I love sitcoms more than any other type ofTV show, but there are some annoying characters that, no matter how hard I try, I still cannot stand.The best sitcoms of all timefeature some incredible characters, but there are others I can’t connect with, even years after the show’s end.
It’s easy to complain about obvious candidates, likeThe Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper orHow I Met Your Mother’s Ted Mosby. While some of my most annoying andcontroversial sitcom charactersinclude figures like these, there are other, less prominent figures, I wish more people discussed. Despite trying,I just can’t find a way to like these sitcom characters.
12Ross Geller
Friends (1994-2004)
There aren’t enough words to describe my frustration with Ross inFriends.His poor behavior and attitudeare constantly justified by his love for Rachel or that life is unfair to him, which is ridiculous.Ross’ girlfriends inFriendsneed questioning, because I cannot understand what is so endearing about him that they want to be with him.
Friends: A Complete Timeline of Ross & Rachel’s Relationship
Ross and Rachel’s relationship was a complicated one, and it’s easy to forget some moments that happened in between arguments and dating other people.
Ross is a jealous wreck who thrives on being pitied. Yes, it’s sad that Carol leaves him, but he cares more about being alone than a woman who he loves finding her true self.He cheats on Rachel, then guilts everyone around himinto thinking she is in the wrong because she, once again, finds herself through a fulfilling career.
11Charlie Wheeler
I can’t find Charlie likable whatsoever. While she doesn’t really care that Joey isn’t smart like her, she’s still indirectly patronizing of him, and jumps over to Ross without much thought.Charlie also quickly goes back to her far more impressive ex-boyfriend, right in front of Ross, with little consideration for how inappropriate she’s being.
Friends
Cast
Friends is a television sitcom that debuted in 1994, revolving around six young New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood. The series highlights their friendship as they support each other through personal and professional challenges, encapsulating the ups and downs of life in a comedic and relatable manner.
There’s not really a lot to Charlie’s character other than she’s a paleontologist like Ross and has a busy dating life. Honestly, I’m not sure how she isn’t called out for her actions, as I definitely would. Out of all the group’s partners throughoutall 10 seasons ofFriends, she is the one I find the most nonsensical.
10Zoey Pierson
How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)
Jennifer Morrison’s Zoey inHow I Met Your Motheris so unbearable, and I still don’t understand how she deserves her redemption arc. If anything, I have more respect for her when she’s trying to take Ted down.Zoey can’t take no for an answer, doesn’t listen or weigh up her options, and relies on her ability to guilt others to get her way.
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is a television series that follows a father telling his children about his past. Released in 2005, it explores his experiences and adventures with four close friends, leading up to meeting their mother, as depicted through a series of flashbacks.
Her relationship with Ted doesn’t make senseto me, although that is a flaw on both of their parts, and when I rewatchHow I Met Your Mother, I always want to skip her episodes. Zoey genuinely doesn’t understand why Ted has issues with her befriending the rest of the gang, and her obliviousness to other people’s feelings never fails to astound me.
9Charles Miner
The Office (2005-2013)
I love Idris Elba, but I absolutely hateCharles Miner inThe Office. I admit that he highlights the absurdity of some of Jim and Michael’s behavior, but I’m always disappointed that the show wastes Elba ona character whose main purpose seems to be simply shutting everyone down. I feel like he’s turned up for a new job in the wrong show, sometimes.
The Office
This mockumentary comedy series observes the mundane and humorous daily lives of employees at the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It offers insights into office dynamics, personalities, and the eccentric behavior of both management and staff, depicting an ordinary workplace with extraordinary characters.
Charles causes so much to fall apart and is the villain of some ofThe Office’s worst episodes. I cringe at Kelly and Angela fawning over him, and I’m shocked he doesn’t face repercussions for causing Dunder Mifflin’s best regional manager to quit within hours of his arrival. I’m never happier than when Charles disappears fromThe Office.
8Alan Harper
Two And A Half Men (2003-2015)
While Alan Harperis supposed to be the exasperated, eye-rolling brother of Charlie, I can’t get on board with him. Alan gets away with being a terrible person because he is so passive, but this isn’t an excuse. He stands by whilethe women Charlie dates inTwo and a Half Menswan in and out of their house in front of Jake, and if anything,he enables his brother’s behavior.
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men follows the Harper family: Charlie (Charlie Sheen), a womanizing, hedonistic jingle writer who enjoys his lazy lifestyle from the comfort of his large beach house; Alan (Jon Cryer), Charlie’s neurotic, far less successful brother; and Jake (Angus T. Jones), Alan’s impressionable son. When Alan’s marriage falls apart, he moves in with Charlie, much to the older brother’s dismay. After bonding with his nephew, Charlie reluctantly embraces Alan’s presence, paving the way for one of television’s most dysfunctional family environments.
I understand Charlie is mainly responsible for this, butAlan fails as a fatherby not providing Jake with solid role models. He’s a massive hypocrite, has little redeeming qualities, and despite having a relatively successful career of his own, Alan mooches off Charlie all the time.
