Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Telly addicts

Related: Film discussion forum.

Original poster

Which tv characters were so bad they ruined shows for you.

258 replies

EachandEveryone · 04/08/2025 14:23

Inspired by the article in today’s Guardian the comments are quite good as there’s so
many.

mine would be the Moon family but not Daphne.

i can’t even speak about Che

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/04/from-emily-in-friends-to-che-diaz-the-tv-characters-so-bad-that-they-ruined-shows

OP posts:
Bootsineedboots · 04/08/2025 17:00

Monica was far far more annoying than Beth in Yellowstone. I hated her so much that even when she lost her baby I felt she deserved it! I don’t think I have ever hated a non-baddie character so much and I still feel weird about it.
I agree with PP that most (all?) of the characters were unlikeable though.

BunnyLake · 04/08/2025 17:02

Bruisername · 04/08/2025 16:14

Are you telling me you couldn’t understand Sweep?

our new puppy looked a little like Sweep so I introduced the kids to some YouTube clips and I was amazed I still understood him!!

on Pauline in Benidorm - I always thought the programme was taking the piss a lot and the dodgy accents were part of that

Show quote history

Sweep was my favourite. Your puppy must be very cute 😊

ginasevern · 04/08/2025 17:03

TerrierCollector · 04/08/2025 16:33

Yes, I don’t know how old you are but she was still getting on kids’ tits well into the 2000s. Bossy cow!

Show quote history

Blimey. She lasted a lot longer than she should've. I'm 68 by the way and she was "introduced" (snuck in) when I was about 8. She spoilt everything and I just can't forgive her - not that I'm bitter and twisted of course.

AnAlpacaForChristmasPleaseSanta · 04/08/2025 17:06

Lily in HIMYM. How lovely Marshall stayed married to her I'll never know.

BunnyLake · 04/08/2025 17:09

manicpixieschemegirl · 04/08/2025 16:16

Aiden and Richard in SATC.

Brida in The Last Kingdom.

Dr Turner and Valerie in Call The Midwife but especially Dr Turner.

Gavin and Stacey in Gavin and Stacey.

Will and Grace in Will & Grace.

It should have been called Jack & Karen. They were the real stars of Will & Grace. It also featured the only time I thought Madonna was laugh out loud in a role - in that scene vying with Karen for the attention of some bloke.😁

AnAlpacaForChristmasPleaseSanta · 04/08/2025 17:09

ginasevern · 04/08/2025 16:31

I'm ancient so I doubt anyone will know what I'm talking about, but I was pretty pissed off when Sue joined Sooty and Sweep. She got right on my nerves.

Sue and the Playbus Why Bird seemed to conspire to ruin my childhood viewing. Both had voiced that went straight through me.

IzzyHandsIsMySpiritAnimal · 04/08/2025 17:10

MousePolice · 04/08/2025 14:32

Daphne’s brother Simon was the worst. He won an award for that role!!

He was awful.
How did he have such a different accent? Totally implausible.

BigGra · 04/08/2025 17:10

Acaseofyou80 · 04/08/2025 15:36

Oh YES! She was absolutely insufferable. I too can’t stand her in anything else, even though I can see she isn’t awful in other things. I am rewatching ER and dreading her popping up.

Show quote history

I hated her character and have held it against her ever since.

suburburban · 04/08/2025 17:10

spoonbillstretford · 04/08/2025 16:51

Yeah, Sue was my favourite as I was a sensible and bossy child.

Show quote history

I liked her as well

Peggy in hi de hi was really irritating (mind you most of the cast was)

boopthatdog · 04/08/2025 17:12

Katrina in Monarch of the Glen - so irritating!

Notmyreality · 04/08/2025 17:15

Jollyhockeystickss · 04/08/2025 16:07

Middle age controlling men who STILL want control over women, i would have said ' take your small wet shrivelled man hood and mind your own business

Errr?

boopthatdog · 04/08/2025 17:16

also Edie Britt in Desperate Housewives

Notmyreality · 04/08/2025 17:16

susiedaisy1912 · 04/08/2025 16:19

That’s literally the whole point of the show. 😀

Show quote history

Indeed. You wouldn’t have a show without him.

