Weakest Characters in your favorite shows

[Khadaji]

In many of my favorite shows there may be one or two characters that lessen the experience for me.

Paul from Spin City sets my teeth on edge. Although James was a close second.
Diane on Cheers.
Bull on Night Court.

Whenever they are on the screen I'm much less entertained.

Who are yours?

[mudkicker]

Phoebe from Friends annoys me quite often; her character is just so over-written sometimes.

[Mosier]

Phoebe from Friends annoys me quite often; her character is just so over-written sometimes.

All of them were crazy in their own ways. I don't think Phoebe was any more over the top than the others, especially Joey. If I was going to pick the weakest character on that show it would probably be Ross, because he was the LEAST over-written.

[KneadToKnow]

Chester on Soap. I hate all of his storylines.
Fish on Barney Miller. Too good an actor to be playing a one-trick pony of a character.
Bobby on Taxi. With Tony a close second. Oy vey.
Anyone filling in for Richard on Match Game, but also Richard post ca. 1976.
Chekov. Wesley. Nog. Kes.
Any relative of Marge's in any episode that doesn't also have Sideshow Bob.

[Infovore]

Cameron and Thirteen in House. Cuddy is such a cool, strong female character, but these other two do nothing for me. I wouldn't miss them if they left. I especially don't like that the two of them have very similar personalities.

[don't ask]

Phoebe from Friends annoys me quite often; her character is just so over-written sometimes.

Yeah and that applied to Rachel from Friends and Monica from Friends and Joey from Friends and Chandler from Friends and Ross from Friends.

Hang on though, I never really liked Friends.

[Robot Arm]

In the original Coupling, Jane used to annoy me to no end.

Until...

The episode where she gets fired. She decides to become a children's entertainer with a sock puppet on her hand. She's trying the act out with her friends and (having also taken some drugs) the puppet takes on a life of its own. At one point, she is being insulted by her own hand.

Gina Bellman is hysterical in that scene. It made the character less annoying to realize how good the actress was to be that annoying.

Edited clip here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aruGqHK3OZ0), with the good part starting about four minutes in.

[CircleofWillis]

AJ Soprano...

I win

[Gangster Octopus]

Ned on Pushing Daisies. The guy will not stop lamenting that Chuck lives NEXT DOOR! The way he talks to himself is annoying.

[Wile E]

Ned on Pushing Daisies. The guy will not stop lamenting that Chuck lives NEXT DOOR! The way he talks to himself is annoying.

In Ned's defense he has some severe issues. It's bad enough that he can never touch her but now they can't even have the closeness they had before when they shared an apartment. It also means he has to face the fact that they can never be and eventually she will probably move on with someone else. It's also just the past couple episodes and hopefully he will stop whining about it soon.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Will Riker & Wesley Crusher almost define this category for me.

Riker was James Kirk without the charm. Writers, your simply cannot have a sympathetic character who both (a) sleeps with every alien babe who comes down the pike, and (b) is supposedly in love with his hot coworker whom he sees every day. Kirk may have been an ass, but at least he was consistent about it; and when it was occasionally intimated that he was intensely lonely and simultaneously hated being captain but didn't want to do anything else, it ws believable.

Wesley is, of course Wesley.

[Kythereia]

Ah, Nikki and Paulo on Lost. Everyone's favorite mistakes. (Claire's kind of going this way, too--I'm hoping the writers will use the mystical-Aaron angle to actually give her some lines in the last two seasons.)

I might get some flack over this, but Bela from Supernatural really didn't need more than one or maybe two episodes. It was a great premise, but the whole posh-British thing was cheesy and it seemed like she existed solely to make the boys hold the Idiot Ball for that episode. (Ruby, on the other hand, was awesome. I'm so glad she's back. :D)

Cally from Battlestar Galactica, but maybe it's personal bias.

[Silver Tyger]

Jaga from Thundercats. Everytime he shows up I want to punch him in his ectoplasmic face.

Wesley Crusher. But I'll watch anything else Wil Wheaton is in.

Rio from Jem and the Holograms. God, how stupid was he? Not that Jerrica was all that much brighter. The whole romance was the most awkward and wallbangingly bad thing in the show.

[mudkicker]

Yeah and that applied to Rachel from Friends and Monica from Friends and Joey from Friends and Chandler from Friends and Ross from Friends.

Hang on though, I never really liked Friends.

Heh. I know it's a pretty trashy show a lot of the time - completely over-written and over-produced, occurs in a weird vaccuum outside politics etc, but there's something about it I like. This is probably the wrong forum to confess to a like of Friends :p, but in every instance where a mate of mine has said they hate it they end up giggling through it (why, yes, they do have to watch it if they're in my house).

