5 TV Shows With Problematic (Yet Alluring) Characters
These five TV shows feature the worst people ever, but it doesn’t stop us from watching them.
One of the first rules of storytelling is: Create likable protagonists. Naturally, TV shows subscribe to the same principle, attempting to shape and form characters who keep the audience invested in the series and along for the journey. Sometimes, though, there are rare instances where writers pen shows featuring the absolute worst people – the kind of individuals whom someone would put in a guillotine choke if they ever met them in real life.
Yet, no matter how repugnant these characters are, we can’t stop watching these TV shows to see what happens next. Now, what does that say about us?
Gossip Girl
Friends are supposed to ride or die, right? They stick together and uplift each other to new heights, so explain what in the world the likes of Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford), and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) are doing here? Not only are they sending hot tips on each other’s activities to Gossip Girl – a glorified mean girl tabloid – but they also cheat, backstab, and sell each other out for the flavor of the week – and rinse and repeat a season later. “But… But they’re teenagers!” Big whoop. Are their morals as flexible as Silly Putty? Are they subscribing to the same psychopathic yuppie tendencies as Patrick Bateman?
Mind you, their parents aren’t any better. Bart Bass (Robert John Burke) is like New York’s own Stefano DiMera, plotting and scheming to destroy everyone because he can, while Rufus Humphrey’s (Matthew Settle) picture would be next to the word “hypocrite” in a dictionary. Gossip Girl proves that with friends like these in the Upper East Side, who needs enemies?!
Sons of Anarchy
There’s a sense of brotherhood between people who ride motorcycles together – and hey, human beings are tribal creatures who want to belong somewhere, so it’s completely understandable. In Sons of Anarchy, though, the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club (SAMCRO) isn’t only enjoying the open road and fresh air as they cruise to beautiful locations – no, they’re running guns and getting their hands (and bullet chambers) dirty when someone steps onto their turf.
In addition to this, loyalty appears to be flexible in this motorcycle club, as everyone turns on each other on a whim. From Gemma Teller Morrow (Katey Sagal) lying to her own son, Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), and killing his wife, Tara (Maggie Siff), to Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) selling out SAMCRO for his own purposes, no one can be trusted here. They might be all about codes, rules, and calling each other “brother,” but this gang confirms that they’re about as trustworthy as a child locked in a candy store overnight.
Succession
Oh, boy! Where to start here? The Roy family boasts narcissists, liars, and cheaters – and those are the “good” ones. This family’s ambition knows no bounds, as they clamor for power and betray each other for the chance to take control of Waystar RoyCo. They are emotionally dead inside, treating their own relatives with the “it’s only business – not personal” mantra and being more toxic than a Reddit forum.
It isn’t only the Roys who are the worst people in Succession. Look at Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) as a prime example. Yes, he’s married into the family, but that doesn’t stop him from shining shoes, putting on the chapstick to kiss every butt he needs to get ahead, and mistreating all those he believes to be beneath him. It works for him, though, as he manages to outmaneuver everyone in this corporate game of thrones. That said, how do any of these people look at themselves in the mirror and feel proud about everything they have done to their own family and friends? Despicable.
Two and a Half Men
Don’t be fooled by the laugh track – Two and a Half Men remains stacked with the worst people around. Let’s look at the main characters first. Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) thinks only about himself and his needs. Sure, he opens his house to his brother, Alan (Jon Cryer), and nephew, Jake, but that’s to fill the void of loneliness he has in his life. Alan is no better. He’s a cheapskate, who manipulates and uses others to live the life of luxury and excess he wants at no personal cost to him. For Jake (Angus T. Jones)? He cares only about what’s in the fridge and who buys him the best things.
Matters don’t improve when Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher) buys Charlie’s house. He showcases more money than brains, as he refuses to learn from his mistakes or kick the leech (Alan) out of his home. The supporting characters aren’t any better in Two and a Half Men. For example: Rose (Melanie Lynskey) is a dangerous stalker who might have learned one too many tricks from Buffalo Bill, while Alan and Charlie’s mother, Evelyn (Holland Taylor), thinks only about herself and her interests.
The Office
Look, dealing with people in a business setting is tough as is. Not only does one need to watch out for the work dodgers and random taskmasters, but there’s also the rats and snakes, waiting for any opportunity to get ahead at the cost of someone else’s career. Now, think about Dunder Mifflin in The Office for a second and see how prevalent this is from top to bottom.
From Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) to Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner), there’s laziness and apathy in every corner as they do the least bit possible and only have time for three things: Lunchtime, hometime, and vacation time. Then, there are the hall monitors in the form of Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) and Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), who are holding stopwatches and ready to tell on anyone taking a 16-minute smoke break. The cherry on the cake, though? An absolutely abysmal “leader” – but great guy – in the shape of Michael Scott (Steve Carell), who is one misstep away from causing mass layoffs. The characters in The Office are the absolute worst co-workers and people ever.