TV series are full of heroes and villains, protagonists and antagonists. Sometimes we fall in love with the monsters, criminals, and antiheroes, while other times we feel miffed by the supposed “good guys”.
Though it boils down to taste and preference, today we explore ten TV characters fans are supposed to root for that we cannot stand!
DEBRA MORGAN: DEXTER
Wow, is Debra Morgan annoying! Maybe she irritates viewers as the foil to Dexter’s brilliant best-laid plans, or maybe it’s her incessant tone and lack of self-awareness, but Debra has gotten under the skin of many Dexter fans.
She swears more than a sailor and dresses like Jessie from Toy Story 2. The most redeeming quality about Deb is her shrewd detective skills on the force. She’s also pretty whiny, always seeming to complain about something new. It seems like even Dexter gets exasperated with his annoying little sister.
PIPER CHAPMAN: ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
Piper Chapman, what a piece of work. Though it’s not clear whether this protagonist of Orange Is the New Black is supposed to be well-liked by fans, Piper surely gets under our skin! She so full of herself, under the belief she’s better than the other women in the prison that don’t have college degrees.
Piper also seems to hold no accountability for her actions, as she constantly winds up cheating on her significant other, regardless of their gender. Piper’s prison mates give her a pretty hard time, so watching this Netflix series turns into another form of “justice porn.”
NANCY BOTWIN: WEEDS
Nancy Botwin starts out as the pitiful widowed housewife moving her way up from dime bags to ounces. When she was small potatoes, Nancy was actually once likable, but her narcissism and small success quickly spin out of control and she turns into a complete egomaniac.
We’re not shaming her life choices, but Nancy certainly holds nothing back when it comes to her intimate affairs with several different men (and women!) throughout the series. With every season of Weeds that passed, Nancy Botwin became more and more insufferable. The hit series plans to return for a sequel titled ‘Weeds 4.20’, in early development with STARZ.
CRAIG MANNING: DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION
Another character usually adored by fans, there’s something about Craig Manning that just doesn’t sit right. Sure, he’s the troubled teen whose mom is no longer alive also riddled with an abusive biological father, which nobody deserves. It seems Craig’s sister and stepfather, Joey, are his only saving graces… except all of his romantic interests!
Craig has a propensity for cheating, two-timing Ashley and Manny during Degrassi:The Next Generation’s third season. He also has an embarrassing moment when his cocaine habit slides out of control in the form of a nosebleed on stage, a one-time shot performing for the hit band Taking Back Sunday.
FIONA GALLAGHER: SHAMELESS
As the main caretaker in Showtime’s hit series Shameless, Fiona Gallagher starts off empathetic, a large load amongst her shoulders as she’s granted custody of her younger brothers and sisters. Fiona begins a downward spiral in season four when she accidentally leaves a pile of cocaine out for her 4-year-old brother Liam to ingest, landing her in jail.
Fiona’s indiscretions don’t end there– she also sleeps with her boss-turned-boyfriend’s druggie brother, impulsively gets married (and divorced), and leaves her siblings high and dry on multiple occasions. Basically, Fiona sucks, but Fiona also made Shameless into the great show it used to be.
DEAN FORESTER: GILMORE GIRLS
Season one of the hit series Gilmore Girls introduced Rory’s first boyfriend, Dean Forester. Dean just doesn’t make the cut for Rory. While Jess and Rory connect over literature and writing, Dean tries his best, but Dean will always come up short.
He’s also quite the cranky pants. Dean always seems to be brooding, but not in a mysterious, sexy, Lucas Scott type way. There’s nothing mysterious about Dean. He’s almost too safe– but not with his future wife Lindsay, who he ends up cheating on with Rory!
PEYTON SAWYER: ONE TREE HILL
This classic 2000s teen-drama features some complex characters, including Peyton Sawyer. Adored by most fans, it’s Peyton’s helplessness and moody attitude that land her on this list. Though she was a lot more damaging in the first season of One Tree Hill, Peyton was very sour and took it out on those around her.
She does sleep with Lucas when he’s dating her best friend Brooke and betrays her again years later when she professes her love for Lucas, only after encouraging Brooke to date him once again! Peyton and Lucas wind up together in the end, exiting from the show in season 6.
CARL GRIMES: THE WALKING DEAD
Though it may be harsh to include a child on the list, the apocalypse holds everyone accountable! The Walking Dead has gone on for far too long, and Rick Grimes’ son Carl is no exception. Carl had to man up quickly during the course of the show, but his hardened exterior and awkward demeanor made him unlikable.
As it turns out, Carl ends up killing himself after being bit by a zombie during season 8.
SOOKIE STACKHOUSE: TRUE BLOOD
Sookie Stackhouse, the protagonist of HBO’s vampire hit series True Blood, seemed to bother both characters in the show and viewers. Pam said it best when she declared: “I am so over Sookie and her precious fairy vagina and her unbelievably stupid name. F— Sookie!”
From her annoying voice and the way she screeches “Biiiillll!” to Anna Paquin’s diastema, Sookie’s home belongs on this list with the other characters we’re supposed to enjoy!
MARNIE MICHAELS: GIRLS
Though Lena Dunham’s esteemed HBO comedy Girls seems to poke more fun at its characters than take them seriously, Marnie never fails to be the person equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. She’s narcissistic, completely unaware and oblivious, and thinks she’s worth so much more than she actually is.
The funniest Marnie scene is when she’s trapped inside her horrible artist boyfriend’s installation of a bunch of TVs playing the 90’s one-hit-wonder “Barely Breathing” by Duncan Sheik.