Anyway, back to the OP - don't know if any non UK/Irish Dopers watch Eastenders, but Little Mo a few years ago had me practically throwing stuff at the TV. I also think Susan from Desperate Housewives could do with a good slap sometimes.

[Skald the Rhymer]

I'll add a couple more, if I may.

First, Lorne from Angel. Not that I didn't love the character; I did. But making him a regular and giving him a backstory was a mistake. He was better off mysterious, and he was better off neutral--neither on Angel's side nor Wolfram & Hart's.

[Don Draper]

Will Riker & Wesley Crusher almost define this category for me.

Don't forget the over-affected accent known as Counselor 'Cleavage' Troi. (Although I imagine you're trying hard to forget her.)

On the show Will & Grace, the weak links were always...the Will and Grace characters. Well, Ok, Grace could occasionally get me to chuckle, but Will was never less than insufferably annoying. (A pretty good feat for a character played by someone so homogenously bland.) Imagine how much better the show would have been if it had been "Jack & Karen."


I would disagree about Diane on Cheers, at least in part. She started out much more sympathetic & likeable character. The writers on the show generally acknowledged that, after Shelley Long announced she would be leaving the show, they deliberately made the character more obnoxious so that the audience wouldn't miss her.

[GargoyleWB]

Warrick on CSI has always bored me. They tried to give him some sort of dramatic appeal last season, that fell with a mundane ploppy wet-cardboard sound.

Seconding the mention of Cameron and Thirteen on House. That show's writers have somehow managed to make sizzling hotties, which will normally hook me into some otherwise awful TV shows, into the most soporific spans of screen time.

Book on Firefly seemed like a total superfluous Poochie character, and his scenes and dialogue always felt shoehorned into the otherwise fantastic flow and chemistry of the show.

[cmkeller]

Frank Burns and, to a lesser degree, Henry Blake on MASH. Burns was a cardborard cut-out antagonist, and Blake was a buffoon and cipher who was played like a fiddle by Hawkeye and Trapper. Their replacements by Winchester and Potter elevated the show immensely (even though it also coincided with the increase in Hawkeye's preachiness).

[NDP]

I would disagree about Diane on Cheers, at least in part. She started out much more sympathetic & likeable character. The writers on the show generally acknowledged that, after Shelley Long announced she would be leaving the show, they deliberately made the character more obnoxious so that the audience wouldn't miss her.

That and the fact that even before Long decided to leave, she had alienated so many of the "Cheers" writers that they channelled their dislike for the actress by making her character more irritating. Also, as time went on, the personalities of Diane and Long became so enmeshed that it was difficult to tell where one left off and one began.

[Sitnam]

I cannot watch Peggy-heavy episodes of King of the Hill.

[Roderick Femm]

Warrick on CSI has always bored me. They tried to give him some sort of dramatic appeal last season, that fell with a mundane ploppy wet-cardboard sound.But those eyes! and then he died! What's not to like?


Roddy

[Mr. Kobayashi]

Mohinder, Parkman, Maya(aaaa!), Niki and her various incarnations, West (ugh) from Heroes.

Dare I say it - Lisa Simpson from The Simpsons is an insufferable holier-than-thou know it all.

[Ponch8]

I get pretty bored everytime Sideshow Bob shows up on The Simpsons.

[SkipMagic]

I'll add a couple more, if I may.

First, Lorne from Angel. Not that I didn't love the character; I did. But making him a regular and giving him a backstory was a mistake. He was better off mysterious, and he was better off neutral--neither on Angel's side nor Wolfram & Hart's.
Yep, I agree with this. I enjoyed his character, and I think they did pretty well with him, but there wasn't much need for a backstory or that much involvement. (Plus, I think the visit to his homeworld marred an otherwise excellent second season.)

Fred's character never did much for me, either, until she turned all painted goddess on us. That's when she became interesting.

Buffy in seasons 4, 6 and 7 was way too whiny and uninteresting; she kept having the same emotional breakdowns, and it just became a tired act.

Spike... well, they ruined Spike. He was great as an occasional guest, but once they neutered him and gave him a soul without giving him a soul, he became trite and spread too thin. Still had some of the best lines, but his puppy love was both unbelievable and annoying.

Still, none of the above holds a candle in the Whedonverse to Kennedy.

[kasuo]

First, Lorne from Angel. Not that I didn't love the character; I did. But making him a regular and giving him a backstory was a mistake. He was better off mysterious, and he was better off neutral--neither on Angel's side nor Wolfram & Hart's.

I never got the impression that Lorne was neutral. He initially was just "the host" who had his karaoke bar and occasionally helped out Angel & Co., but never seemed to be in cahoots with Wolfram & Hart.

However, on the same show, I'll have to say that Gunn was the weakest character on the show. He was too one-dimensional and his character didn't work too well throughout the show, especially during the Fred drama (including his brief stint with hot electric girl) and his lawyering* days.

