Shows That You Love But Hate A Main Character

[Cristiano]

There are several shows I can think of that I absolutely love the show, but hate the main character (or one of the main characters).

For me, it started with Dawson's Creek. I hated Dawson with a passion and kept hoping they would kill him off (spoiler: they never did).

On Sex and The City, I could not stand Carrie Bradshaw. She was a whiny, selfish and oblivious asshole. I love the other three main characters, but not her.

Similar feelings about Piper on Orange Is The New Black - she is the Carrie Bradshaw of that show.

On the Vampire Diaries, I could not stand Stefan Salvatore. I don't think there has ever been a more boring character on a show. Even "ripper" Stefan was a snooze.

Currently, I am finally making my way through Daredevil on Netflix, and I can't fucking stand Matt/Daredevil. Whiny, sanctimonious and his nose looks dumb in the mask (thanks Allison for pointing that out). I keep hoping someone will finally take him out and Foggy will become a superhero.

What shows do main characters annoy you on?

 

[Allison]

His nose is already really close to his eyes (very dwight schrute) the mask could have...masked that...but instead it emphasized it and I needed you to share that experience with me.

 

[Allison]

You forgot you hate Sookie Cristiano

 

[Lexxi]

It is difficult for me to continue a series if I hate the main character. Just thinking about it . . . I cannot think of a single show I continued to watch after I realized I hated the main character.

Possibly that newer version of Lost in Space - I have a vague recollection that I watched the entire first season and didn't really like any of the characters on it. Do not specifically recall hating any of them, though.

 

[Ava Glasgow]

I utterly detested Snow and Charming in Once Upon a Time.

 

[Free]

I utterly detested Snow and Charming in Once Upon a Time.

BUT THEY WERE ADORABLE!!!

 

[Pancake]

This happens to me fairly often, but usually it means I can’t watch the show.

The latest example, and I’m half ready to quit and half hoping she dies, is Kate (the mom) on The Gifted. To make matters worse, I swear she gets more airtime than anyone else on the show and they are ALL more interesting and more realistic characters. Yes, the mutants, more realistic than the human.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

The Office, The Magicians, ummmm... I would say "curb your enthusiasm" but I pretty much hated everything about it, not just the main character.

Breaking Bad is probably the best fit. I sorta cheered every time something went wrong for the one who knocks.

 

[Beebo Brink]

I couldn't stand Rick on The Walking Dead. It figures that they finally get rid of him after I've stopped watching the show.

Also, not a big Captain Kirk fan, but I loved the rest of the show's characters (and the entire concept).

I utterly detested Snow and Charming in Once Upon a Time.

I started out loving Emma Swan's character, but then they introduced Hook as her love interest and she morphed into a simpering idiot whenever he was around. Give me some good old evil Rumple, thank you ma'am.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

For the first season of SHIELD I was not a fan of Skye/Daisy/Quake. Turns out they were saving her story for later seasons, but she spent most of the first season as the Exposition Rookie (a new member of an established organization that is primarily there to explain things to for the audience's benefit).

Ward was also pretty dull as a good guy. Turning evil and then getting possessed really fleshed out his character.

 

[Ava Glasgow]

I couldn't stand Rick on The Walking Dead. It figures that they finally get rid of him after I've stopped watching the show.

Oh god, I thought I hated Lori and was glad to see her go, but I eventually quit the show over how insanely stupid and annoying Rick was. I kept screaming "DIE ALREADY!" at the television.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

I liked Jessica Jones for a while. I liked the first season, but then the second season became unwatchable once it became obvious that all their plots were dependent on the fact that Jessica screws up everything she does. And then they make Trish dumber to make sure she doesn't offer any kind of balance. They ruined what could have been a good show to make sure it was adequately grimdark. I can't wait for the grimdark fad to die down a bit. Too many shows learned the wrong lesson from Game of Thrones.

 

[Noodles]

This happens to me fairly often, but usually it means I can’t watch the show.

