# 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:** 8\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/101 "2008-06-20T01:07:27Z")
[QUOTE=JSexton] _Fawlty Towers_. Oh, and though I haven’t watched it, I gather that _The Office_ is like this. [/QUOTE] Polley and Manuel are both quite likable, as are many of the supporting regular guests (if a bit odd). The only really unlikable characters are Basil and Sybil. And Jim, Pam, and Karen are all very likable on The Office. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2008, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/102 "2008-06-20T06:34:05Z")
Nip/Tuck. (I have only seen the first four seasons, so YMMV.) Everyone on it is effed up beyond belief except maybe Annie. ---
**Author:** ![PharmBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@PharmBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PharmBoy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/103 "2008-06-21T00:13:48Z")
**WEEDS** - in the beginning I felt sympathy for Nancy Botwin: she sold pot because her husband’s death left her broke and with a big mortgage and no way of supporting her kids. As the show progressed, however, I lost any sympathy as she ignored every possible warning sign to get out of the business/sell the house for payoff if you have to/save your family (it’s established that there _is_ an equity and surely she and the kids have at least Social Security to live on and while their lifestyle will have to be downgraded it would be a helluva lot healthier than the one that she’s created). By end of season 3 Nancy’s a half-sane self-absolving ditz, the older son’s a whiny brat, the brother-in-law is a total oxygen thief that I wouldn’t even want to know my kids’ names let alone be a male authority figure around them, Sanjay’s a total wuss, Halia would steal the coins from a blind man’s cup if she needed bus fare, Conrad’s a p-whipped wuss, Celia’s a complete nightmare, the maid’s an opportunistic bitch, and all of the other male characters are whining and miserable stoners. Just no one to really root for on the whole series save perhaps younger son Shane and his lesbian friend Belle. Any others? [/QUOTE] Never have seen Weeds. However,a similar thing happened with the HBO series “Six Feet Under” . In the begining, you sympathized with the characters, particularly Brenda and her brother, as well as Nate. But, the last two years, their actions were so bizarre, that you just wanted to slap them. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/104 "2008-06-21T00:55:51Z")
Thought of another one we saw on DVD. The miniseries _Angels in America._ Don’t think I’ve seen it mentioned yet. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/105 "2008-06-21T04:25:42Z")
All in the Family ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/106 "2008-06-21T15:42:04Z")
[QUOTE=Shayna] All in the Family [/QUOTE] How so? Edith, Lionel, Mike, the Lorenzos, Beverly Lasalle? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/107 "2008-06-21T15:44:33Z")
[QUOTE=Hazle Weatherfield] How so? Edith, Lionel, Mike, the Lorenzos, Beverly Lasalle? Really? [/QUOTE] Mike? Are you serious? Edith, definitely. Beverly wasn’t a “major character”, and you could argue that Lionel wasn’t either. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769/108 "2008-06-21T16:54:50Z")
[QUOTE=Elenfair] Truth is, we like assholes. Assholes make for great TV. Hell, Assholes can be likable, to a degree – Dr. Greg House prove that weekly. If he happened to be your coworker, you’d be in the pit bitching about him on a daily basis… but man, he makes for some awesome TV. [/QUOTE] Truth. Bad people and bad situations make for good TV. Most people wouldn’t tolerate that shit on a daily basis. Like [this](http://io9.com/392142/the-7-types-of-bad-bosses-according-to-star-trek-and-how-to-survive-them), which is about the Star Trek Captains as types of bad bosses. Bet you never thought about what it would _really_ be like to work for them, did you? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-with-no-likable-major-characters/452769.md?page=5)