* Can I use that as a verb?

[kasuo]

I cannot watch Peggy-heavy episodes of King of the Hill.

Peggy is annoying as hell but the writers have created a character that is doing her job, her role. I wouldn't call Peggy a weakly-written character, rather she's a hated character. Maybe we should start a most-hated character thread.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Yep, I agree with this. I enjoyed his character, and I think they did pretty well with him, but there wasn't much need for a backstory or that much involvement. (Plus, I think the visit to his homeworld marred an otherwise excellent second season.)

Fred's character never did much for me, either, until she turned all painted goddess on us. That's when she became interesting.


Here's we I have to disagree, and it's why I'm ambivalent. I found the Pylea arc entertaining, but it was just too much detail about a character whom it was best not to understand entirely. It basically established that Lorne wasn't a demon qua demon; his people were humans with somewhat different physiologies. (At least there were consistent about it, though, in that Lorne was as vulnerable to Jasmine's blandishments as anybody else).

Also, I loved Fred and hated Illyria. Fred was interesting as a high-functioning nutcase; I don't think we were meant to believe that she ever got completely over her Pylea Tramautic Stress Disorder, and she was always just erratic enough to be fun to watch. And, of course, she was quite a cutie.
Buffy in seasons 4, 6 and 7 was way too whiny and uninteresting.

As for Kennedy: How I hate her. It was as if Willow decided the best way to honor Tara's memory was to be with a woman not one-billionth as interesting.

[Skald the Rhymer]

I never got the impression that Lorne was neutral. He initially was just "the host" who had his karaoke bar and occasionally helped out Angel & Co., but never seemed to be in cahoots with Wolfram & Hart.

However, on the same show, I'll have to say that Gunn was the weakest character on the show. He was too one-dimensional and his character didn't work too well throughout the show, especially during the Fred drama (including his brief stint with hot electric girl) and his lawyering* days.

* Can I use that as a verb?

Yes, but you didn't use it as a verb in that sentence; you used it as an adjective. Unless you want to get all structural grammar. I can do that, but you'd hate me.

[silenus]

(Plus, I think the visit to his homeworld marred an otherwise excellent second season.)

Cordelia in the Princess outfit.





"Numfar, dance the Dance of Shame!"

[Susie Derkins]

Robin on How I Met Your Mother.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Cordelia in the Princess outfit.





"Numfar, dance the Dance of Shame!"

Both those justify many sins. Particularly the first.

[TheMerchandise]

Robin on How I Met Your Mother.

YES! I thought I was the only one.

In Dexter, Deb bugs the crap out of me.

[Bryan Ekers]

Tommy Gavin on Rescue Me. I realize he's the main character, but the whole "I see dead people" bit irritates the hell out of me and the supporting characters are hysterical.

[Jennshark]

YES! I thought I was the only one.

In Dexter, Deb bugs the crap out of me.

Oh, Thank you Lord! Someone else hates this character. I would mute the sound whenever she talks if it wouldn't risk missing a plot piece.

I was hoping that the Ice Truck Killer would off her last season.

[Zsofia]

Oh, Thank you Lord! Someone else hates this character. I would mute the sound whenever she talks if it wouldn't risk missing a plot piece.

I was hoping that the Ice Truck Killer would off her last season.
She's supposed to be like that, though. I mean, I know tons of people that self-centered.

[Freudian Slit]

AJ Soprano...

I win

He was weak, but I feel like he was supposed to be annoying, angsty, good for nothing.

On Sopranos, I felt like the whole Vito is gay subplot was subpar. Usually they do great things with character arcs. I loved what they did with Christopher, Adriana, Paulie, Pussy...I just didn't really feel anything for Vito at all. He never really took anything away in his scenes before they fleshed him out. He was just sort of, eh. Whatever. But when they gave him the little plot of his own he started bugging me.

I also agree on Diane from "Cheers." Really hated her. Re: Phoebe on "Friends," it did feel like sometimes all she did was throw out little random comments that were vaguely funny. But really she was no better or worse than any other character...

[Mrs. Cake]

Andy on WKRP. I suppose he was supposed to be the normal guy, or the hot guy, or whatever, but everyone else fared so much better in the show. I cannot off the top of my head recall an episode that featured him, other than the pilot. I'm sure he was there, but...

Klinger in M*A*S*H. Guy in dress. Then guy who used to wear dress. Couldn't find an actual character for him, but he was always around.

[Bryan Ekers]

Klinger in M*A*S*H. Guy in dress. Then guy who used to wear dress. Couldn't find an actual character for him, but he was always around.

I've been catching the occasional rerun of that show, and man, it did not age well.

