If we're supposed to like these characters, why are they such tools?

I came in here specifically to mention JD. God, I hate him!!! Elliot bugs me with her new-found cockiness and extremely condescending personality, but JD is an actual jerk. He’s a liar, an incompetant doctor, and he’s completely self-absorbed. I hate him.

That’s all right.

But, I found them pathetic and whiny, not sympathetic. I think they’re supposed to be likable, but as the OP said, I really wanted to toss them into a volcano. They’re characters who will never snap out of and never be of any use to anyone.

I know that people say that the characters on Seinfeld were supposed to be unlikeable and that’s what they liked about them. I never understood that. They were unlikeable and that why I didn’t watch.

That’s true for a surprising number of sitcoms. Some people like the characters despite their unlikeability. Scrubs is apparently another one. Cheers was a major example. In fact, most sitcoms today are full of tools. I find that weird.

That said, I do like JD.

The difference between Scrubs and Garden State is that in both he plays a whiny man-girl, but in GS, he asks us to sympathize with him. In Scrubs, he repeatedly gets beat-down for it, and is self-aware about it. Huge difference, IMO.

I think he’s cute.

The way the shows’ producers focused on hyping up the Lana Lang character (because Kristin Kreuk is SO HOT! :rolleyes: ) basically ruined the show for me. The first few seasons were great, then the whole Clark-Lex dynamic (the most interesting part of the show for me) was pushed to second stage to make room for Ms. Kreuk. Blecch!

Because he somehow managed to get in on the ground floor of a show with very good writing and an incredible supporting cast.

-Joe

what would be the ultimate then?

Yeah, I remember watching one time and there was an episode where Sam had to hire a bouncer (“Ogre” from Revenge of the Nerds) because of some problems they were having.

IIRC, everyone was extremely mean to him, and he basically walked off, presumably to kill himself (not really). And nothing ever came of it. No apologies. No regrets. Just making fun of the big dumb guy till he left.

That was when I realized what a horrible bunch of people the “Cheers” crowd was.

-Joe

I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. Sorry.

Including George. The only one it doesn’t apply to is Dr. Bailey.

I’d like to nominate the four leads in Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip (Danny, Matt, Harriet and Jordan.) I really really wanted to like this show, but now I can’t even remember to watch the last couple of epipsodes every Thursday night. And it’s because these two couples’ (as characters) every minute on screen do absolutely nothing for me. I don’t care if they get together or not. They only time I like any of those characters is when they’re not dealing with their own love lives.

Today? What about miserly Jack Benny, conniving Sgt. Bilko, or the Bickersons?

Seinfeld also has to be put into context of the times as well. The show debuted at the tail-end of a long period where TV was dominated by cloying, schmaltzy artificially-‘earnest & sincere’ shows like “the Wonder Years” or “Family Ties.” When “Seinfeld” first debuted, it really was a welcome change to see a show that didn’t have Very Special Episodes and had characters that didn’t learn Very Important Lessons each week. It’s impact of course has been watered down after years & years of inferior shows trying to imitate it.

Anyway, for me the most annoying ‘beloved’ character was Daphne from Frasier. Why in the world was Niles so obsessed with her for all that time? She’s a flaky, empty-headed, not-especially-funny bimbo with the most grating accent of all time.

I’d have to say pretty much all of Tim’s family, including himself, on Home Improvement.

His wife was a whiny, ball-breaking bitch; his kids were the typical smart mouth little sitcom shits that needed five across the eye; and he was an ineffectual, pussy whipped idiot.

Totally agreed. When the most appealing character on your sitcom is completely hidden behind a fence, your sitcom has problems.

Prince in Purple Rain. As the viewer, I know I was supposed to feel sympathetic at his struggle with tragedy and cheer his final validation, but he was just a whiny egotistical misogynistic tool, as was everyone else in the movie. It was basically Saturday Night Fever with satin.

Ben Stiller’s wife in Meet the Parents.

Beavis and Butt-Head.

And, you are supposed to feel ambivalent-to-malevolent towards him, but also - Thomas Covenant.

Eric Cartman in “South Park.” If ever a kid was an argument for 40th-trimester abortions, he’s the one …

Jane Eyre, Fanny Price, Hardy’s Tess, Madame Bovary