In no particular order, here are the poorest characters in TV history ...
Ross Geller (Friends)
Come on, guys. We all know that Ross is kind of an ass-hat right? He's uptight, rude and jealous. Rachel deserved better than that, I still can't believe she got off the plane for him - but it has been like, 20 years... The episode that sticks most in my mind however is the one where Ross's son Ben turns up with a Barbie (his new favourite toy) and Ross flips out. Mate, it's a Barbie, calm yourself! (The amount of gay fear jokes have really prematurely aged the show.) He's not funny, he's unlikable and he's kind of a stalker. Case Closed.
"Gay fear jokes have prematurely aged the show"
Nancy (Peep Show)
Urgh. Nancy. I'll start by saying that Peep Show is one of my all-time favourite shows and I understand the point of Peep Show is that the characters are unlikable but Nancy is a bridge too far. Jez and Mark are hopelessly, endearingly flawed, but I can't fathom Jez's obsession with Nancy at all. She's so awful that I actively skip the series she appears in when I re-watch and that makes me a little bit sad.
Andrea (The Walking Dead)
Oh, she's just the worst. She makes terrible decisions, she's preachy and has a truly awful taste in men (Hello, Shane and The Governor...). Add to this the fact that she treats Dale pretty abominably and he's the only one that seems to have any time for her. When Michonne laments that she misses Andrea, I remember simply thinking "why?" Dull, dull, dull.
"She makes terrible decisions, she's preachy and has a truly awful taste in men."
Marnie Michaels (Girls)
I wrestled with this choice because Allison Williams does a great job with the odious task of portraying Marnie and the character rings true - for the first series or so. Marnie doesn't grow or evolve at all. Even Hannah becomes less self-involved by the end. If anything, Marnie gets worse. By the end of the series she is a selfish, uptight robot. She shows little empathy for anyone and her motivations are baffling. What's even more baffling is why anyone would be friends with her in the first place. The softer and more vulnerable side of Marnie completely disappears by Season Two and any believability with it.
James Hurley (Twin Peaks)
This was a hard one. I worship Twin Peaks. But this guy, am I right? He is the dullest of the dull. What was Laura Palmer thinking?! The sheer effort that is placed into portraying James as cool and brooding is tedious and ineffective. Don't even get me started on the song... I thought it couldn't get any worse than those yawn-heavy angst filled episodes that focus almost solely on James after he leaves town, but it did. *Spoilers ahead for the latest series*. Not only does he appear in the new series but he sings THE SONG! Get on your bike and leave, James. Just go. Please.
