# Who's the most hated TV character? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029 "2012-05-15T22:41:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/41 "2012-05-16T17:34:04Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > People hate Claire Huxtable? I didn’t hate Claire, but I can see why she’s on this list. She had a certain…I don’t know…smugness, I guess. She rarely spoke to anyone in way that was not at least vaguely condescending. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/42 "2012-05-16T17:50:48Z")
It wasn’t the wife on ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ that I hated. It was his mother. Hate hate hate hate hate hate. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/43 "2012-05-16T18:37:05Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Sylvester McCoy is my favorite classic doctor - a good combination between darkly manipulative and goofy. Granted, I’m still working my way through the old series, but in the corse of watching them all out of order, I ran across a seventh doctor episode and promptly worked my way through every last one of his before continuing onward. I haven’t seen much Tom Baker yet, and though I’ve liked what I’ve seen, I’m wondering if he can live up to the hype. Geeks treat him like he’s the God of Who, or something. > > The Seventh Doctor’s assistant was (and still is, on the radio dramas) Sophie Aldred, not Bonnie ‘shoulder pads’ Langford. Ace was made of pure, concentrated awesome. Mel might be my official pick for this list. Tom Baker had the longest run, and had some great writing and co-stars. Plus, if you’re between 35 and 55 in the USA, Tom Baker’s Doctor was likely your first. And you always have a fondness for your first. Watch the first 4 Baker eps in a row for a good look at his Doctor. And then watch some of the higher rated eps of his run. But you really need to see his first few first. Sylvesthter’s Docthor was well done with regard to character and acting. But by that time, the Who franchise was in trouble. He didn’t get a fair shake, imho. Absolutely atrocious plots and dialogue in many eps. Hey, I even liked #8, wanted to see some more with him. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/44 "2012-05-16T18:44:58Z")
I don’t like Claire Huxtable because she wouldn’t let Cliff eat potato chips ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/45 "2012-05-16T19:14:00Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Am I the first person who is mentioning Dr. Frank Burns from MASH? > > There’s a difference, to me, between: > > - Hated because they are a contrived character, clearly inserted for reasons outside what makes sense for the show’s story - e.g., Wesley Crusher > > - Hated because they are the central bad guy, e.g., JR Ewing on Dallas, who, to my knowledge (didn’t watch the show myself) folks loved to hate > > - Hated because they are positioned to be the douchbag counterpoint to our heroes - e.g., Frank Burns on MASH Frank Burns in the TV series was tweaked from his movie counterpart so that (a) he wouldn’t be nearly as good a doctor as Hawkeye and Trapper (and, later, BJ), and (b) he was “pro-Army,” so the producers could send the message, “See? Army = Bad, Peace = Good!” > [@control-z](#): > > Dr. Smith on Lost in Space. Why did they put up with that guy? I would have left him on the next planet we came to. Wasn’t that the original intent, but then the bean counters noticed that the show was turning into “Dr. Smith, the Robot, and who cares”? > [@](#): > > Coy and Vance Who hated them other than the fans of Bo and Luke? Speaking of whom, “the version I heard was,” they claimed they left the show because of script quality, but when they came back, the scripts weren’t any “better”, but “coincidentally” now the actors were getting a cut of the merchandise. My vote, if limited to names on the list: Wesley. (Somewhere in the vast Internetverse is a story of how Paramount “forgot” to tell Wil Wheaton about the premiere for the last movie.) My vote, if there was an “Other” option: Meg on _Family Guy_. Somebody else that people seem to have forgotten: Dan Fielding on _Night Court_. One of my “TV Theories” is, “You know a villain is doing his job when the actor wins multiple Emmys.” ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/46 "2012-05-16T22:47:14Z")
> [@jerseymule](#): > > OK, I finally figured out that “Deborah Barron” from Everybody Loves Raymond is supposed to be _Debra Barone_, the wife of Raymond on the show. I kept thinking that there must be a character that I’d somehow missed, a nemesis of the Barone family. It’s amazing to me that just changing the spelling caused me not to recognize the name at all. DUH! I’m going to go ahead and believe that _that’s_ the reason this poll is not unanimous. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/47 "2012-05-16T23:48:56Z")
I like most of those, the rest I don’t know at all…Love Tara ---
**Author:** ![Orca\_Eyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Orca\_Eyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orca_Eyes)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/48 "2012-05-17T02:23:32Z")
Darn, no one I really hate is on the list! Here are a list of five characters that I really hate. 1. Sugar Motta from _Glee_. I am autistic, and I find her ridiculously offensive. The whole “screw the rules, I have autism” thing is insulting. And all of my autistic friends agree - one actually persuaded his mum to stop watching it because he was offended. Negative portrayals of autism like that only reinforce the stereotypes. And she’s just plain annoying. 2. Sal from _Mad Men_ really annoys me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate him because he’s gay, I hate him because he’s a gay _stereotype_ and he’s _obnoxious_! When I used to be on City Data, I posted that I have a friend named Salvatore who hates the Mad Men character even more than I do! Although in his case it’s because he doesn’t want people associating his name with the Mad Men character. I don’t blame him - think of how the names Homer and Elmo have been rendered unusable because of heavy associations with TV (although I admit at least those are less unpleasant associations). And my friend is straight and nothing like Sal Romano or whatever his surname is. 3. Megan from _Drake & Josh_. Probably one of the most obnoxious characters to ever exist on any TV show. She got away with EVERY nasty prank that she pulled! She made Angelica Pickles from _Rugrats_ and D.W. from _Arthur_ look like sweet, well-behaved children. (And as much as Drake Bell’s character was a jerk, I kinda felt sorry for him having to put up with the little sister from hell.) Thank heavens the show got cancelled after everyone grew too old to play their roles. 