The latest example, and I’m half ready to quit and half hoping she dies, is Kate (the mom) on The Gifted. To make matters worse, I swear she gets more airtime than anyone else on the show and they are ALL more interesting and more realistic characters. Yes, the mutants, more realistic than the human.

I don't really care for any of the Strukers on that, they are sort of the main characters.

For the first season of SHIELD I was not a fan of Skye/Daisy/Quake.

I kind of prefer Skye to Daisy, in terms of overall personality and character.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

I liked Jessica Jones for a while. I liked the first season, but then the second season became unwatchable once it became obvious that all their plots were dependent on the fact that Jessica screws up everything she does. And then they make Trish dumber to make sure she doesn't offer any kind of balance. They ruined what could have been a good show to make sure it was adequately grimdark. I can't wait for the grimdark fad to die down a bit. Too many shows learned the wrong lesson from Game of Thrones.

The problem with Jessica Jones Season 2 was that Jessica's mother was not a compelling character. After seeing Kingpin and Killgrave, Marvel set a high bar. Without a strong antagonist, the series fell into a mess of subplots for all the characters. It didn't help that the end of Daredevil Season 2 was also everyone going their own way to rebuild the team over Season 3. I don't dislike the characters so much as the show runner.

In JJ2, the best story arc was Jeri Hogarth.

 

[EmpressOfCommunism]

Orange is The New Black.

Piper pulling the "I'm just a nice white lady who likes organic footwear" despite carrying drugs over a foreign border, making a panty selling mafia that beats up people, purposely putting people into the psych ward, and the list goes on and on. Yes, some of that was to survive, but you don't get to hide behind your privilege after doing some of those things. Also, she has zero backbone when Alex does sketchy things to her and I just can't stand characters that have no backbone.

 

[Pamela]

I

Oh god, I thought I hated Lori and was glad to see her go, but I eventually quit the show over how insanely stupid and annoying Rick was. I kept screaming "DIE ALREADY!" at the television.

I tried just skipping over the horrible Glenn murder and continuing to watch, but I have never found any character as annoying as the mincing swaggering mugging Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan). I hate watched for a while longer and finally threw in the towel. It was always an extremely irritating show anyway, he was just the icing on a crappy cake.

Also to me it just seems stupid to kill off or marginalize most of the likable characters and leave ones like Negan. And Rick.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

... but I have never found any character as annoying as the mincing swaggering mugging Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan).

Boy Howwdy, can that man ... just ... chew on the scenery, and drawl on... and on... and, hey, every minute he's swaggering and leering and pausing for emphasis means another $10k saved on make-up and special effects, so ... let's ... just ... let ... him ... ham it UP, guys!

I. Find his. Speaking tempo. And... RANDOM emphasis. at least as. Annoying as. A certain. Captain. In space.

 

[Ysanne]

Lost in Space and Star Trek Discovery.

The first, in an attempt of making them not superheros but survivors - they appear as over the top whiny and annoying

The Second. The original Mary Sue reborn

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

I pretty much hated all of the main characters in Six Feet Under by the time the show ended.

 

[Pamela]

This quote about the odious simpering Negan is from Reddit:

It's obviously too late since this is how he has chosen to play Negan, so it wouldn't make sense to change it up in the middle of things.
But watching last night's episode, I noticed he delivers every line in that sing-songy way, buckles his knees to emphasize a word, and tilts one shoulder. His whole cadence is from a difference universe it seems. Rick is even in disbelief. He has never met anyone from acting school who went to level 11.
Doing the knee-buckle thing and channeling a post-Apocalyptic evil Fonzie once in a while would be interesting. But doing it with every single line and scene kind of takes the novelty and even menace out of him in my opinion.
Every time he discovers a weapon he's going "OH! What do we have HERE! Oh MY! This is a beauty. I LOOOOVE this. YES! Oh!! (knees collapse four times)