There are male characters on TV that are nice, and then there are guys that consider themselves nice and feel like because of that they are entitled to something, usually women.
You know the type, he believes in the friend zone because he thinks multiple women in his life put her there even though he is a “nice guy.” That quickly turns into the guy believing that women owe him something because he isn’t like all those other guys, which means he deserves any women he wants.
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At the end of the day, Nice Guy Syndrome can be associated with some of the worst guys and characters, mostly because they hide behind a facade and use that to manipulate others by trying to make them feel bad for him.
TV characters that embody that are usually main characters with relationships that leave more to be desired. Here is a slideshow of a few examples of just that.
Michael Scott – The Office
Michael was a character that was lonely above all else, but the way he treated women left a lot to be desired. More than that though, he consistently saw himself as someone who deserved the kindness that he didn’t always give off himself, especially to women.
Ted Mosby – How I Met Your Mother
Ted Mosby could be the poster boy for Nice Guy Syndrome, his entire journey on How I Met Your Mother was him wallowing about the fact that he deserves to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with him. His treatment of Robin and her feelings is nonexistent, no matter how much she moves on or points out that what they want for one another doesn’t align. This is all hidden behind a story about how he meets the mother of his children, except that, is all she seems to be. He has no respect for this person he chose to spend his life with, only relating it back to how now he wants to once again be with someone that he never got over. The true issue though is the way that the show not only rewards but promotes this mentality, all the way to the end.
Finn Collins – The 100
Knowing you still have a girlfriend and expecting the girl you decided to cheat with to just understand? Finn definitely relied on his “nice guy” appeal to excuse examples of him being a really inconsiderate person. He heavily enjoyed comparing himself to Bellamy because of that, considering himself somehow superior when he was far from that.
Winn Schott – Supergirl
There was just something about the way Winn felt like he and Kara belonged together that exuded all the wrong energy. If there was anyone who could have believed in the friend zone, Winn in the first season of Supergirl did.
Walter White – Breaking Bad
Walter White is interesting because it is very possible that the entirety of the show comes from the fact that he suffers from Nice Guy Syndrome.
Ross Geller – Friends
The best example has to be from the show that invented the term friend zone, a concept that doesn’t even exist. Ross was fixated on the notion that he belongs with Rachel, but when they actually got together he was far from a good person. He used the idea of him being a nice guy to excuse his obsessive jealousy and inability to root for his girlfriend prospering in a way that didn’t include him. This was really only the beginning, with Ross never outgrowing this pattern for seasons to follow.
Kyle Wick – The 100
Another example of a guy thinking he is entitled to something that he very clearly isn’t. Raven had a rough time with the way that the most important person in her life cheated on her and then she ended up going through so much pain because Murphy shot her. She was working through this life change and the fact that she wouldn’t have the use of her leg that she did before, and Wick decided that somehow the fact that she couldn’t focus fully on a relationship wasn’t okay. This is exactly why he disappeared from the face of the Earth.
Clay Jensen – 13 Reasons Why
This was a surprise even for me but there is definitely something here. Clay is not the prime example, but there are underlying moments that hint that he suffers from Nice Guy Syndrome.
Xander Harris – Buffy The Vampire Slayer
All the women in Xander’s life deserved better than being treated the way that they were by him. He consistently couldn’t grasp the fact that Buffy didn’t want to be with him and upset Willow in the process. His treatment of Cordelia and Anya, women he was actually with for a while, it left a lot more to be desired with the way that he would disregard their feelings and compulsively thought there was nothing wrong with his actions.
Dawson Leery – Dawson’s Creek
Seriously though. The way that Dawson treated women was enough indication that he belongs on this list, with his view of himself only supporting the point more. His idea of what he deserved and wasn’t getting screams entitlement, and that combined with the interactions he had with people like Pacey proving he didn’t deserve anyone with that kind of behavior.
Dan Humphrey – Gossip Girl
There is no one opinion on Dan within the scope of the show, but he gives off less than great vibes. You also can’t avoid the obvious issue with him being Gossip Girl. That reveal may not have been favorable, but it goes back and makes Dan even less understandable sometimes.
Leonard Hofstadter – The Big Bang Theory
While The Big Bang Theory is literally all about Nice Guys who think the fact that they deserve women, Leonard is the example of someone who gets rewarded for that behavior front and center. The way he views Penny promotes nothing but an expectation, one that when he doesn’t receive right away he then views it as him being too good. If Leonard was any version of a good guy, he wouldn’t view Penny as someone who should be with him simply because he is “nice” and would respect her wishes. Instead, he validates the idea that if guys that don’t get a woman that they like then it is the woman’s fault for not understanding how great they are.
Noel Crane – Felicity
Noel Crane is a great example of the way that a nice guy and a “nice guy” can be combined into one person.
Dev Shah – Master of None
Dev is an example of a character who on the surface could be just a nice guy. But as the show progresses, he presents examples of something different. Dev becomes a guy who may think he is well-intentioned when it comes to women, but he still suffers from toxic views of them. This is masked sometimes even from them as well, but the entitlement is still there and should be addressed.
Seth Cohen – The O.C
This is a hard one but Seth was a self-centered character that doesn’t promote the best example, especially when relating it back to his relationship with Summer.
