A good character on a TV show must be nuanced and full of good and bad qualities,or they won’t be dynamic and interesting to watch. It’s often because of their failings and human flaws that we grow to love these characters, empathizing with their issues and understanding what drove them to make their mistakes. However, even when a character is beloved and one of the best in their series, it’s impossible to ignore when they’re always in their own way. At every turn, these characters make the wrong choices, ensuring that life gets even more difficult.
It’s always difficult whenbeloved TV characters are killed offor when something terrible happens to them that’s outside their control. However, when it’s their own fault that awful things keep entering their lives, it’s easy for this empathy to turn into frustration. Often, this self-destructive behavior is part of the fabric of the show, and the writers have a larger character arc full of development and growth in store for the character. Unfortunately, sometimes, the characters remain stuck in their ways and never learn from their missteps.
8Ross Gellar - Friends (1994–2004)
Played by David Schwimmer
All the core characters onFriendshave their issues, making plenty of mistakes in life, love, and friendship as the series progresses. However,Ross is uniquely terrible at making the right decisions and taking control of his life.Though it’s easy to point at Ross’s many failed marriages as part of his problems as a person, it’s much more than this. It’s his insecurities that drive him to act with jealousy and anger, pushing away the people he loves most, especially Rachel (Jennifer Aniston).
Ross’s failures as a character onFriendsaren’t all his fault, as there are external circumstances that make it difficult for him to open up and trust people. Despite these factors, it can be difficult to feel bad for Ross. Several times throughout the show, he deliberately makes the wrong choices and makes life worse for himself.There are many cases when he decides to lie and hide things from peopleinstead of coming clean, which only hurts their relationship in the long run.
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7Jaime Lannister - Game Of Thrones (2011–2019)
Played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Out of all thecharacters' arcs onGame of Thrones, Jaime’s was one of the most disappointing. WhileGame of Thronesseason 8 undid a lot of positive character development for several individuals on the show, it was upsetting to see Jaime’s fate, especially considering how far he’d come. Though he was a skilled warrior and dedicated to his family, Jaime was vain and easily manipulated at the beginning ofGame of Thrones.He was plagued by guilt and uncertainty but didn’t have the tools to escapehis circumstances.
After he slowly became a fan favorite throughout the seasons, it was devastating to see him devolve in the end.
Being separated from Cersei (Lena Headey) was one of the best things that happened to him throughout the series, even though he still got himself into trouble with his arrogance and selfishness. However, as soon as they were reunited, he went back to his old ways and became just as self-destructive as he was in season 1. After he slowly became a fan favorite throughout the seasons, it was devastating to see him devolve in the end.
Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
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6Olivia Pope - Scandal (2012–2018)
Played by Kerry Washington
The twists and turns ofScandallend themselves to intense drama and shocking reveals, so it’s to be expected that the characters go through a lot throughout the show. However,the protagonist, Olivia Pope, is often ruled by her personal feelingsand attachments, causing problems. Though her relationship with Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) is the source of much excitement and intrigue throughoutScandal, it’s also a major problem for both characters and makes Olivia sacrifice a lot of things that were important to her.
Fitz manipulates and takes advantage of Olivia, which isn’t her fault, but it does get frustrating when she can’t tear herself away from him at different points in the series. SinceScandalsometimes leans into soap opera territory, it’s to be expected that Olivia makes inadvisable choices, butit can be upsetting to see her get hurt since she’s such a dynamic character.Washington lends depth and empathy to Olivia’s character, making her relatable even when she struggles.
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5Rory - Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)
Played by Alexis Bledel
Many of theharsh realities about Rory’s character inGilmore Girlsstem from the fact that Rory’s ideas about herself and her experiences in life don’t align. While many of Rory’s biggest mistakes throughout the show are controversial, they make sense in terms of her character development and evolution onscreen. Rory spends most of her life being the so-called “perfect” child and doing everything right to make up for her mother’s feelings of inadequacy, soit’s unsurprising that eventually, Rory has to crash and burn.