[Merijeek]

Gina Bellman is hysterical in that scene. It made the character less annoying to realize how good the actress was to be that annoying.


Her appearance makes up for it a lot more than it does for most actresses, IMO.

-Joe

[Merijeek]

Robin on How I Met Your Mother.

I think the character is fine, it's the actress. She reminds me of Laura Prepon. Fantastically attractive, but a woman who isn't a very good actress. Her lines are just never delivered quite right.

-Joe

[gonzomax]

CSI got rid of Fox and Dourdan thereby eliminating the 2 weakest characters. That could help the show a lot.

[RickJay]

Everyone rip[s Wesley Crusher.

But, you know what? Actually, MOST of the characters, taken over the course of the show, were supremely lame. Picard was a brave explorer who wimped out time and again and blew a chance to kill off the Borg. Beverly Crusher was a sanctimonious, fatally boring bitch. Deanna Troi was another sanctimonious bitch (loved her Mom, though) and Will Riker and Geordi La Forge were just really boring. Wesley at least seemed human, even if the script kept making him ridiculously important.

The only characters I actually liked were Worf and Data, in part because, I think, their alienness forced them to deal with difficulty in relating to their surroundings. Worf is constantly fighting his naturally aggressive nature; when out of his element, like dealing with civilians or with his son, he tries his best and still fails a lot, and struggles to understand why he fails. Data, of course, is utterly alone in the universe, and the nature of his character allows for the exploration of a lot of neat questions.

[jackdavinci]

Orko from He-Man. And generally the comic relief character on otherwise fairly serious shows is very hard to do well. I do like Conner on Primeval though, and Wash on Firefly, and for some reason, Snarf on Thundercats. I even liked Wesley except for his reunion episodes (the academy and space Indians eps - I did like the Ashley Judd ep).

[Ranchoth]

Pretty much most of female characters on CSI. I'm sorry, but I'm really starting to get sick of "chip on her shoulder and unwilling or unable to control their emotions" being passed off as "personality."

Granted, this varies from character to character, and over time, and with occasional glowing exceptions. (Like Lady Heather. She was cool—she just needed minions and a fortress.)

[zenith]

On the show Will & Grace, the weak links were always...the Will and Grace characters. Well, Ok, Grace could occasionally get me to chuckle, but Will was never less than insufferably annoying. (A pretty good feat for a character played by someone so homogenously bland.) Imagine how much better the show would have been if it had been "Jack & Karen."

Agree about Will and Grace and would add Jerry Seinfeld fromSeinfeld to that observation. Kramer and Elaine were funny. Costanza and Newman were excellent love-to-hate characters. Costanza's Dad was great--like a much-funnier version of my own Dad. Jerry was just there.

Back in the dark ages before my little suburb had cable and VCRs were common , I worked 4-to-12 shift.

The only thing still on at 12:15 was NBC and Tom Snyder. Hated Tom Snyder, loved his guest-booker. Always had great guests on that show.

[Icerigger]

Jake, Daria and Quinn's father on Daria. He was just weak and useless with not much to add to the stories.

[mudkicker]

I get pretty bored everytime Sideshow Bob shows up on The Simpsons.

God, me too. I always switch over those episodes.

Also, Bart is pretty annoying too sometimes. Yes, he's meant to be, yada yada yada, but he doesn't have the funny or endearing qualities of Homer, who is always watchable even at his most assholish.

[cmkeller]

Klinger in M*A*S*H. Guy in dress. Then guy who used to wear dress. Couldn't find an actual character for him, but he was always around.

Disagree. He was only a one-note character for a little while; after a while, they varied his escape schemes to pretty good comedic effect. And later, when he replaced Radar as company clerk, his character was pretty well handled.

[D_Odds]

I'm taking a trip in the WayBack Machine™ for my picks of weakest characters:

F Troop: Calamity Jane (despite being the only eye candy)
I Dream of Jeanie: Major Healy
Superman: Jimmy Olsen (some things never change)
The Addams Family: Grandmama Addams
Sanford & Son: Grady and Rollo
Welcome Back Carter: Boom Boom Washington

[Annie-Xmas]

Junior on My Wife & Kids.

[susan_foster]

Ned on Pushing Daisies. The guy will not stop lamenting that Chuck lives NEXT DOOR! The way he talks to himself is annoying.

I'll have to go the opposite side - Chuck annoys the heck out of me, and I love Ned. Might be because he brings the pretty. She's got an annoying voice.

Recently I've felt Ned has been more tic than character, though, so my opinion might change on him. But that still leaves Olive, Emerson, Lily, Vivian, Digby, and Pigby!

Susan

[BrotherCadfael]

(Like Lady Heather. She was cool—she just needed minions and a fortress.)She pretty much got those in the "Heart of Gold" episode of Firefly - a foil-sided fortress and a whorehouse full of minions. Plus Mal and the gang.

