People Are Calling Out The Actors Who Were So Miscast They Nearly Ruined The Whole TV Show, And These Are Some Spicy Takes

"It seemed like she was in physical pain while reciting her lines."

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community which actor nearly ruined a perfectly good TV show because they were so poorly cast. Here's what they had to say:

Note: While all of these actors are great in their own right, sometimes people get miscast in the wrong role. That doesn't mean they're any less talented. Enjoy!

1. Tracy Morgan as Tracy in 30 Rock

NBC

"Tracy Morgan is certainly the least funny famous comedian in the history of the world. Saying unfunny things really, really loudly does not make comedy."

–dogdaddy

2. Aubrey Anderson-Emmons as Lily in Modern Family

20th Television

"I feel bad because she is so young, but so many lines fell flat. They cast her so young, and they should have written her character differently to be a better fit for the actress."

–JessBruso

"I couldn’t find humor in many of the scenes that included her."

–Otterma444

3. Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Dean Buscher / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection

"I was pretty irritated with her. Not sure why, but she kept bobbing her head and nodding whenever she spoke (probably to emphasize cringey lines), but she doesn't do that in any other roles. The fact that she wears that awful wig throughout the series just highlights it. Once you notice it, you can't stop noticing it."

–SenpaiNoticedU

4. David Schwimmer as Ross in Friends

Warner Bros.

"The actor made Ross really annoying, and the character was already sooo self-centered."

–sanbea

5. Michelle Trachtenberg as Dawn in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

20th Television

"Michelle was an awful choice; she was too mature. Dawn was supposed to be innocent and precious with the typical kid sister vibe. Dawn would've been better cast with an actress similar to Kirsten Dunst in Interview With the Vampire or Jumanji. I actually think Dawn would've been a lot more likable if an actor like that played her."

–sammachado

6. Ed Helms as Andy in The Office

NBC

"He played it way too over the top. Like, I know all of the characters on the show were a lot, but Ed tried too hard. Andy had amazing potential and some funny moments, but it was all lost with the over-the-top acting. It's hard to even watch the scenes with Andy."

–carol11

7. Selena Gomez as Mabel in Only Murders in the Building

Craig Blankenhorn / Hulu / Courtesy Everett Collection

"It seemed like she was in physical pain while reciting her lines, and it was so bad that I nearly stopped watching. I get her character is supposed to be closed off, but it just came across as stiff and wooden onscreen."

–mlejn

8. January Jones as Betty in Mad Men

Jessica Brooks / AMC / Courtesy: Everett Collection

"At first, I thought she was pretty solid as the stoic housewife who is meek and mild. But as the series progressed and her storyline expanded, I realized, 'Oh. No, she’s just not that good of an actress!' Maybe it’s also because the rest of the cast was top-tier, so it stuck out a little more when someone wasn’t as strong as their costars. Almost every time she spoke, it was like she was just reading lines off a page with no real meaning behind them."

–WalkinginSpace

"She's so wooden, no personality whatsoever."

–witchyribbon84

9. Aria Shahghasemi as Landon in Legacies

The CW

"For being the male lead, it’s a pretty weak performance. He’s really annoying, and he has no chemistry with Danielle Rose Russell, who plays Hope. I’ll excuse Danielle for this because her performance is otherwise good."

–jessieweickert

10. Ruth Negga as Raina in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Justin Lubin / ABC / courtesy Everett Collection

"I absolutely could not STAND Ruth Negga as Raina, specifically pre-transformation. I actually think she's a marvelous actor based on other roles I've seen her in, but I HATED the choices she made as that character. I suppose it could've been the directors/writers making the choices for her, but the execution was just...bad. From her line delivery to every motion she made to her facial expressions, I found it absolutely infuriating every time her character was onscreen."

–melissan40168c557

11. Megan Fox as Reagan in New Girl

Ray Mickshaw/ Fox / courtesy Everett Collection

"Zooey Deschanel was out on maternity leave for a chunk of episodes, and Megan Fox’s character became the new roommate and love interest for Nick. I totally get that they wanted a new and different type of female character in the mix, but she played the entire thing so wooden! I’ve seen her be awesome in other stuff before, and I know she can be funny, but for whatever reason, she just sucked all the funny out of the show during her tenure."

–ruemclanahan

12. Gates McFadden as Beverly in Star Trek: The Next Generation

Paramount Television / Courtesy: Everett Collection

"The way she delivered her lines drove me crazy. She'd regularly shift from an American accent to a faux-British accent and then back to the American accent, often in the same sentence!"

–byloband

13. Kenya Barris as Kenya in Black AF

Netflix

"That show had so much potential, but I couldn’t get past his lackluster acting skills, which makes sense because he’s not an actor. He’s the creator and a writer of the show. I don’t really understand why the decision was made to make him the dad. I couldn’t make it to the end of the season. I was so disappointed because I really did want to like it."

–mj2005

14. Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor in Supergirl

Warner Bros.

"Lex Luthor was definitely ruined by casting Jon Cryer. He's supposed to be an evil supervillain everyone fears, yet I can only see the nerdy Alan from Two and a Half Men."

–christinab44a37045e

15. And finally, Rashida Jones as Ann in Parks and Rec

Tyler Golden / NBC / courtesy Everett Collection

"I don't think she or the character was funny. Luckily, the rest of the cast more than made up for that."

–doofenshmirtzevilinc

Now that we've heard about actors who were miscast in TV shows, I want to hear about actors who nearly ruined movies! Sound off in the comments below!

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