# TV Shows With No Likable Major Characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769 "2008-06-13T04:10:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/21 "2008-06-13T13:16:50Z")
Likable is quite a bit different than good. For the **The Simpsons** or **Housep** Homer and House might not be good people, but I love their characters. That’s quite a bit different than hating the characters and watching for the plot or something else. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/22 "2008-06-13T13:29:05Z")
[QUOTE=Steve Wright] If there are likeable characters in _Sex in the City_ … I must have blinked and missed them. [/QUOTE] There was just one likeable character, but he was just a minor one - Aiden Shaw, furniture maker. Very likeable. Carrie used him up and threw him away like yesterday’s trash. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/23 "2008-06-13T13:29:58Z")
The short-lived FX series “Starved.” Not a likeable character in the bunch. Still a great show. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/24 "2008-06-13T13:31:35Z")
Will and Grace ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/25 "2008-06-13T14:01:41Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] Will and Grace [/QUOTE] Will & Grace are not likeable, but Karen and especially Jack make the show. The only people who wouldn’t like Jack are homophobes. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/26 "2008-06-13T14:07:33Z")
Other than Michael and George Michael…pretty much everyone on **Arrested Development**. Oh man, the woman who played the matriarch deserves some kudos for her acting. I was watching Intervention and there were a couple of scenes with a woman of similar bent that made me feel like I was watching scenes out of AD (except this time kind of sad and creepy because it was a real person). ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/27 "2008-06-13T14:15:49Z")
Seems as if the thread title is open to misinterpretation… You can: 1. Dislike characters, thus not liking show, thus not watching it. Another “I hated that show…” be it Seinfeld, Sopranos (yes they are dislikeable, but thats not the point). or 1. Like the fact that these are dislikable characters rubbing off against each other. That was comedy of Seinfeld, and the drama of the Sopranos… A classic of the second was what ER used to do (and Third Watch did too), in that the sense it had a lot of really unlikeable characters which were compelling to watch… Romano’s sexual harrassment of the Dr Corday, Dr Bentons general attitude and superiority complex and (in Third Watch), Carlos being selfish idiot from day zero the very near the end… I’d say Deadwood’s up there, everyone has an agenda, even the enjoyable ones like Calamity Jane is prone to bouts of stupidity and the supposed “saints” are prone to folly… The Shield is another, which constantly throws up the repeated evilness of the main characters reminding you not to like them, but still kind of liking them. Ie: When Forrest Whittakers character was trying to get Vic. Which side did you root for? Perhaps Oz will be in there too… I’m only near end of Series 2, but only one I want to do well is Beecher, and thats only because he suffered and even at that, he’s mad… ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/28 "2008-06-13T14:20:10Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] House. [/QUOTE] Why House? Yeah no one on the show is perfect, but on a lot of episodes at least Wilson or one of House’s staff isn’t being an asshole. It’s really only House that is consistently a jerk, but he can usually be likable in theory because he is funny and a good doctor (and the viewer doesn’t personally have to put up with his crap). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/29 "2008-06-13T14:27:17Z")
Wilson is the most likeable character on House (and Robert Sean Leonard is one amazing actor), but he loses points for putting up with House. In real life House would be in prison or on disability. I watch the show for its stories and the incredible acting, much like the first two seasons of Seinfeld. But the characters are people I would not like in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/30 "2008-06-13T14:57:40Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] The only people who wouldn’t like Jack are homophobes. [/QUOTE] :rolleyes: Hardly. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/31 "2008-06-13T15:03:01Z")
