SUMMARY
- TV shows often reward unlikable characters with happy endings, sending the wrong message about their despicable behavior.
- Characters like Ross Geller, Robin Scherbatsky, and Carrie Bradhaw started off as likable but descended into darkness, yet they still received positive outcomes.
- Some characters, like Sheldon Cooper and Eric Forman, never truly grew or changed throughout the series, remaining unlikable and selfish.
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TV shows often turn perfectly normal characters into unlikable jerks, but they still get to live out their happily-ever-after. Writers and audiences can often have different perceptions of a certain character, which, if not addressed, may become a huge problem as the show progresses. If a truly awful character, who keeps doing despicable things with no repercussions, gets rewarded with a happy ending, this sends out the wrong message. Chuck Bass may not have officially been one of the villains in Gossip Girl, but he surely acted and deserved to be treated like one — instead, he got an unconvincing redemption arc.
It doesn’t even have to be an obviously problematic character like Chuck. Sometimes, a character’s faults seem subtler, and a case can be made for them to be both a hero and a villain. Ross Geller started out as a nice guy, but over time he became less and less likable, specifically because of the way he behaved around women. It is not surprising all 14 of Ross’ relationships in Friends ended so disastrously. He is not the only TV character to descend into darkness over the course of the series. There are plenty of other unfortunate examples, and those characters have still gotten fates that are too good for them.
10. Ross Geller
Friends
Friends‘ Ross was one of the most hated main characters in the history of television. He was often unprofessional, like when he dated his former student, had a breakdown over a sandwich, or was willing to tip the scales in his favor for a grant by using his girlfriend. His personal life wasn’t better. For instance, over the course of Ross and Rachel’s relationship timeline, the former became more jealous and controlling, which got to the point of Ross making Rachel give up the job of her dreams. Plus, the whole “we were on a break” debacle came down to the fact that Ross slept with another woman. In the end, Ross got Rachel’s affections back, as infuriating as it was.
9. Negan Smith
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead
Negan was originally one of the main antagonists in The Walking Dead, and he did a lot of gruesome things to deserve that title. Negan tortured and killed a lot of innocent people because of his own agenda, and he was essentially the leader of a horrendous cult. Unfortunately, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was so charismatic that The Walking Dead writers tried to redeem Negan multiple times and even sent him off into the sunset with Annie. In the later seasons, Negan did a few nice things and helped other people, but none of that was enough for him to be considered a good guy, worthy of a happy ending.
8. Chuck Bass
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl‘s Chuck Bass was trash of a human being. Apart from sexually assaulting two girls, Chuck did unspeakable things to Blair throughout their relationship. He humiliated her on more than one occasion and even sold her in exchange for a hotel. It is truly baffling that this character never answered for his crimes — he was arrested and then let go due to the lack of evidence. It was even more dumbfounding that Chuck got to have a family with Blair in the Gossip Girl finale. The series should have ended with Chuck’s arrest and, preferably, conviction to a life in jail.
7. Damon Salvatore
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries‘ Stefan died to earn his redemption for all the crimes he’d committed, and yet somehow his brother, Damon, didn’t suffer the same fate. Damon might have been even worse than Stefan. At the beginning of the show, he was a cold-blooded murderer who had no remorse, and while he changed his ways in the later seasons, he had major slip-ups that should’ve prevented him from ending up with Elena. Damon killed her brother among other people and turned Elena herself into a vampire without her consent. None of it seemed to matter much to the writers, as they still gave Damon and Elena a bright future together.
6. Fleabag
Fleabag
Fleabag
Fleabag‘s titular character was complex and layered. She appeared to be appealing because of her upbeat demeanor, and yet she made quite a few questionable decisions. Fleabag was often unjustifiably mean to her sister, Claire, but she made up with her regardless. She didn’t mind committing crimes, like when she stole money from Bus Rodent, and she used people with no remorse, like how she played with Henry’s heart for years. There were a lot more examples of Fleabag’s bad behavior, and she didn’t atone for most of it. In the finale, the character mended her relationship with her family and seemed genuinely and unfairly happy.
5. Angela Martin
The Office
The Office
The Office may have had a few annoying characters, but Angela was the worst of them all. She was two-faced toward most of her colleagues, even toward Pam, who was nothing but nice to everyone. Angela’s holier-than-thou attitude got tiresome rather quickly, but she didn’t know when to quit. Plus, she was homophobic and prone to adultery. For a religious woman she claimed to be, she committed a lot of sins. Angela and Dwight’s relationship was a mess as well, and while Dwight wasn’t a saint, Angela was the true villain for lying to him about the paternity of her child. Dwight deserved a better wife than he got in the series finale.
4Carrie Bradshaw
Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Of all the main Sex and the City characters, Carrie was easily the most frustrating. She was self-involved and entitled when it came to her job, relationships, and friendships. Even though her chosen man, Mr. Big, was far from being perfection, Carrie saw him as the One, so she did find happiness. However, Carrie’s ways of getting what she wanted were all wrong since nothing, not even cheating, was off the table for her. Her love life wasn’t the only field Carrie messed up — she was also an awful friend on multiple occasions, especially when the women in her life were kind enough to give her a reality check, and she refused point-blank.
3. Robin Scherbatsky
How I Met Your Mother
Ted was commonly considered to be the real villain of How I Met Your Mother, but Robin wasn’t any better. She may have even been worse. Robin wasn’t a good friend — she failed to show her support to Lily when she and Marshall were broken up and allowed herself to drift apart from the gang after her divorce. Overall, Robin wasn’t a great person, as she broke the hearts of the two guys, who loved her, in the worst ways possible, but nothing could beat Robin’s betrayal of Barney when she changed her mind about breaking up with Kevin. Robin didn’t deserve the career heights she’d had or Ted’s love all those years later.
2. Sheldon Cooper
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory
Sheldon was the most compelling character in The Big Bang Theory, but he was also the absolute worst. Despite all the opportunities for growth he’d been given, Sheldon showed that he was incapable of big change. Closer to the end of the show, he might have been considerate of other people’s feelings a little bit more, but he was still mean and condescending on most days. Sheldon didn’t learn to respect people, he thought his intelligence to be superior to that of others, and he wasn’t a supportive friend. Amy was a blessing Sheldon never earned. The character seems even worse if Young Sheldon is to be taken into account.
1. Eric Forman
That ’70s Show
that 70s show
That ’70s Show had many amazing, relatable characters, and yet Eric wasn’t one of them. He claimed to love Donna, but he didn’t mind hurting her feelings and breaking up with her over the phone while in a long-distance relationship. Eric was whiny and ungrateful, especially toward Kitty and Red, who had surprising amounts of patience for his shenanigans. This character seemed to be stuck in one place for the entire series, never growing or improving personality-wise. He liked everything to be about him, and he acted like a jerk when things didn’t go his way.