[control-z]

Scrappy Doo
The Wonder Twins

:D

[TheMerchandise]

She's supposed to be like that, though. I mean, I know tons of people that self-centered.

Sure, but those people would probably bug me too.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Orko from He-Man. And generally the comic relief character on otherwise fairly serious shows is very hard to do well. I do like Conner on Primeval though, and Wash on Firefly, and for some reason, Snarf on Thundercats. I even liked Wesley except for his reunion episodes (the academy and space Indians eps - I did like the Ashley Judd ep).

I find that last statement odd. The only Wesley episode I found tolerable was the academy episode; it revealed that he and Tom Paris were, at heart, the same sort of wanker. :D

Yeah, I know that the leader of Nova Squadron wasn't Paris. Except of course that he was.)

[drm]

Scrubs - Elliot Reid's character is beyond annoying. Her neurosis got tiresome a few seasons ago.

The Wire - Ziggy was one of those annoying kids I just wanna punch for 85% of the season. Luckily he REALLY brought it home at the end of the season. I happen to think the series is almost perfect but I thought he was kind of weak.

Seinfeld - I just found her entirely unlikable.

[MaxTheVool]

My twoo all-time favorite shows are The Wire and The Simpsons.

Of characters on The Wire who showed up with some frequency across multiple seasons, I think the consistently least interesting and least entertaining was Cutty. Are there any great scenes or moments involving Cutty? Second place is probably Ronnie.

Among relatively major Simpsons characters, it's hard to find a clunker. But again applying the "fewest great moments/scenes involving this character" test, and not going for some weak-ass answer like Snowball 2, I'd have to say maybe Marge.

[CircleofWillis]

On Sopranos, I felt like the whole Vito is gay subplot was subpar. Usually they do great things with character arcs. I loved what they did with Christopher, Adriana, Paulie, Pussy...I just didn't really feel anything for Vito at all. He never really took anything away in his scenes before they fleshed him out. He was just sort of, eh. Whatever. But when they gave him the little plot of his own he started bugging me.


What I took from the Vito arc is to show that, even though they were showing Tony as a more evolved "modern" gangster (seeing a therapist, having a sense of regret for some of his misdeeds, concern for his son not getting into the life, etc.), he was still a neanderthal. This sorta was more confirmation of the whole "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." theme.

He gave up Vito to Phil; didn't do anything about it. Vito was one of Tony's best guys, a good earner and loyal. Tony waffled about it because of what a good earner Vito was but, in the end, he was a "cocksucking fanook" and left his wife (Phil Leotardo's sister). This is apparently more offensive than being a bad earner and didn't even warrant of the protection of his boss.

Paulie talks to and supports Johnny Sack behind his back, Furio gets to almost banging Carmela (only out of fear did he not, not any sense of loyalty to Tony), and Artie puts a gun in his face. All of them get a pass. Vito gets one of the more horrific deaths on the show simply for being homosexual (bisexual, not sure if they ever determined it one way or the other).

That arc to me was just one more layer of Tony's lack of evolution and the foreshadowing of his death in the final episode. It was one of the more important and eye opening layers for me.

[LVBoPeep]

The "actors" in Deadwood- what a waste of valuable Al Swearangen time. Jack was a promising character and I realize that they didn't have the time to flesh them out but I kept thinking "There's only (1,2 or 3) episodes left! I need more Al and less Actors!"

[Bryan Ekers]

Among relatively major Simpsons characters, it's hard to find a clunker. But again applying the "fewest great moments/scenes involving this character" test, and not going for some weak-ass answer like Snowball 2

I'm annoyed that the dog has been the focus of about eight episodes, while the cat, at best, got a B-plot one time. Even an episode that started out pro-cat (Snowball II saves Homer from a treehouse fire) turned back toward the dog after the first commercial.

Bad dog! Bad!

[Freudian Slit]

Seinfeld - I just found her entirely unlikable.

Elaine?

[Lust4Life]

I think that all of the characters in all incarnations of S.T. are rather bland.

They're all just too nicey nice.

You can never imagine any of them being irritable,lazy,sexually jealous,argumentative or bored with each others conversations in normal life.
Let alone running away from danger,looking up someones skirt,cheating at cards or phoning in sick when they've got a hangover.
(While I personally have some of these characteristics myself I by no means have them all)

And Datas only function seems to be a psycophantic admiration of everything to do with Humans.
I think that is to make even the biggest non achievers amongst the viewers feel a warm self congratulatory glow as in ...............

O.K. I may be a lazy slob,a couch potato and haven't had a job in years but I'm Human so I needn't feel bad about myself because I'm special!

I think that the characters who are a mixture of bastard and nice guy in any sort of series are much more believable and much more interesting.

