Top 10 Worst TV Characters of Great TV Shows

These characters made awesome shows almost unwatchable at times. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 worst characters on great TV shows.  For this list, we’re looking at those characters that were awful either due to poor acting or poor writing. Therefore, we’re not including characters that we are supposed to hate, nor those characters that are intentionally annoying. 

#10: A.J. Soprano “The Sopranos” (1999-2007)

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Top 20 Worst Main Characters on TV Shows

If your dad was a prominent gangster in New Jersey, you may act like a little prick too, but that doesn’t excuse how unbearable AJ is throughout this entire series. Despite having nearly everything handed to him on a silver platter, AJ is incredibly lazy and rude, often antagonizing his mother for no good reason. Still, we prefer this version of AJ to his character in later seasons when he went through a whole emo phase after his fiancée broke up with him. While Meadow went through similar issues, Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s performance made it believable. Let’s just say that Robert Iler’s portrayal doesn’t exactly make this character redeemable in any way. Woe is we. 

When “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” first aired in 1969, it was an instant success and allowed Hanna-Barbera to create a plethora of new animated shows. By 1979, however, the show’s ratings were beginning to decline and ABC even threatened cancellation. Enter Scrappy Doo. Equipped with a new series and a number of catchphrases, Scrappy was supposed to help rejuvenate the series. Instead, he became one of the most unpopular characters on television and the show was cancelled after just one season. Now, when a show introduces a new character who is poorly received, they are referred to as “Scrappies.” So much for “puppy power.”

#8: The Sixth Doctor “Doctor Who” (1963-89; 2005-)

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Top 10 Worst Main Characters on TV Shows

There are a number of reasons why Colin Baker’s portrayal of the Sixth Doctor on “Doctor Who” wasn’t well received by fans. Some disliked the actor’s performance. Others believe that the episodes he appeared in were poorly written. Mostly, however, it was the character that was the problem – the Sixth Doctor was moody, arrogant, and egotistical, a drastic change from the friendly Fifth Doctor. Allegedly, Baker was removed after just eleven stories at the insistence of BBC management. He then refused to return for the regeneration sequence to transition into the Seventh Doctor. Considering how unlikeable his character was, we don’t blame him.

#7: Ted Mosby “How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)

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Top 10 WORST TV Main Characters

The entire premise of “How I Met Your Mother” revolves around Ted Mosby and his search for romance. The story is told via flashbacks as Ted narrates the story to his future children, and features great writing and several hilarious characters. Unfortunately, Ted isn’t one of them. He constantly complains that he can’t find love while going through girlfriends like they’re going out of style. Throughout the show’s 9 seasons, he’s torn between wanting to be like Marshall and wanting to be like Barney – but at least those guys are clear about their intentions. Honestly, kids, this is basically a story about how awesome Barney Stinson is. And don’t even get us started on the finale…

It’s bad enough that she’s head of the homicide department that employs the most prominent serial killer in history, but even worse is that she’s just a terrible person. LaGuerta sleeps with a co-worker’s fiancé to regain her position as Lieutenant and then blackmails her way to a promotion. Furthermore, her relationship with ex-husband Angel Batista seems incredibly forced and manufactured. Her incompetence combined with her constant meddling and tedious plot lines can make her scenes painful to watch. Despite being ambitious, her cutthroat and manipulative personality makes you root for pretty much any other character on this show.

Andrea started off as a well-received character, but then season three happened. As her character strayed further and further from the source material, critics and fans began to voice their displeasure–and yet she just kept happening! Not only did she make inexplicable decisions that seemingly always put the group at risk, she was also incredibly annoying, which didn’t seem to be intentional on the part of the writers. Plus, she was a jerk to Dale, which is inexcusable in its own right.

Although Foggy Nelson is generally limited to providing comic relief in the comic books, he is at the very least a likeable character. He is neither of those things in this show. None of his jokes ever seem to land, which you can chalk up to bad writing, but it may have more to do with Elden Henson’s bland portrayal of the character. Foggy’s relationship with Marci is completely implausible, and even worse; he doesn’t have much chemistry with Murdock or Page– which is sort ofnecessary. This Netflix show got a lot of things right, but it missed the mark with this character.

The Internet can be a cruel, cruel place, particularly if you are a child actor portraying a character everyone hates. Still, when it comes to Dana Brody, we can’t say we blame them- even if we don't encourage them. While 13,000 Facebook likes on an article that only shows pictures of her mopey face is a bit harsh, there’s no denying that her whiney, annoying, one-dimensional character is extremely frustrating to watch. We get it – you’re a teenager and the world sucks. 

#2: Kim Bauer “24” (2001-10; 2014)

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Top 10 Great Characters in Horrible TV Shows

Audiences will forgive a lot of things, but they have a hard time tolerating stupidity. At the end of the day, Kim Bauer is so frustrating to watch because she is a dumb character. While she has a number of questionable moments throughout the series, Season 2 is by far the worst. Of all the convenience stores in LA, she wanders into the one that happens to get robbed. How... unlikely. Worse, still, is when she literally gets caught in a cougar trap in the Angeles National Forest. And yet somehow she is granted an internship at CTU for the start of Season 3? We’re just as confused as you are. Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Nikki Fernandez and Paulo “Lost” (2004-10) Aslaug “Vikings” (2013-) John Doggett “The X-Files” (1993-2002; 2016) Jubilee “X-Men” (1992-97)

#1: Larry Bloom “Orange Is the New Black” (2013-)

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Top 10 Worst Things Larry David Has Done

It can’t be easy finding out that your fiancée is going to prison, and as such, Larry Bloom had the potential to be a great, complex, gateway character. Unfortunately, that never transpired. He essentially abandons Piper to have a fling with her long-time friend Polly, and uses Piper’s situation as a means to enhance his failing writing career. Larry doesn’t appear in season 3, apparently due to the development of the plot and not the widespread disdain for the character– although we find that hard to believe. Add in the fact that he is portrayed by Jason Biggs, who already divides the room, and it makes the selfish Larry quite easy to dislike, leaving you– in our opinion– with the worst character from a great show. Do you agree with our list? Who do you think is the worst character on TV? For more great Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.