25 Great Characters on TV Shows You Hate
Help free him/her from this terrible box!
Image via Complex Original
You can't help but feel bad for these actors. If an actor does one bad movie, sure it might be a set back, but there's always the next one. If a bad TV show takes off, an actor could be trapped for a decade anchoring a CBS prime-time comedy block.
Awards season rightfully celebrate great actors on great shows, but how much harder is it to pull off a quality performance when Matt Weiner or Vince Gilligan wouldn't touch your writers room with a ten foot pole? We wanted to take a minute to salute the unsung heroes of television that hold it down as cliched writing and hackneyed plotting threaten at every turn.
Here are 25 Great Characters on TV Shows You Hate.
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Written by Brenden Gallagher (@muddycreekU)
Flavor Flav, Flavor of Love
Played By: Flavor Flav
Don't hate the Flavor, hate the game. There's a reason that Flavor Flav's was the face that launched a thousand reality shows. Dating shows revolving around women clawing over faded stars are inherently unpleasant, but, damn it, Flav was entertaining.
Only Rock of Love came anywhere close to repeating the brilliance that was Flavor of Love. Anyone out there who suffered through Tila Tequila or Ray J's shows knows that there was only one king, and he wore clock and a crown.
Now, please get him a place to be funny that isn't a pathetic dating show.
Ivy Lynn, Smash
Played By: Megan Hilty
The few Smash fans left out there agree that it's tough rooting for the show's main character when her nemesis clearly has the better chops. Lead actress Katherine McPhee's performance has been weak since the show began, and now that we're well into the second season, the time for fixing that is probably over.
McPhee's work is just one of the problems of this deeply flawed show. Critics have run through the litany of complaints time and time again, but for us, the Implausible plotting is the show's greatest sin. Smash tries so hard to sell us on this or that poorly formed plot point that it never takes a step back and let's us enjoy the talent of the cast. For all of its faults, at least Glee knows how to do that, which is a large part of the reason why Glee was already there when Smash began, and will likely be around when Smash is gone.
Morgan Tookers, The Mindy Project
Played By: Ike Barenholz
We've been rooting for The Mindy Project. Mindy Kaling has been a scene stealer on The Office since day one, and with great comic minds like Mark Duplass and B.J. Novak involved, this show will surely hit its stride. Right?
The problem lies with the main character. As Maureen Ryan put it, "It's hard not to wonder if Kaling wanted to create a female anti-hero (which is a great idea) but stopped short because broadcast networks aren't especially interested in those, especially in the comedy arena."
As regular viewers, we aren't sure how we are supposed to feel about Kaling's character, as she is neither fully friend nor frenemey, and even able comic veterans like Barenholz (who also shines on Eastbound and Down) can't fix the show's central shortcomings.
Spence Olchin, King of Queens
Played By: Patton Oswalt
How many episodes of television has Patton Oswalt saved in the last ten years? The man has guest starred on every show you love, and anchored unwieldy shows like King of Queens and United States of Tara when they fell victim to their worst bad habits.
We've been on the bandwagon to get Oswalt his own show for some time. While we wait patiently for him to get his shot, we'll watch his recent spots on Portlandia and Justified, and remember how great he was on King of Queens—while also remembering how great it is that we aren't watching it.
Molly Flynn, Mike and Molly
Played By: Melissa McCarthy
Just watching a few minutes of Mike and Molly makes it clear why Melissa McCarthy is a star. Even talented performers on the show, like McCarthy's co-star Billy Gardel, get bogged down in the broad, shtick-heavy patter written for them. For her part, McCarthy looks as comfortable as she did playing Sookie on the far better written Gilmore Girls.
Despite the superficial writing, she manages to keep her character grounded yet effervescent. Even when she's put in the familiar scenario of the under-appreciated dinner-preparing wife, she finds real human emotions and stakes where lesser actors would hide behind the show's rudimentary style.