If only because you will not automatically be able to guess their reaction in any given situation.

[D_Odds]

He gave up Vito to Phil; didn't do anything about it. Vito was one of Tony's best guys, a good earner and loyal. Tony waffled about it because of what a good earner Vito was but, in the end, he was a "cocksucking fanook" and left his wife (Phil Leotardo's sister). This is apparently more offensive than being a bad earner and didn't even warrant of the protection of his boss.I don't recall Tony giving up Vito (wikipedia and the HBO website back me up). Tony wanted Vito's income, and the only reasons he didn't go to war were that (a) war is a money-losing proposition, and (b) not everyone backed Vito. Sure, most didn't like NY coming after Vito and getting away with it, but wouldn't fully back a war.

[Freudian Slit]

Paulie talks to and supports Johnny Sack behind his back, Furio gets to almost banging Carmela (only out of fear did he not, not any sense of loyalty to Tony), and Artie puts a gun in his face. All of them get a pass. Vito gets one of the more horrific deaths on the show simply for being homosexual (bisexual, not sure if they ever determined it one way or the other).

Furio didn't get a pass--he went back to Italy. Tony would've had him killed if he'd set foot in the U.S. again.

And I don't think Tony ever had hard evidence about the Paulie thing. He does use the information about Paulie going behind his back to intimidate Paulie in "Remember When" when they're on the boat, so clearly he's not okay with it. I think Artie got a pass on the gun in his face thing because Artie's a civilian, and Tony doesn't really expect much from him. He's kind of a dumbass. (Plus, he did have a sort of good reason--Tony did blow up his restaurant, even though he'd never admit that.)

[Sleeps With Butterflies]

YES! I thought I was the only one.

In Dexter, Deb bugs the crap out of me.

She bugged me something terrible at first, but I'm used to her now. Now I can't stand Rita. OMG she is so annoying. Just her breathy voice is enough to send me over the edge.

[Ephemera]

I think that all of the characters in all incarnations of S.T. are rather bland.

They're all just too nicey nice.

You can never imagine any of them being irritable,lazy,sexually jealous,argumentative or bored with each others conversations in normal life.
Let alone running away from danger,looking up someones skirt,cheating at cards or phoning in sick when they've got a hangover.

Have you never seen Deep Space Nine? Sisko, Kira, Worf, and Odo are often pretty cranky with someone; Worf and Julian feud over Ezri during the last season; Miles despises Julian for most of the first half of the series; and Quark, Jadzia, and Julian are all pretty slutty.

Then there's Garak, Martok, Zek, Damar, Dukat, Winn, Weyoun, and a good half a dozen or more characters that are not nice people by any definition of the word.

[jackdavinci]

I find that last statement odd. The only Wesley episode I found tolerable was the academy episode; it revealed that he and Tom Paris were, at heart, the same sort of wanker. :D

Yeah, I know that the leader of Nova Squadron wasn't Paris. Except of course that he was.)

I liked the episode a lot. I didn't care too much for Wesley's character in it.

[Troy McClure SF]

Vince on Entourage. He's an idiot. A very sweet, loyal, handsome idiot, but an idiot. He's basically a puppy that can walk upright. (It doesn't help than Grenier's a crappy actor.) Drama's up there, too, as his angry-horny Kramer character is getting old.

Book on Firefly. He always seemed vaguely snide and, well, judge-y. Plus I'm tired of religion as a concept.

[drm]

Elaine?

Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I started out putting Elaine where the name of the show should be then I switched it with Seinfeld and forgot to specify elaine later.

[SomeBodyUK]

Ronnie in The Shield. There's been zero character development in 6+ seasons

[dotchan]

I don't like Sarah Sidle of CSI either--it doesn't help that I was quietly cheering for Catherine/Grissom all the way back when she fixed his tie and told him that he needed a woman.

I wouldn't have minded the Grissom/Sidle Romance (tm) if only they'd let Sarah grow up and get past some of her issues. She was such a needy little thing, argh. (And yeah, Catherine had her moments, too, but it helps that she tends to be more mature and she is hot. :P)

The CSI shows need more Team Mom/Team Dad OTP. (Miami suffered from a similar problem, where Team Mom Alexx is happily married and Team Dad Horatio hooked up with Delko's Woobie Sister who, like, died the next episode or something.)

[Between_the_Bars]

Kenneth - 30 Rock.

Some of his lines are funny, but I can't stand his delivery or voice. Whenever he is on screen I desperately want to see Jane Krakowski, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, or anyone other than Kenneth!!

[Jelly Roll]

Kenneth - 30 Rock.

Some of his lines are funny, but I can't stand his delivery or voice. Whenever he is on screen I desperately want to see Jane Krakowski, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, or anyone other than Kenneth!!