7Justin Anderson
Parks And Recreation (2009-2015)
Leslie’s relationships inParks and Recreationaren’t great before she meets Ben, but the boyfriend of hers I hate the most is Justin Anderson. Justin is only in a few episodes, but he ruins them all.He and Leslie aren’t a good fit at all, and he doesn’t listen to herwhen he pushes boundaries.
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is a television series that premiered in 2009, focusing on Leslie Knope, a mid-level bureaucrat in Pawnee, Indiana. She encounters various challenges from bureaucrats and citizens while striving to beautify the town through her role in the Parks and Recreation Department.
I’m never prouder of Leslie when she breaks up with him and acknowledges Ron’s comments about Justin wanting to collect stories. Justin is simply a tourist in other people’s lives, but he wants to craft and improve the stories rather than just take part in them. I can’t understand how he ends up with Leslie, or why Ann harbors feelings for him for so long, either.
6Manny Delgado
Modern Family (2009-2020)
I want to love Manny, but he gets worse withevery season ofModern Family.As he gets older, Manny is insufferable. He tries to make out that he’s sensitive and a feminist, but his attitude towards women is quite creepy, and it’s unfair that because he doesn’t harass anyone directly, he gets away with it.
Modern Family
Modern Family is a comedy series that follows the unconventional Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker family as they redefine what makes a family in their modern age. Broken into sub-families, the three diverse groups shake up the nuclear formula with empty nesters, adopted children, gender neutrality, and more as they attempt to navigate the various pitfalls and comedic misadventures of their dysfunctional but warm-hearted family dynamic.
His all-female play is insulting, but just because he doesn’t see the issue with it, he dismisses his family’s complaints. Manny’s need to appear cultured is boring and is just irritating overall, and it doesn’t make him as unique and quirky as he thinks he is. Jay’s influence is a huge part of his character, yet I struggle to see it half the time.
5Randy Pearson
That ’70s Show (1998-2006)
That ‘70s Show’s failed Eric Foreman replacement, Randy, isn’t necessarily a bad character, buthe’s so hollow that he may as well be a background extra. I frequently refer to Randy as Mr. Exposition, purely because I feel that his main purpose is to provide a few comments and fill a space on the screen. Randy is an okay boyfriend for Donna, but the show forces it.
That ’70s Show
That ‘70s Show was one of Fox’s most popular sitcoms upon its release in 1998. Starring Topher Grace (Eric Forman), Laura Prepon (Donna Pinciotti), Mila Kunis (Jackie Burkhart), Danny Masterson (Steven Hyde), Wilmer Valderrama (Fez), and Ashton Kutcher (Michael Kelso), That ‘70s Show revolves around the teens’ mishaps as they grow up in Point Place Wisconsin in the 1970s.
I admit that Randy’s odds are stacked against him by being introduced in the last season ofThat ‘70s Show, but I’m frustratedthe sitcom doesn’t give him much of a personalityother than giving an occasional witty comment and having shiny hair. I rewatchThat ‘70s Showfrequently, but I still can’t tell you much about Randy as a person.
4Pierce Hawthorne
Community (2009-2015)
Communityis one of my favorite sitcoms ever, but it takes a lot of patience to rewatch the show when Pierce Hawthorne is so prominent.Pierce is a huge bigot and nobody is truly safe from his comments, and they get old very quickly. Even in moments when Pierce shows some humanity and has the chance to be a better person, he ruins it immediately.
Community
Community is a comedic television series that chronicles the lives of diverse students at Greendale Community College, a fictional and notoriously underperforming educational institution in Colorado. Released in 2009, the show explores the quirky interactions and relationships among the eclectic group navigating their academic and personal challenges.
Thankfully,Chevy Chase leavesCommunitybefore season 5. I find it strange that an older gentleman is so obsessed with making people decades younger than him be his friend. The fact he is so oblivious to why they want to leave him out, especially considering his blatant disrespect for them, makes me wonder how Pierce gets anywhere in life in the first place.
3Captain Roger Peralta
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)
I think “Karen Peralta” is one ofthe best episodes ofBrooklyn Nine-Ninebecause of the way Jake calls out Roger for failing as a father. While Roger Peralta redeems himself a little in later seasons, I still can’t stand him because his initial episodes paint him in such a bad light.The womanizer only cares about himselfand doesn’t even attempt to hide his lack of respect for his family.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
From the creative minds of Dan Goor and Michael Schur comes Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a police comedy series set in the NYPD’s fictional 99th precinct. Headed by the comedically serious Captain Raymond Holt and protagonist Jake Peralta, the detectives of the 99 deal with burglaries, drug deals, and oddities in New York City, occasionally steering into real-world issues surrounding police perception and social concerns in the 2010s and earlier. Each detective has their own unique personality that makes them stand out, creating endearing dynamics that helped the show thrive for eight seasons.
Even later on, Roger is still a pain.He has zero self-awarenessand doesn’t attempt to have any in the first place, and is unbelievably stubborn. Roger often talks about how proud he is of Jake and acknowledges his son is a better man than he is, but I never understand why the airline pilot is unable to better himself without prompting.