Disney’s _The Proud Family_.\* The characters that I haven’t come to loathe are more “pitiable” than “likable.” Kinda like how you might feel sorry for one of the poor wretches in a Dickensian tear-jerker—or an _Invader Zim_ episode—but not actually want to spend any time _around_ them. Everyone _else_ just makes me want to strangle them with their own cutsey, look-at-how-cool-I-am, self-abosrbed, shrill, playfully violent, vaguely misandristic spinal cords. Okay, maybe spine-strangling is a _tad_ extreme. But dangit, they _are_ irritating. \*I work late hours, often suffer from insomnia, and was a big fan of MST3K. I can’t _not_ watch it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/32 "2008-06-13T15:08:50Z")
[QUOTE=RikWriter] I disagree. I think Charlie Utter and Sol are good. [/QUOTE] And the Doc. I think he’s my favorite character. Also, Jewel. So there. Jewel is a saint. Oh, and the minister. Don’t forget him. (Also a saint.) I cried. ETA - And what about Ellsworth? And his dog? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/33 "2008-06-13T15:26:50Z")
[QUOTE=Smid] Seems as if the thread title is open to misinterpretation… You can: 1. Dislike characters, thus not liking show, thus not watching it. Another “I hated that show..” be it Seinfeld, Sopranos (yes they are dislikeable, but thats not the point). or 1. Like the fact that these are dislikable characters rubbing off against each other. That was comedy of Seinfeld, and the drama of the Sopranos… [/QUOTE] Good point. My nominee (_Everybody Loves Raymond_) was an example of #1 for me – since it was on for a bajillion years, however, I assume for many people it was an example of #2. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/34 "2008-06-13T16:32:49Z")
[QUOTE=Orual] From the few I’ve been forced to watch: **Grey’s Anatomy**. I have since determined that there is only one way I could be convinced to watch another episode: if it chronicles the beginnings of a zombie apocalypse, and every character is ripped limb from limb by a horde of the slavering undead. [/QUOTE] Please tell me you will spare Miranda Bailey! Otherwise, hell yeah, bring on the zombie apocalypse. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/35 "2008-06-13T16:53:33Z")
[QUOTE=Turek] :rolleyes: Hardly. [/QUOTE] I was hoping that was a facetious statement, and withheld my own rolleyes. Using the **Smid** Index: Type 1 _Everybody Loves Raymond Friends Desperate Housewives Grey’s Anatomy_ Type 2 _The Sopranos The Shield Prison Break_ and my favorite - _Married with Children_ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/36 "2008-06-13T17:57:39Z")
[QUOTE=BluePitbull] Family Guy [/QUOTE] Lois Griffin’s likeable, isn’t she? She’s warm, smart, devoted to her family, and doesn’t put on the facade of being a Madonna figure the way Marge Simpson does. She’s one of the most balanced, reasonable and likeable characters on TV. [QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] The only people who wouldn’t like Jack are homophobes. [/QUOTE] This is a joke, right? Jack is FUNNY. He’s not likeable. In real life any decent human being, gay or straight, would hate his guts in direct proportion to how much they had to deal with him. He’s shallow, ignorant, selfish, irritating and vain. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/37 "2008-06-13T18:09:18Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] This is a joke, right? Jack is FUNNY. He’s not likeable. In real life any decent human being, gay or straight, would hate his guts in direct proportion to how much they had to deal with him. He’s shallow, ignorant, selfish, irritating and vain. [/QUOTE] Yup. And while we’re at **Will and Grace** , I second the entire cast. In the Sopranos, only Meadow, to me, is likeable and I have to admit that’s entirely based on the fact that I met Jamie-Lynn Sigler once and she’s not just heartbreakingly hot, but she was a really nice person. We literally bumped into each other at a Borders and we spent 10 minutes talking about baseball, eating disorders, a subject close to her heart, and Chicago weather. Also, everyone in **Everyone Loves Raymond**. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/38 "2008-06-13T18:19:25Z")
I’ll third Grey’s Anatomy. They’re all whiny self-absorbed jerks. And the title character never even seems to perform actual medicine; on the rare occasions when she does, the patient invariably dies. So she spends her time moping about her interminably repetitive and inane relationship problems. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/39 "2008-06-13T18:26:14Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] House. [/QUOTE] Annie, are you averring that NONE of the main characters on House are likable, or just that the title character is not? Because, if the latter, I’d say that Thirteen, Cuddy, Wilson, and Kutner are all likable. Hell, Cameron, Chase, and Foreman are likeable on the right day. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/40 "2008-06-13T18:29:49Z")
**The West Wing**. The only character who is likeable is Martin Sheen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769.md?page=3)