Sometimes, the characters we dislike the most are the ones that frustrate us the most. So, from Dawson Leery to Ross Geller, here are 30 iconic faces that tested our patience.
1. Dawn Summers, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”
In a world full of vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness, you wouldn’t expect a teenage girl to be the biggest issue. Dawn had an unusual knack for getting herself and the gang into problems, from her continual grumbling to her obsessive need to be the focus of attention. Her abandonment troubles and episodes of kleptomania kept big sister Buffy on her toes.
2. Randy Pearson, “That ‘70s Show”
Randy, played by Josh Meyers,’s tendencies toward a highly ’80s style yuppiness heralded the end of the series, and the public’s massive disdain of the character had him scarcely appearing in the final few episodes.
3. Joey Gladstone, “Full House”
Joey Gladstone, Danny Tanner’s best friend had the worst jokes on the show and obnoxious catchphrases like “CUT IT OUT” with his small scissors gesture. The failing stand-up comedian would also frequently deliver ridiculous cartoon character impersonations that were cringeworthy.
4. Kimmy Gibbler, “Full House”
Kimmy Gibbler, played by Andrea Barber, is the Tanners’ neighbor and the wacky best friend of the oldest daughter DJ. Throughout the show, her flamboyant flair and wacky antics had the Tanners rolling their eyes and shaking their heads, imploring DJ to make less stinky-footed friends.
5. Lady Edith Crawley, “Downton Abbey”
The most frustrating aspect of Edith’s vast list of defects is that she eventually gets everything she ever desired and outranks them all by marrying the show’s dorkiest male character.
6. Sarah O’Brien, “Downton Abbey”
Downton Abbey has many wonderful people, but Sarah O’Brien is not one of them. She was perhaps one of the worst characters on the show. She was bitter, unpleasant to the other servants, and frequently conspired with Thomas Barrow; the two brought out the worst in each other.
7. Lisa Simpson, “The Simpsons”
Lisa, voiced by Yeardley Smith, is possibly one of the most obnoxious cartoon characters that is not from a children’s show. This tiny know-it-all doesn’t just know everything; she makes it her mission to correct everyone else and that is definitely annoying.
8. Steve Urkel, “Family Matters”
The creators of this show put so much effort into Steve Urkel (Jaleel White), who was supposed to make only one appearance, that by the second season, he was not only the main character but also a recurrent alter ego named Stefan Urquelle and he was sooooo irritating.
9. Sheldon, “The Big Bang Theory”
Sheldon is one of the most obnoxious TV characters. His ego and petulant manner make him an irritating, difficult guy to like. Of course, Jim Parsons does an excellent job portraying him and that is probably why we hate his character so much.
10. Ted Mosby, “How I Met Your Mother”
Josh Radnor plays Ted Mosby, a lonely architect who is kind of irritating. He can’t seem to find love and never quits sulking. The show’s premise finds him telling his children not about how he met their mother, but about how he will always pine for Robin Scherbatsky, played by Cobie Smulders.
11. Julie Taylor, “Friday Night Lights”
Julie is just another moody kid who no one seems to be able to create a family program without. Julie, played by Aimee Teegarden, was continually picking disputes with her perfect parents and eventually developed a tendency for getting herself involved in situations above her level of maturity.
12. Dr Sam Beckett, “Quantum Leap”
Quantum Leap‘s idea was an unusual twist on time travel, transporting Dr Beckett to the past as well as into other people’s bodies. However, the leaps that put Sam in the body of a chimp, as well as the craziness with evil Al in season 3, where Sam may or may not have danced with the devil, caused fans to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
13. Hilary Banks, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”
Hillary, portrayed by Karyn Parsons, pushed the valley-girl persona to the extreme. She undoubtedly used the word “like” more than any other female character in television history. And if there was one thing she could do for herself, it was to boss everyone else around.
14. Prue Halliwell, “Charmed”.
Rumor has it that Doherty’s negative attitude both on and off camera eventually led to the writers firing her through a wall, never to be seen or (hopefully) heard from again.
15. Fran Fine, “The Nanny”
Fran Drescher proudly owns the most legendary of all unpleasant voices. Fans regarded her up-and-down connection with Mr. Sheffield, as well as her voice, to be cringe-worthy. Her family members caused us headaches too.
16. Samuel “Screech” Powers, “Saved By The Bell”
On NBC’s Saved By The Bell, we all know Samuel “Screech” Powers as Lisa Turtle’s lovable yet annoying stalker and Zack Morris’ faithful bestie. Surprisingly, aside from his work, Screech’s eccentric, nerdy personality remains constant from junior high to adulthood.
