"Not A Single One Of Them Is Likable": People Are Sharing The TV Shows With The Most Insufferable Main Characters

    "When you watch How I Met Your Mother once a week, it's a show about normal people who have shenanigans and make some mistakes. When you binge-watch How I Met Your Mother, it's a show about really terrible people."

    Kelly Martinez
    by Kelly Martinez

    BuzzFeed Staff

    There are lots of TV shows with many relatable, endearing, and complex characters whose stories really resonate with us.

    Netflix

    However, there are also plenty of TV shows full of...well, terrible people. Sometimes it's obviously a deliberate choice on the writers' part (I'm not watching You because I think Joe and Love are good people!). Other times, characters who are presumably meant to be sympathetic actually just end up coming across as total assholes.

    The WB

    Lucas Scott remains the inferior One Tree Hill brother.

    The other week, Reddit user u/hungrytiredandbored asked, "What show has no likable characters?" Their question sparked some pretty interesting responses! Here are some of the top shows people brought up:

    Minor spoilers ahead!!!

    1. How to Get Away With Murder:

    Annalise with students
    ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "It's a slow burn on hating every single character. From the very start, there is maybe one likable character. As the series reaches its climax, every single character becomes an unlikable, mythomaniac sociopath."

    —u/apkryptos

    2. The Watcher:

    Pearl and Jasper in overalls standing in a doorway
    Netflix / Everett Collection

    "My biggest issue with The Watcher is that there was no one to root for. Every single character sucked."

    —u/s7ab_m3

    3. Zoey 101:

    Lola and Zoey sitting at a table with trays of food in front of them
    Nickelodeon Network / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "I used to watch this show a lot when I was a kid. Now, when I look back at it, I realize that most of the characters are very superficial, act judgmental toward people outside of their social circle, and are extremely selfish and inconsiderate most of the time. Zoey is also a very unlikable protagonist who always acts like a spoiled brat if she doesn't get her way. Jamie Lynn Spears doesn't make any effort to at least try to make Zoey seem sympathetic when dealing with a problem — her constant eye-rolling is also annoying."

    —u/phantom_avenger

    4. The final season of Game of Thrones:

    Men in warrior uniforms stand together
    Helen Sloan / HBO

    "There must have been a nationwide carbon monoxide leak or something, because everyone turned into a slobbering moron who pissed you off every scene they were in."

    —u/lejeji4813

    5. House of the Dragon:

    Daemon and Rhaenyra dancing
    HBO

    "I tend to need people to root for in a show, and Game of Thrones had plenty of those characters at the start. I stopped watching House of the Dragon after Episode 4. It's a fantastically produced and acted show, but I just don't have any interest in watching a drama about only terrible people."

    —u/Pway

    6. Euphoria:

    Maddie yelling at Cassie as Kat looks on
    HBO

    "I can’t connect with any of the characters. They are all so awful, to the point where I couldn’t even finish the first season of the show."

    —u/DJConvex

    7. The White Lotus:

    People sitting around a table looking up at a man standing next to it
    Mario Perez / HBO

    "This show is pretty much an example of the opposite of the Save the Cat concept in writing for likable characters. As soon as a character seemed relatable, BOOM, they would be a dick to someone. Which was a big, massive chunk of the point."

    —u/Athomeacct

    8. Gossip Girl:

    Young people standing by a railing
    CW Network / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "Every character is 'likable' at certain points, but in reality, they are all pretty terrible people."

    —u/Xrt3

    9. Schitt's Creek:

    David and Alexis and Johnny and Moira walk arm in arm
    CBC / Pop! / Everett Collection

    "I love Schitt's Creek, but I wouldn't want to be trapped in an elevator with any one of the characters. They all are exhausting to be around."

    —u/CopprRegendt

    10. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia:

    A woman and three men stand in a room together
    FXX / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "While the show is hilarious and easily quotable, none of the main characters would be likable in real life, and they all have no redeeming qualities. I don't recall ever sympathizing with any of the characters."

    —u/PleasantContest7725

    11. The Simpsons:

    The Simpsons sitting in a movie theater
    Fox / Everett Collection

    "This show has some of the most iconic and beloved characters in television history, but now they've all become parodies of themselves. Lisa alone went from being the most relatable character to the most insufferable, and not intentionally."