BusWankers · 04/08/2025 17:17

ThisSharpFox · 04/08/2025 15:43

Not the characters so much but the acting of the Weasley twins and Ginny in the HP films.

I'm sure there were thousands of young actors competing for those roles and the best they could come up with was children so wooden and lacking in personality and emotions it looked like a chair had been thrown on set.

Same could be said for Dan Radcliffe....

WinterRoad · 04/08/2025 17:18

Phil Dunphy in Modern Family. Made my teeth itch. I just couldn't watch it because of him

TheOtherAgentJohnson · 04/08/2025 17:21

TerrierCollector · 04/08/2025 16:38

Ooh I forgot Logan and all his rich pals in Gilmore Girls. They grated on me so hard I almost gave up, but then so did Rory, and on a recent rewatch, Lorelai too.

Yes, the Life & Death Brigade, awful. Logan was a prick. April was dreadful too, though they wrote her out again fairly sharpish.

I couldn't believe how much time was devoted to the Life & Death Brigade in the Netflix specials - were we supposed to be fond of those bellends? That god-awful twenty minute steampunk sequence could have been replaced with Liz, TJ and Jess.

ThierryHwasthebest · 04/08/2025 17:23

Skyler in Breaking Bad and the son. Both so annoying that I couldn’t watch the programme, despite trying several times.

PocketSand · 04/08/2025 17:25

Gerry Seinfeld in Seinfeld. DS1 keeps badgering me to watch it but I have an irrational hated of Gerry. Also Scrappy Doo totally ruined Scooby Doo and I will never forgive the makers even though I’m now 60 and should really let it go.

PestoHoliday · 04/08/2025 17:28

dotdotdotdash · 04/08/2025 15:52

Adrian Pimento in Brooklyn 99 - just horrible. And in fact, same show, when Gina Linetti left, we almost gave up on it because we loved her character so much

Ha! Gina was my kids' most hated character.

Brenda34 · 04/08/2025 17:29

Jennifer Ehle in Pride and Prejudice.
She ruined it for me with that prissy face I just wanted to slap.
'Fine eyes' my arse!
I'm still not over it, can you tell? 😆

XelaM · 04/08/2025 17:31

ThierryHwasthebest · 04/08/2025 17:23

Skyler in Breaking Bad and the son. Both so annoying that I couldn’t watch the programme, despite trying several times.

I disliked them both in the beginning, but she really grew on me later on and some of her behaviour (although infuriating) was very funny.

I found her sister much worse!

ThierryHwasthebest · 04/08/2025 17:35

XelaM · 04/08/2025 17:31

I disliked them both in the beginning, but she really grew on me later on and some of her behaviour (although infuriating) was very funny.

I found her sister much worse!

Edited
Show quote history

Maybe will need to try again! Never got far enough to see the sister, she sounds like a treat.

NazeLife · 04/08/2025 17:36

Mine are all pretty old, but they actually did stop me watching the series
The sixth Doctor - I had loved the fourth and fifth so much. Didn't return until Christopher Ecclestone.
Spike and Dru in Buffy - I thought their accents were so stupid and bad that I stopped watching halfway through series two and didn't return until series five - ironically Spike then became my favourite character
Tolly in the BBC adaptation of Children of Green Knowe in the 80s - I had loved the books and could not wait for the show but the character was so whiny I couldn't bear it

JustFeedMeCake · 04/08/2025 17:37

XelaM · 04/08/2025 14:33

Definitely Beth in Yellowstone!!!!! She is literally the worst TV character of all time for me! Made it completely unwatchable, especially as everyone seemed to pander to her (except poor Jamie)

Poor Jamie?! Have you seen the entire series, it would seem not if you’re calling him that 🤣 Beth IS the show.

WaneyEdge · 04/08/2025 17:40

Haven't taken to any of the Death in Paradise cast since Ardal O’Hanlon left. They tried to make Neville like Monk with the allergies. I really miss Dwayne & JP too.

I think Emily was planned to be a much bigger character on Friends but the actress was pregnant and couldn’t commit to longer filming in the US. It’s why she’s shown in bed when she and Ross are having the discussion about him never seeing Rachel again.