrupt lead character on "The Shield," Furia recently told the Chicago Tribune, "We say, 'Well, he did a bad thing, a corrupt thing, an evil thing, a cruel thing. But on the other hand, he loves his autistic son and devotes himself to him diligently.' That is a very human thing, but I think it tends to push us as an audience to not only forgive the errant ways of these characters, but to consider the things that they do when they're behaving badly to be OK. I would decry that."