20 beloved TV shows with insufferable main characters

Moving on from his Everybody Hates Chris  days, Tyler James Williams has certainly found an adult acting home at Abbott Elementary. He's won a Golden Globe Award and earned Primetime Emmy nominations for his role as Gregory Eddie, a former substitute teacher who earned a regular job. Gregory thinks he's all put together, but hates pizza and ribs. However, he enjoys board games, rooting for the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, while also carrying a torch for Ms. Teagues. He also tends to get on the nerves of more than just his fictional co-workers; viewers have felt the same at times over the years. 

Each of the main characters from The Bear has proved annoying at one time or another, but Liza Colón-Zayas' Tina has long been someone that factions of the fans of the show still haven't warmed up to. Though Tina has softened while trying to advance her career in the kitchen, she's still stubborn. In the 2024 episode "Napkins," which helped Colón-Zayas win a Primetime Emmy, fans got an important look into her backstory, but still, that's not enough for us to completely support Tina.

At first, Sheldon Cooper was charmingly nerdy and funny. But as this popular sitcom progressed, there were many critics and fans, alike, who felt Sheldon (played by multiple Emmy winner Jim Parsons) just got plain annoying. Specifically, when it comes to his need to constantly let everybody know that he is more intelligent than they are. Of course, Sheldon's social inadequacies tend to balance out his intellectual arrogance, which makes for entertaining television.

Let's give Andre "Dre" Johnson (Anthony Anderson) an A for effort. He's a successful black professional who loves his family, but often tried too hard to find that balance when it came to making sure his children didn't take anything for granted, especially considering his race, and being proud of his status in society. We applaud Dre for his flaws (or at least the writers who are responsible for doing so), but his kids and father (Laurence Fishburne) are much funnier. In many ways, Dre is a joke of what he's trying to be. That's when it was painful to watch.

Sure, young Bluey Heeler is a precocious and mischievous little puppy that has blossomed into one of the most popular animated television characters of all time. Yet, while Bluey is essentially a harmless character and a friend to all, there is a bit of a dark side to her personality. Like the fact that Bluey isn't always nice to her father, Bandit. Notably, the time she kept getting him wet with the hose. It all seemed playful, but would probably get any other child grounded. Yes, perhaps Bluey's inclusion is blasphemous to young viewers around the globe, but we'll take the heat. 

Even if we go back to The Karate Kid film series, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) became a character that no longer seemed worth celebrating. Sure, he was good-natured and well-meaning, but he never had a lot of friends because he could be wishy-washy and socially awkward. The same holds true with Cobra Kai, where, as an adult, his emotions tended to get the best of him more times than not. Usually not for the better. In fact, William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence has always been considered one of the coolest fictional antagonists of all time.

Basically, Larry David earns two spots on this list (more about that in a few moments). Watching David in  Curb can be downright uncomfortable because his actions seem highly unbelievable that someone can act so inept, over-the-top dense, or obsessed with the minutiae of the daily grind. Funny? Most of the time, but often a little too much and tough to root for, especially when we've seen his alter ego on that other legendary sitcom he contributed to.  

Marie Barone (Doris Roberts) is overbearing and always involved in her family members' business. However, she was one of the funniest characters on the show. That said, Marie's babying of son Ray (Ray Romano) lends to the loathsomeness of the main character on more than one occasion. While Ray drew plenty of laughs throughout the run of this iconic series, he usually did things for himself, needed to be prodded by wife Debra (Patricia Heaton) to lend a hand around the house, and was a subtle antagonist toward brother Robert (Brad Garrett).

It's interesting just how much Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) was despised over time. No doubt, the nerdy paleontologist was the least funny of the six main characters on the show, and by far the most annoying. His whining and woe-is-me demeanor were tiring, especially regarding his relationship with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). Actually, he isn't totally the sweet guy he comes off to be, but pretty hilarious, nonetheless.

In the beginning, and throughout her high school years, the overachieving Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) was a likable focal point of the Gilmore Girls. That said, there are plenty of fans of the show who either love or hate Rory. The latter, especially, when we see what has become of her in a post-college world from Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016). She has a hard time adapting -- both personally and professionally -- and is rather easy to dislike with her wholesome, totally gone.