    —u/MikeSihl

    12. Glee:

    Students performing onstage
    20thCentFox / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "By the time I stopped watching, I could pinpoint the exact episode when I began to hate each individual character. I gave up on the show before I started to hate Santana and Brittany because I couldn't take it."

    —u/crazy-diam0nd

    13. Grey's Anatomy:

    Interns in scrubs
    Liliane Lathan / ABC via Getty Images

    "This show used to be so amazing, but the characters now are just whiny, annoying people. They're literally 20 of the same characters who have no personality."

    —u/ImGoingToSayOneThing

    14. Friends From College:

    People raising their glasses in a toast
    David Lee / Netflix

    "The characters are all so shitty and self-absorbed. Ironically, the only character with any redeeming qualities is Max's fiancé, Felix — turns out he's just a jerk to Max's friends because they are terrible people. I gave up on the show after one season, I think."

    —u/Kiaiea

    15. Girls:

    HBO

    "I always feel like smacking some sense into all the characters."

    —u/dohapad101

    16. Sons of Anarchy:

    Three men in sunglasses and leather vests
    FX Networks / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "If a cruise missile had hit the clubhouse and killed every single member of the bike club, I would have stood up and clapped. I hated every character on that show."

    —u/Manuel_Snoriega

    17. The Mist:

    Two people helping a man walk
    Spike / Everett Collection

    "I watched the show's only season, and I was rooting for the Mist to kill everyone the whole time."

    —u/ClownfishSoup

    18. How I Met Your Mother:

    People sitting at a table in a bar
    CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "When you watch How I Met Your Mother once a week, it's a show about normal people who have shenanigans and make some mistakes — Ted is a fairly likable everyman who goes through situations that many people can relate to. When you binge-watch How I Met Your Mother, it's a show about really terrible people, and Ted is a selfish asshole with unrealistic standards."

    —u/aboardthegravyboat

    19. Everybody Loves Raymond:

    Raymond and his family sitting on a couch at Christmastime
    CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection

    "The characters are just a group of severely toxic individuals with no boundaries. It boils my blood to watch the show."

    —u/Loud-Vacation-711

    20. Rick and Morty:

    Animated characters Morty, Rick, and Summer standing together
    Adult Swim / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "I love the show and still have my favorites, but objectively speaking, all of the main characters are completely fucked up."

    —u/1-800-BirdLaw

    21. Fear the Walking Dead:

    AMC

    "I was actually rooting for the zombies."

    —u/Paganduck

    22. Married... With Children:

    The Bundy family at an outdoor party
    Fox / Everett Collection

    "The characters are all absolutely terrible people in their own ways. In my opinion, that's what made the show so popular in the '90s — everyone was like, 'They're fucked up, just like my family!'"

    —u/DreadedChalupacabra

    23. Yellowstone:

    Three men in jackets and cowboy hats stand outside
    Paramount Network / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "I had to give up halfway through the first season because I couldn't stand any of the characters. Even the supposed 'good' son kept getting into random gunfights in each episode."

    —u/The_Sleep

    24. Succession:

    Kendall Roy, Greg, and others stand together
    Macall Polay / HBO

    "Not a single character is likable, but the show is still brilliant."

    —u/DaMiBu

    25. Caillou:

    Two animated characters play in a sandbox and smile at each other
    PBS / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "I have multiple friends who had to ban Caillou from their home because their kids started acting out and becoming monsters. Once the bad influence of the show was gone, the kids went back to normal."

    —u/titsngiggles69

    26. The Office:

    A group photo taken in the office
    NBC / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

    "I'll be crucified for this, but The Office. At least with shows like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the characters are intentionally unlikable."

    —u/Im_Lucy_B

    27. And finally...Keeping Up With the Kardashians:

    Kris Jenner, Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney stand at a microphone
    Christopher Polk / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    —u/ViPrChillZz

    Note: Some entries have been edited for length and/or clarity.

    Reminder that I, Kelly Martinez, do not necessarily endorse these opinions!!!

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