Emily Gilchrest, 1600 Penn
Played By: Jenna Elfman
Alan Sepinwall summed up the problem of 1600 Penn succinctly in his review of the show's pilot: "A lot of the time, the show's thesis seems to be less 'What if an ordinary family's problems were taking place in the White House?' but rather 'What if a sitcom family's problems were taking place in the White House?' "
Broad comedy doesn't play well these days: even big-tent sitcoms like Modern Family opt for a more naturalistic tone in a post-Office landscape. Josh Gad's over-the-top slapstick feels about 20 years too late, and setting the show in the White House, where several smarter TV comedies have been set in recent years, doesn't do the show any favors.
It's nice to see Elfman back in a leading role, and she wisely plays things a little more subdued than her counterparts, but we wish the rest of the cast was in the same show.
Sarah Reeves Merrin, Time of Your Life
Played By: Jennifer Love Hewitt
There have been innumerable terrible spinoffs through the years, but few of them have failed as spectacularly as Time of Your Life. When Hewitt's star began to rise above the level of Party of Five's poor ratings, a premise was shaped around her where her character moves to New York in search of her roots;it was an abject failure.
Not only was Time of Your Life axed in the middle of its first season, but the pilot was completely re-written out of the gate after Fox execs saw the writing on the wall. Considering how popular Hewitt was at the time, the show had to have been this bad to fail to last even one full season.
Cleveland Brown, The Cleveland Show
Played By: Kevin Micahel Richardson
Face it, you laugh at Family Guy. Hating on Seth MacFarlane has become a national pastime following his Oscar hosting gig, and funnier comedians have long taken envious (if somewhat deserved) shots at the most successful man in American comedy. While Cleveland's deadpan fit in nicely with Peter, Quagmire, and the gang on the parent show, a half-hour dedicated to Cleveland proved too much.
Pauly D, Jersey Shore
Played By: Pauly D
If Pauly D was a character played by an actor, the performer would have a shelf full of Emmys. Watching Jersey Shore has been an addictive reality experience that only the most strong-willed can resist. The motivations of the characters are at once so precise and so stupid that you can't help but rubberneck. As the world has embraced the men and women on the show and made their delusions of grandeur a reality, we watched the cast become what every high school hero imagines they will be before real life humbles them. Viewing the show has been surreal, and admittedly, enjoyable, despite the better angels of our nature. It's disheartening to remember that Pauly and his cohorts are real people, but luckily, MTV has helped us forget that as often as possible over the last few years.
Sherlock Holmes, Elementary
Played By: Johnny Lee Miller
CBS has a very specific way of doing business: It has a blueprint for multi-camera sitcoms and a blueprint for procedural dramas. As the central characters in most of the procedurals aren't really all that colorful, it hasn't really grated on us that the leads are trapped in a formula.
It's hard to watch an actor as talented as Higgins play a character as rich as Holmes in this format and not be disappointed though. Sure, the paint-by-numbers game works for CBS, but as the landscape of television is radically changing, you can't help but wonder how much longer the formula will work. It certainly doesn't help Elementary that the same premise is being handled far better overseas by Benedict Cumberbatch, but even on its own merits, the show falls short.
Dr. Joe Carroll, The Following
Played By: James Purefoy
Making the role of Dr. Joe Carroll work on The Following is an unenviable task. The sheer convoluted pretension of his character is hard to swallow. We're not sure what would be more draining as an actor, slogging through the pseudo-analytical Poe references the show has stockpiled or selling a plot revolving around a murderous cult formed on the Internet while the groups leader was in prison.
These two sapping forces would weigh down a lesser actor, but Purefoy has been game thus far. His deft navigation of the needlessly weighted dialogue has been impressive, and here's hoping that he can keep up the good work until he gets better material.
Berta, Two and a Half Men
Played By: Conchata Ferrell
We will not watch it with Charlie Sheen. We will not watch it with Ashton Kutcher. We probably wouldn't even watch it if Phillip Seymour Hoffman came in to replace Kutcher next season. The easy comedy of Two and a Half Men has been a massive hit with audiences, but has never been a critical favorite.