There was a love/hate relationship with Girls  fans, especially when it came to creator and star Lena Dunham's Hannah. On one hand, there was an aspect of respect for how she had no shame, with an honest (almost to a fault) portrayal of a young woman trying to make it on her own. On the other hand, Hannah Horvath generally does not seem to be a likable character, regardless of what's going on inside her immature head. As time went on for the popular show (2012-'17), Hannah became less tolerable.

While it's easy to dislike Chuck Bass -- or just about any main character on Gossip Girl -- he has one of the coolest names on television. As a teenage womanizer and alcoholic, the handsome and always well-dressed Chuck (Ed Westwick) appears to be getting a jump on his career. However, he also has some substance, especially when it comes to making money. We'll consider him semi-tolerable, mostly because he's someone viewers loved to hate.

It's not completely fair to claim that Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) is the most dislikable character from his classic CBS sitcom. He delivered plenty of hilarious moments, and some heartfelt ones, too. The show essentially revolved around the premise of Ted finding true love, but his consistent failure in that department became exhausting. Notably, when it involved Robin (Cobie Smulders). Plus, the uneven ending of the series and Ted's situation didn't help matters.

For a long time, Matthew Fox's Jack Shephard was the glue that held all the crash victims together on this innovative supernatural ABC drama (2004-'10). However, as the series progressed, Jack's prominence, in terms of likability, waned as other cast members became more endearing (Hurley, Desmond, Sawyer, Charlie, etc). Trying to run the show and rule the roost seemingly became too much for Jack -- on and off the island. His confidence suffered often, and though the credibility of his character might have been redeemed in the end, Jack had several tired moments.

Consider Calvin Butler (Cedric the Entertainer) as a poor man's Archie Bunker or George Jefferson. A bit of a curmudgeon who has a hint of arrogance and likes to consistently crack on his neighbor, whom he actually enjoys being around. The latter is essentially the basis for the underrated sitcom, but it can get tiresome. At times, Calvin is just plain mean to Dave (Max Greenfield) or his own two sons. Sure, Calvin knows he's grateful for his life and those around him, but his act got stale long ago. 

Michael Scott (Steve Carell) is an inept boss, but in a cartoonish and sympathetic way. However, when it came to characters who became nearly impossible to watch, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) share that particular prize. Pam was generally an unlikable character from the start, a pushover who never showed consistent confidence. Meanwhile, Jim's humor and likability took a hit when he and Pam got together. The later seasons of Jim seemed almost insufferable. 

OK, John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) is an admirable character. Honest, hard-working, and dependable. However, there is something about Officer Nolan that doesn't sit right. Nolan is not as funny or witty as Fillion's iconic Richard Castle from his first ABC hit Castle. It also seems like Nolan has not quite paid his dues, if that makes sense, to receive the praise and celebration he garners from his co-workers. Plus, we're not fans of his relationship with Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan).

One can argue that all four main Seinfeld characters are easy to dislike. Notably, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), whose lack of empathy for anything and obsession with cleanliness, is highly annoying. However, George Costanza (Jason Alexander) is arguably the least likable of the  Seinfeld Fab Four. Yet, our sides continue to split with laughter through syndication because his antics are so off the charts. We should still wonder if it's humanly possible for one person to be as inept and often incompetent as George, but all we need to do is look at the aforementioned Larry David, upon whom this character is essentially based.

We are not alone in thinking that Carrie Bradshaw  (Sarah Jessica Parker)  is the most overrated among the four female co-leads from his iconic series. As well as follow-up  And Just Like That... .  The truth is the everyday woman -- or man -- likely doesn't have much in common with Carrie. She's a solid, insightful writer, but with "Fifth Avenue" problems. From the beginning, there aren't many times the viewer feels for Carrie, but tends to be more sympathetic to Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), or even the free-spirited Samantha ( Kim Cattrall). Carrie is just too high-end to devote enough time and effort to appreciate as a character. 

Great show with great characters. However, Debra Messing's Grace Adler was arguably the weak link throughout both runs of this classic sitcom. Now, Grace was an easy character to dislike, especially because Will (Eric McCormack), Jack (Sean Hayes), and Karen (Megan Mullally) were consistently hilarious in different ways. Grace, meanwhile, tried to keep up, often thinking she was more attractive and successful than others perceived her to be. Of course, for Messing, Grace will always define her professional legacy.