I like Kenneth but think he's overused. I liked him better when we only saw him occasionally.

Dexter-Rita. Someone just mentioned her, but OMG-she's so whiney. About everything. All the time.

Prison Break-Sara. Totally helpless and always full of made-up angst. I liked her better when her head was in a box.

[Rubystreak]

Dexter-Rita. Someone just mentioned her, but OMG-she's so whiney. About everything. All the time.

Dexter has never had a single likable female character in its entire run. Rita and Deb for previously mentioned reasons. Maria is bitchy and clueless, and Lila? Grrr.

Jack on LOST is so self-righteous and annoying, and frequently wrong. He's supposed to be the protagonist of the show, but I want to kick his ass at least half the time for being so damn fatuous. I'm glad he's come to regret his attitude towards Locke. But even more than Jack, I can't stand Kate. How many damn times has she done something she wasn't supposed to do, been apprehended by the enemy, then used as leverage to get her friends to capitulate to some demand? Insufferable and stupid, she is only tolerated because she's hot and half the male characters on the show have a crush on her. If she were middle aged, pudgy, and funny looking, she would have been left for dead seasons ago.

Whew. Needed to get that off my chest, I guess.

[Euthanasiast]

The "actors" in Deadwood- what a waste of valuable Al Swearangen time. Jack was a promising character and I realize that they didn't have the time to flesh them out but I kept thinking "There's only (1,2 or 3) episodes left! I need more Al and less Actors!"

Ah, Deadwood.

I came in here to mention Deadwood. I disagree that Al Swearangen can carry the show all by himself, and the great thing about this show is that nearly every actor is turning in world-class performances. The only one I have a problem with happens to be Seth's character, played at only two speeds, pissed and insanely pissed (this may be an acting thing more than any other one thing).

In a show where every other character is an abyssal trench of depth, Seth Bullock seems very two dimensional in contrast.

Oh, and did you know that David Milch, the show's creator, wanted the part of Al Swearangen to be played by Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy from Married With Children)?! Seems crazy to think about it like that. I know Ed could have pulled it off, but I'm glad we got Ian McShane!

[Rubystreak]

In a show where every other character is an abyssal trench of depth, Seth Bullock seems very two dimensional in contrast.

I agree. Even when he's supposed to be having a pleasant conversation with his wife over breakfast, you can practically hear his teeth grinding. I thought maybe Bullock was intended to be the protagonist of the show, but McShane's Swearengen turned out to be so compelling that the focus of the show slowly shifted to him, and became about his transformation instead of Bullock.

Oh, and did you know that David Milch, the show's creator, wanted the part of Al Swearangen to be played by Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy from Married With Children)?! Seems crazy to think about it like that. I know Ed could have pulled it off, but I'm glad we got Ian McShane!

He not only said that, but after the show was over, said it would have been a better show with O'Neill as Al. No way, Mr. Milch, you cocksucker.

[LVBoPeep]

Oh yeah- I agree that the rest of the cast was fantastic and Seth's character became pretty weak in the third season. That is just wrong to think anyone could have done AL better than McShane though.

[control-z]

Book on Firefly. He always seemed vaguely snide and, well, judge-y. Plus I'm tired of religion as a concept.

I thought Book was a great foil to Mal and many of the crew's cynicism. Also he seemed like he used to be a real badass, although I guess they never really told that backstory.

[Sublata]

I just came in here to third the nomination of Thirteen from House. What a vacant-eyed, slack-jawed nonentity she is. Even Huntington's and bisexuality can't make her interesting. (Yes, I know I thought I saw a spark of personality in her a few episodes back, but apparently that was just a trick of the light.)

[Zsofia]

She bugged me something terrible at first, but I'm used to her now. Now I can't stand Rita. OMG she is so annoying. Just her breathy voice is enough to send me over the edge.
Heh, you think she's annoying in Dexter, you should see her in Buffy and Angel. But Lilah is clearly hands down the most annoying character on Dexter. But like the rest of them, she's supposed to be. I think the real point of the thread is characters you aren't supposed to necessarily hate, they're just poorly done so you do. (For example, I think we're supposed to affectionately chuckle at Eliot's neuroses on Scrubs, but she's gone way past that into annoyingland.)

[Andy L]

Robin on How I Met Your Mother.

Hmm. I was going to say Ted from HIMYM - I prefer the show when it's dealing with Marshall, Lily, Robin or Barney much more than when Ted is center stage. Barney knows that he's a jerk and is okay with it - Ted often is a jerk without ever realizing it.

[Trepa Mayfield]

Cookie in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. If you've seen the show, I don't think I need to say anything else. If you haven't, then...well, I'm not suprised.