17. Walter White, “Breaking Bad”
While Walter White was the protagonist of Breaking Bad from one perspective, the reality was that he was anything but a hero, and everything bad that occurred to him and his family was all his fault, despite the fact that he constantly pretended to be the victim with only the greatest intentions.
18. Emily Waltham, “Friends”
Emily Waltham (played by Helen Baxendale) is notorious for trying to pull a Yoko on the group in Seasons 4 and 5. Perhaps the writers were tired of all the will-they-won’t-they between Ross and Rachel and decided it was time to change things up. Her toxic influence over Ross and his personal life greatly bothered us.
19. Ross Geller, “Friends”
Some say Ross is whiny and spoiled, yet he considers himself a prize of the most covetous sort, and he can’t understand why none of his various relationships work out or why he can’t fully keep Rachel. Perhaps it’s simply his uncontrolled anxiety and overpowering jealousy that keep him in the friend zone.
20. Diane Chambers, “Cheers”
The writers turned Diane into a long-winded, arrogant character with a superiority complex. Moreover, she uses a lot of heavy phrases to make the people around her feel stupid because they must always know she is superior to them. This, of course, made it very plausible that she could not maintain any form of a relationship, whether romantically or with other female characters on the show.
21. George Costanza, “Seinfeld”
Based on Larry David’s alter ego, George Costanza, played by Jason Alexander, was Jerry Seinfeld’s arrogant yet self-hating doppelgänger. From avoiding work to almost killing his girlfriend, his lethargy and low self-esteem frequently clashed with his intense selfishness, typically ending in negative repercussions.
22. Janice Hosenstein, “Friends”
Maggie Wheeler’s character was Chandler Bing’s girlfriend during the first season of the sitcom. Even after they split up, she continued to add a nasally, ear-piercing spice to 19 episodes, often popping in at inconvenient points throughout the seasons. The only thing more irritating than her typical “Oh My God” phrase was her cringe-inducing cackle of a laugh, which will reverberate throughout the entertainment ages.
23. Marcy D’Arcy, “Married With Children”
Marcy Rhoades D’Arcy, played by Amanda Bearse, was an intrusive neighbor to the Bundys. Despite being nice to Peggy, her ultimate ambition was to be a stye in the eye of a pig named Al. Marcy’s disdainful sparring with Al originated from his chauvinism and her belief that she was superior to the Bundys.
24. Tori Scott, “Saved By The Bell”
Tori Scott of Saved By The Bell is one of the rare TV characters to have a paradox named after them. The Tori Paradox was created when Tiffani Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley declined to renew their contracts in the fourth season. They were replaced by Leanna Creel. Meanwhile, Tori shows up one day, parks her bike in Zack’s position, and irritates her way into his heart for most of the season.
25. Dawson Leery, “Dawson’s Creek”
Everyone has seen Dawson’s crying face meme. That expression captures the character better than any words could. Dawson Leery, played by the notoriously corny James Van Der Beek, is a crybaby. He has to be one of the twerpiest major characters that were supposed to be more appealing than they ended up being.
26. Newman, “Seinfeld”
As far as bothersome neighbors go, Newman is quite devilish, with shenanigans like purposeful flea infestations and claims of postal fraud (as if he wasn’t already the world’s worst mailman). In truth, Wayne Knights’ character exists solely to serve as a villainously unpleasant weasel.
27. Andrea Harrison, “The Walking Dead”
The overprotective, shoot-first, ask-questions-later mentality made logical because her little sister needed to be protected against zombies. After Amy’s death, Andrea (played by Laurie Holden) transformed into the bitter, furious, would-be cat woman we were relieved to see fall just short of escape.
28. Joffrey Baratheon, “Game of Thrones”
Joffrey was the bane of our lives on Game of Thrones for three and a half seasons. He was a noisy, petulant, evil, and obnoxious little monarch who had far too much authority and time on his hands. He did little to rule and made everyone miserable. Moreover, he lacked redeeming traits and appeared to be the worst person on the show until Ramsay added to the chaos.
29. Becky Conner, “Roseanne”
On ABC’s Roseanne, Becky, the oldest daughter, was first played by Lecy Goranson and then by Sarah Chalke. Her character begins as a typical teenage girl in a working-class home, with perhaps a few more obligations than she would want. Unfortunately, Becky develops into an ungrateful, foul-mouthed delinquent who refuses to respect parental authority.
30. Wesley Crusher, “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
Wesley Crusher, the son of ship doctor Beverly Crusher and played flawlessly by Wil Wheaton, was supposed to be a space-age wonderkid. Instead, we questioned why he was there in the first place. We watched Star Trek for the aliens and the unseemly fraternization among the crew members, not for the smarty-pants kids attempting and failing to fit in with the scientists and engineers that surround them.