4. Cilan from _Pokemon: Best Wishes_. I don’t know if any of you watch anime, but I really hate this character. I hate him because he’s such a seemingly perfect jerk that can do anything. And the fact that Cilan doesn’t take anything seriously. If you’ve played Pokemon Black and White, Cilan appears, but his personality is much more humble and a bit nicer - after all, the anime is based on the games (however loosely), NOT the other way around. 5. Brian from _Family Guy_ after he became such a left-wing jerk. It’s sad, since I used to like him. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/49 "2012-05-17T03:52:22Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > No “love” for Horatio Caine? How soon will it be before Caruso starts saying he was _playing_ the character as a douchebag? It looks like my original answer was eaten by hamsters, but this answer is the correct one. What a douche bag of a character, and I can’t believe **Caruso** isn’t showing a lot of himself in that portrayal. I’m dropping some of the sympathy requirement, since I can’t sympathize with someone I hate. I originally went with **George Costanza** -_Seinfeld_ **Conrad Eckly** - _CSI_, followed closely by **Catherine**. The biggest HR-focused prick on tv. On _Everybody Loves Raymond_, I actually liked **Debra**. I HATED **Marie** , ( **Rays** mother), just a bit more than I hated mommas boy **Ray**. And finally the twins. Child actors are hard to pick on, but these two little bastards sucked. _The Sopranos_ - **Janice Soprano**. I loathed this person, so much so that if I ever met her in real life, I’d have to smack her. _Nurse Jackie_ - **Jackie Payton** - no sympathy for a lying, drug addict nurse/mother who is extremely selfish and uses everyone. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/50 "2012-05-17T04:33:05Z")
I like the ones in the poll. The person I’d put in this category is Sherry Palmer on _24_. She was so hated that the hate spilled over to the actress Penny Johnson Jerald’s new character on _Castle_. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/51 "2012-05-17T04:58:22Z")
Although I was no fan of Scrappy Doo, I’m somewhat baffled by all the hate for him, because it seems to suggest _Scooby-Doo_ was a good show before he came along, rather than the stupefyingly lame piece of shit it actually was. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/52 "2012-05-17T04:58:29Z")
Does hating the entire cast of Friends count? ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/53 "2012-05-17T05:41:27Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Although I was no fan of Scrappy Doo, I’m somewhat baffled by all the hate for him, because it seems to suggest _Scooby-Doo_ was a good show before he came along, rather than the stupefyingly lame piece of shit it actually was. Come on, now… Scooby Doo was a great Saturday morning cartoon show to watch with your bowl of sugar covered cereal. That was the target audience. And that target audience was smart enough to reject Scrappy Doo. 8 year olds hopped up on sugar could tell right away that Scrappy Doo sucked. And he still does. > [@drewtwo99](#): > > Does hating the entire cast of Friends count? Winner winner chicken dinner! ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/54 "2012-05-17T06:43:05Z")
Lisa Simpson. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/55 "2012-05-17T10:00:33Z")
> [@Orca\_Eyes](#): > > 1. Brian from _Family Guy_ after he became such a left-wing jerk. It’s sad, since I used to like him. Yeah, I agree. I mean, it took Quagmire - everyone’s favorite serial rapist - to [finally put the smackdown on him](http://fliiby.com/file/791780/lb6zncgj3p.html). That said, one would be hard-pressed to find a truly likable regular character on the show. The only one who wasn’t a total douche left for his own spinoff, ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/56 "2012-05-17T12:58:35Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Yeah, I agree. I mean, it took Quagmire - everyone’s favorite serial rapist - to [finally put the smackdown on him](http://fliiby.com/file/791780/lb6zncgj3p.html). > > That said, one would be hard-pressed to find a truly likable regular character on the show. The only one who wasn’t a total douche left for his own spinoff, Screw that fliiby link. I have to sit through two commercials, one of which is some frightening “if you smoke, you will look like this” PSA for 30+ seconds. I don’t need to see that crap this early. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/57 "2012-05-17T13:01:09Z")
Sorry - the only YouTube video I could find was audio over a still. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/58 "2012-05-17T13:20:31Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Sorry - the only YouTube video I could find was audio over a still. i understand. But that bald lady speaking in a throat buzzer freaked me out. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/59 "2012-05-18T07:30:13Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > What is quite amusing is that now Wil Wheaton has one of the funniest blogs on the Web. And also a couple of well-selling books to his credit, too. Maybe if they just had let Wil write his own scenes for Wesley … ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029/60 "2012-05-18T07:46:54Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > And also a couple of well-selling books to his credit, too. > > Maybe if they just had let Wil write his own scenes for Wesley … He’s also got far better acting chops than Wesley ever would’ve left us believing. His turn as a serial killer/rapist on Criminal Minds is still one of the best, creepiest creepies they’ve had. What’s the term for the opposite of this, a character everyone on the show hates, for no apparent reason, that we’re supposed to hate, but have no reason to? Because Meg Griffin from Family Guy is totally in that category. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-hated-tv-character/622029.md?page=4)