When we do end up catching Two and a Half Men at the gym or when we are unable to find a rusty nail with which to gauge our eyes out, we're charmed by Conchetta. Sassy, overweight housekeeper isn't exactly new comedy terrain, but Ferrell handles the role with a comedic bite that consistently hits, no matter what might be going on around her.
Will McAvoy, The Newsroom
Played By: Jeff Daniels
It's been hard seeing a show with so much promise fall so short. Between the show's well-blogged about misogyny, its smug relationship with the recent past, and how out of touch it feels when any character picks up a smartphone, it's been a tough show to love.
Still, with all of this working against him, a master like Jeff Daniels finds moments to shine. If you'd told us that these two would be paired up during The West Wing's prime, we would never have guessed it would've turned out like this.
Holder, The Killing
Played By: Joel Kinnaman
The Killing is one giant misstep. The show's combination of self-importance and poor plotting left the series a favorite punching bag during its two-season AMC run. By the end of the series, those who weren't hate-watching, or hanging on just to find out the answer to the central mystery despite their better judgement, stayed around for Holder.
His complex character arc intrigued audiences, and the writers responded by giving him a larger role. Ultimately, his expanded plot was too little too late, but those who soldiered through the entire series will always feel a debt to Joel Kinnaman.
Wilson, Home Improvement
Played By: Earl Hindman
Many sitcoms have tried and failed at selling us on the wise neighbor character. Home Improvement doesn't age well: Tim Allen's masculine grunts are not a fine wine. Wilson's folk wisdom stands the test of time, however. As the rest of the series feels more and more stale upon a second look, there remains a charm to Earl Hindman's over-the-fence conversations. Given the Internet trend of endless '90s nostalgia, we're quick to defend even the worst media from two decades ago (Full House fans, we're talking to you), but when you look back at Wilson's scenes, they're as soothing and charming as they were back in the day.
Rosie Pierri, Real Housewives of New Jersey
Played By: Rosie Pierri
Openly gay Housewives supporting player Rosie Pierri has become a true fan favorite. Because reality TV is generally rife with negativity, that there have been truly positive things to come from Pierri's time on the show is noteworthy.
The way she described her journey in the episode where she came out to her niece and nephew is particularly affecting. Pierri reports that her frank discussion of her sexuality on has inspired fans: Some have reached out with stories of how she helped them share their sexuality with their own families. This might not be enough to prompt us to tune in, but it does provide a glimmer of hope amid the dreary landscape of reality TV.
Bryan Collins, The New Normal
Played By: Andrew Rannels
To be fair, The New Normal has a number of game actors, and they're all hungry for better content. In this age of phenomenal premium television, the idea of an edgy network show is an oxymoron, and seems doomed to failure. Shows like the The New Normal are afraid to tackle issues head-on for fear of poor ratings, and instead opt for easy raunch and shock that's only superficially challenging.
No one is really upset when Bryan says that female genitalia look like "tarantula faces." Easy jokes like that allow the show to masquerade as "hot-button," while in reality Rannels appearances on Girls have been infinitely more challenging despite their brevity. But dude is an exciting actor.
Mike Heck, The Middle
Played By: Neil Flynn
We loved Flynn on Scrubs, and were excited to hear that he was getting his own show opposite the talented Patricia Heaton. From the pilot onward, the show has been nothing but a disappointment. The easy, timid plots of The Middle don't even touch the savvy blue-collar material that Roseanne trail-blazed years ago.
The show initially promised to deal with the social and economic issues that face Middle America, but ultimately settled for lip-service and bland tired bits of status quo. Rarely does the show go for much more than the least common denominator, and it's hard watching a talent like Flynn wrestle depth from superficial writing.
Detective Stabler and Detective Benson, Law and Order: SVU
Played By: Christopher Meloni & Mariska Hargitay
Not all procedurals are created equal. Stylish performances like those given by Hugh Lory on House can make an otherwise dull show shine. Normally, the leads we love on these shows have some quirky trait that separates them from the pack. In the case of Meloni and Hargitay, they just acted the hell out of their roles. There was genuine emotion, and thus the illusion of stakes.
When Meloni walked away and Hargitay took a step back, it was evident how important they'd been to what made the show bearable.