[Sampiro]

Current shows:

Marc St. James on Ugly Betty- he used to be one of the best characters, but the actor (Michael Urie) really needs to get his agent to shake the writers because they're making him a caricature ala Jack from Will and Grace.

Catalina on My Name is Earl. Of course one thing that irks me is they can't keep her back story straight (though this may be intentional), but other than jiggling jugs and an accent (which admittedly if I were straight would probably be enough because she's hot- the song Jump is sexy just because of her) she doesn't add much.


A few from all time favorites:

Sanford and Son- actually most were strong characters, but they wasted Nancy Kulp as Hoppy's mother when they brought her on as a recurring character towards the end.

Northern Exposure- I think the character of Ed (the half-Inuit film buff) would have been a great addition if the actor had been worth a damn, but he wasn't. He just seemed like a stoner with Aspergers.

Arrested Development- would love to have seen more of Liza Minnelli (how often does one read that sentence anymore?)

Barney Miller- he had a couple of moments, but ultimately Levitt (or Levine as Inspector Luger called him) could have been left at home. Ditto Dietrich.

WKRP- they never really found an interesting angle on Bailey.

[Sampiro]

Oh, and did you know that David Milch, the show's creator, wanted the part of Al Swearangen to be played by Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy from Married With Children)?! Seems crazy to think about it like that. I know Ed could have pulled it off, but I'm glad we got Ian McShane!

I know it's his show, but there have been stonings for lesser heresies than that. And rightfully so.

I've actually wondered if O'Neill's decision not to do the show had anything to do with the fact the character was an amoral misogynistic bastard named Al. It would have given an awkward unwanted image of Peg's overly sprayed faux red head going up and down while Al talks of how his mother "knocked one two three four on the fucking orphanage door til Mrs. Fatass Fuckin' Anderson opened it... Peg are you asleep?" (I suppose Marci could have played Jewel and Ted McGinley Cy Tolliver.)

[Skald the Rhymer]

WKRP- they never really found an interesting angle on Bailey.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

That is the second-gayest thing I have read on the Dope this week, exceeded only by my discourse on the greatness of Sondheim and the insipidity of Lloyd Webber.

Bailey needs no "angle," librarian! She is sufficient unto herself. To make a scene with 1970s-Jan Smithers interesting, one need merely bring her on screen. to make it more interesting one canend Jennifer Marlowe, who is clearly thinking, at all times, "How is it that I have spent $9,000,000 on acquiring this bionic body, and dedicate four hours a day to its cosmetic upkeep, and yet this bespectacled woman is 67 times hotter than I? Why, Lord? How have I offended thee?"

[Bryan Ekers]

and Lila? Grrr
I take it you're not prepared to pardon her tits.

[Khadaji]

FEZ on That 70s show. Dull and annoying. Who on earth that that "Good day! I said good day!" was comedy?

[Andy L]

FEZ on That 70s show. Dull and annoying. Who on earth that that "Good day! I said good day!" was comedy?

Willie Wonka?

[shy guy]

Vince on Entourage. He's an idiot. A very sweet, loyal, handsome idiot, but an idiot. He's basically a puppy that can walk upright. (It doesn't help than Grenier's a crappy actor.)
Agreed on everything except "sweet." Frankly, I think he's a tool.

In fairness, I find every character on Entourage pretty one-note (which is why the show lost me after the second season), but Vince isn't even interesting or entertaining. They need him for the rest of the characters to revolve around, but I'd have liked it better had he been less of a presence in the actual show.

My nomination would be Danny DeVito on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. At best, his character is inoffensive and unnecessary; more frequently he disrupts the chemistry among the four original leads and is simply distracting and obviously shoe-horned in.

That said, the show wouldn't currently exist without him. So I suppose it's a trade-off.

[Gatopescado]

Ray Suarez from The News Hour and David Lynch (as writer) from Twin Peaks.

[BrotherCadfael]

I thought Book was a great foil to Mal and many of the crew's cynicism. Also he seemed like he used to be a real badass, although I guess they never really told that backstory."Isn't the Bible pretty clear about killin'?" "Quite clear. It is, however, somewhat fuzzy on the concept of kneecaps."

Badass.

[zamboniracer]

Ray Suarez from The News Hour and David Lynch (as writer) from Twin Peaks.

I'm going to regret this, but what have you got against Ray Suarez?

[Scumpup]

Everybody except Darrin, Samantha, Uncle Arthur, and Endora on the Bewitched TV series.

[ExTank]

Ronnie in The Shield. There's been zero character development in 6+ seasons

Agreed. And they have the potential to flesh him out a bit more this season.

But hey, he was a friend of the producer, and they needed a "walk-on" guy for an episode or two in the beginning, so David Rees Snell got the nod.

Not bad: 6+ seasons of steady work from a non-speaking walk-on in the pilot.