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Even before she drops out of Yale, Rory makes choices that hint at this trajectory, like cheating with and on her partners and expecting opportunities to fall into her lap. Due to how she was raised,Rory doesn’t understand how to work hard and make tough choices since she’s been so sheltered.The realities of life are a rude awakening for Rory, and she has a lot of trouble adjusting to the world and changing her behavior.
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4Diane Nguyen - BoJack Horseman (2014–2020)
Played by Alison Brie
It’s almost impossible to name one character inBoJack Horsemanwho isn’t their own worst enemy,but Diane struggles with this more than most of the characters in the show. After she becomes friends with BoJack, Diane’s self-destructive tendencies come out, and we see her punished by her own poor choices. Her relationship with Mr. Peanutbutter encapsulates many of Diane’s issues as a character, as she chooses to surround herself with people who ask too much of her, and her instinct is to run away instead of grappling with her issues.
It’s when Diane decides to distance herself from him and the life that isn’t making her happy that she can find a path toward peace.
Unlike BoJack, Diane doesn’t just wallow in her self-hatred. She eventually decides that she wants to change and that change is possible if she makes different choices. Throughout the show, the co-dependent friendship between Diane and BoJack is toxic for both of them, even though they keep coming back to it. It’s when Diane decides to distance herself from him and the life that isn’t making her happy that she can find a path toward peace.
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3Dawn Summers - Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997–2003)
Played by Michelle Trachtenberg
Introduced inBuffy The Vampire Slayerseason 5, Dawn was a controversial character at first. However, audiences and critics came to love her, thanks to Michelle Trachtenberg’s performance and the fact that she brought out the kind and selfless part of Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). Despite this,it’s undeniable that Dawn was always getting herself into troubleand exercised poor judgment more often than not, even leading the show to be self-referential about her being a magnet for danger.
It’s easy to empathize with Dawn, as living in Buffy’s shadow isn’t easy, and it makes sense that she would want to establish her own identity and try to get people’s attention. However, if she had avoided some of these more dangerous situations and got out of her own head, Dawn would’ve been much happier. From stealing in season 6 to believing that she might be a potential Slayer in season 7,Dawn has a difficult life and is often overlooked, but she compounds these issues.
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2Ann Perkins - Parks And Recreation (2009–2015)
Played by Rashida Jones
WhenParks and Recreationfirst premiered, it seemed as though Leslie (Amy Poehler), the protagonist, was the character who was going to have to do the most self-growth. While Leslie comes a long way throughout the series, it’s really Ann who changes the most throughoutParks and Rec.She eventually realizes that she’s defined herself by her relationships for many yearsand lets others dictate the direction of her life. However, even knowing this doesn’t mean she stops choosing the wrong men throughout the show.
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Even professionally, Ann is unfocused, especially compared to the driven Leslie, and this is a source of discomfort for her, sparking conflict in their friendship. Like many of the characters,Ann mines much of her self-worth from external validation,which doesn’t make it easy for her to understand what she wants out of life. Even thoughParks and Recreationis a sitcom, the series still takes time to craft the character development, and though Ann does evolve, elements of uncertainty follow her into the later seasons.
Parks and Recreation (2009–2015)
1Nick Miller - New Girl (2011–2018)
Played by Jake Johnson
Nick Miller is an iconic sitcom boyfriend,and by the end ofNew Girl, his relationship with Jess (Zooey Deschanel) becomes romantic and aspirational. However, it’s no secret that Nick takes a long time to realize his mistakes and go through enough character growth to be the person he always wanted to be. Until the show’s final seasons, Nick is directionless and plagued by fears of failure, refusing to get out of his comfort zone and change, even when it comes at the cost of relationships.
Though Jess is far from perfect, Nick’s arrested development is a large part of why the two characters break up for the first time, as he isn’t mature enough to be there for her, and she can’t accept him as he is. Plenty of the comedy inNew Girlis mined from the character’s flaws and mistakes, but there are many occasions throughout the show when Nick is the root cause of his own unhappiness. However,this makes it even more rewarding when he discovers what he’s passionate aboutand comes into his own.
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