Ava Alexander, Up All Night
Played By: Maya Rudolph
The only thing that has consistently worked on Up All Night has been Maya Rudolph, who breaks a warm, human presence to a show that's consistently squandered the talent involved with leaden scripts and cheap jokes about cohabitation and parenthood. It looks like her indenture on the show is finally coming to an end, now that Christina Applegate has jumped ship and Will Arnett is reportedly not far behind.
Rudolph's work has not gone unnoticed. She was offered a half-dozen pilots this season, all of which she turned down. She's hinted that she'd like to host a variety show, while she lets her sitcom scars heal. After this experience of watching NBC's desperate attempt to plug holes on a sinking ship while keep her trapped on board, who can blame her.
Ari Gold, Entourage
Played By: Jeremy Piven
The scenery chewing from Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold will forever be excellent. Though Piven is by far the biggest personality on the show, his performance was always anchored in what matters.
For the other major characters on Entourage, the goals are superficial: get more things and get more women to treat like things. Ari has a far more nuanced understanding of power. The successes of Vince and company often seems accidental, which isn't much fun to watch in the end. Ari's triumphs are carefully calculated and pulled off with panache. His successes and failures have weight, stakes, and meaning.
Johnny "Drama" Chase, Entourage
Played By: Kevin Dillon
We've all watched more Entourage than we'd like to admit. The male fantasy show was junkfood for so many of us. You'd digest half a season, ruin your appetite, and feel terrible about yourself.
Looking back on the show, one of the biggest problems was that the characters were deluding themselves, not just the audience. Turtle, E, and Vince lacked self-awareness, and when it looked like they would get even the smallest dose of reality, things got better for them before lessons could be learned.
But there was pathos to Dillon's work as Drama. Though he walked with the swagger of a more successful man, viewers understood that life had chewed him up and spit him out, and that his pose was a reaction to that. Where he was on the show, he was just happy to drink deep from a well that he knows all too well is going to run dry sooner or later.
Max Black, Two Broke Girls
Played By: Kat Dennings
Her performance is sharp, quick, and and confident, but it's a shame that Kat Dennings has to speak the dialogue written for her. From the pilot episode, when the writers got the NYC trains mixed-up and referenced Coldplay as a cool band, the show felt out of touch and clunky. Whenever we catch previews of the show and "twitter," "hipsters", or any other remotely relevant word is uttered, the results are cringe-worthy.
We're not sure who hired the writers over at Two Broke Girls, but there are a number of actually broke Brooklynites who would be happy to lend the slightest bit of authenticity to some of the worst dialogue on television.
Burt Hummel, Glee
Played By: Mike O' Malley
Mike O'Malley's performance on Glee is a testament to what the show could have been. Season one showed such promise. It looked like the series was developing into an grounded social satire, rather than the easy album-selling schlock it would become.
The best moments in the first season come as Hummel learned to deal with his gay son, Kurt (Chris Colfer), and Kurt learned how to deal with his father dating.
Early on, Glee showed that a series can be large, brassy, and satirical while still finding emotional truth. Though in later seasons, O'Malley's performance has stuck out like a sore thumb, his work remains a testament to what Glee could've been.
Lafayette Reynolds, True Blood
Played By: Nelsan Ellis
Acting on True Blood isn't easy to pull off. Despite recruiting actors with some high level training (Stephen Moyer [Bill] is a Royal Shakespeare Company alum and Ellis is a Julliard grad), a number of the show's performances fall flat. And it's no wonder that many of the actors can't seem to get the job done: The style of the show is sheer melodrama; the actors are asked to play opposite a new monster half a dozen times an episode; they have to do so with an accent; and often they're doing all this naked, with blood splattered on their bodies.
Rutina Westley's Tara, given alternating hysterics and tough-it-out lip-biting, is the weakest link in the regular cast; Lafayette has consistently been the strongest. With the easy lilt of his voice, world-weary attitude, and quirky charm, Nelsan Ellis makes adapting to the world of Bon Temps look easy. It's unfortunate that most of the other performances reveal how hard the gig really is.