Not every character can leave us feeling as sweet as sugar.
Sometimes they irritate us, annoy us, or have us scratching our heads over the confusing moves they just made. For every character we absolutely loved or ‘ship we wanted to see set sail, there was a character or two who rubbed us the wrong way.
This 2018 list is for them.
Below, we’ve picked out 27 characters across sitcoms, soapy dramas, and everything in between who brought on the fury. Each one left their marks for all the wrong reasons.
So, let’s boil some tea, grab some salty chips, and check out the options below!
Did yours make the list? Share in the comments below.
Archie Andrews – Riverdale
The boy-next-door of our dreams was more like a nightmare during 2018. Archie had a terrible case of making one bad decision after another, especially while working for Hiram and during his pursuit of The Black Hood. And, what’s worse was that he never truly learned from his mistakes. Whenever we thought Archie got back on track, he fell back into bad habits. Seriously Archie, will you ever change?
Cristal Jennings – Dynasty
You can easily tell a character is annoying fans when a nickname is made like “The New Cristal” to show their frustration. Cristal isn’t a terrible character, but how she was introduced/created served her no favors. The future Mrs. Carrington seems like a carbon copy of the former character of the same name; she’s merely meant to fill the spot of Nathalie Kelley when she left the show. It’s hard living up to a dynamic character when the new one serves no purpose.
Delilah Dixon – A Million Little Things
There’s a difference between cool/calm and being … Delilah. After a tragic moment like her husband committing suicide, shouldn’t she be more concerned or affected by the loss? Delilah has shown little interest in her husband’s death or the reason for why he did it. She has been wrapped up more in her affair and thinking about herself than the gravity of the situation.
Morgan Reznick – The Good Doctor
Dr. Morgan Reznick loves to speak her mind and tell the truth, but her #nofilter has seriously rubbed people the wrong way. Her words to her fellow colleagues cross into being crass and rude on many occasions, with her focusing her attention on Claire and Shaun more so than the others. None of this acceptable, especially in the workplace.
Marcus Pierce – Lucifer
Marcus’ likability lasted as long as his true identity stayed a mystery. Once we discovered he was Cain, his character took a trip on a roller coaster of strange plot points. He wanted to die, he dated Chloe, he fake married Lucifer, and so on! Marcus had so much potential to be a great character (and that’s probably what is the most annoying thing about him).
Lizzie Saltzman – Legacies
Lizzie is the Regina George of the Salvatore School, but with none of the love-to-hate quality. She’s a self-absorbed mean girl who is only focused on herself instead of caring for others. Lizzie takes her sister, Josie, for granted and cares more about her own wants/needs. Though, when she does think of others, it’s more about how it connects to her.
Jackson Avery – Grey’s Anatomy
Jackson is the definition of #boydrama. His character turned into a self-involved jerk who doesn’t treat his relationship with respect. Firstly, he sends Maggie a text to say that he’s leaving (seriously, a text!), and then when he returns, he talks to other women instead of her even though they were together. Jackson, just look how far you’ve fallen.
Grace Stone – Manifest
Where do we even start with Grace? An entire airplane of people return from the dead, but all she does is make the situation about herself. She acts like she’s the only one affected by this mystery, even though her husband, son, and sister-in-law were all on the plane. Instead of letting her family adjust, she treated her husband like he’s crazy and kicked him out of the house when all he tried to do was protect them. Grace is the embodiment of hypocrisy, especially with all her secrets and affair weighing her down.
Andy Herrera – Station 19
Andy’s road to likability is a long journey. She loves basking in her own success, but she doesn’t support others when they have their moment in the sun. Andy acted entitled to the captain role while also lording it over her supposed friends; that attitude was not the way to go. And what was with her whining about Maya? Her friend supported her throughout everything; she should’ve shown her friend the same courtesy when it was Maya’s moment to shine.
Guinevere Beck – YOU
Beck is the perfect example of that horror movie victim you yell at the screen to stop making bad moves. She blatantly ignored glaring warning signs about the toxic people in her life in favor of being the center of attention. Joe and Peach were obsessed sociopaths who manipulated Beck, but she lapped up the attention and sought their approval. What’s worse was that even with two people seeking her focus, she still lied to them, indulged in her own wants and affairs, and turned every situation into being about herself.
Bob Armstrong – Insatiable
Insatiable is a complicated show that balanced between being a dark comedy and offensive. But, it was Bob that took the cake. He was not shy about the fact that he manipulated a teenage girl into fulfilling his pageant dreams, and he used her feelings to get what he wanted. To make matters worse, Bob complained a lot and made offensive remarks about many things, from obesity to bisexuality.
Heather Chandler – Heathers
The infamous Heather Chandler was like a rumor that wouldn’t go away. Her dark comedy veered from its intended purpose to become nothing more than just grating and shallow. She only ever focused on herself and kept getting her way, even when we begged karma to deliver some major payback.
Maurice Jetter – STAR
This former ally-turned-villain is unrecognizable to the character they were a year ago. Maurice has gone full villain, and with it came a smug new attitude. Every time he tried to undermine Carlotta/Take 3 or made a business move, he elicited only groans. His position on STAR has become nothing more than an annoyance to the others.
Julian Booth – The Resident
Julian is a very determined person who knows what she wants. The problem, however, was that she came off as incredibly pushy and disrespectful to the doctors in her pursuit of trying to promote QuoVadis. There has to be a line somewhere when it comes to professionalism and personal life. Like for instance, her shamelessly flirting with an engaged man. What happened to girl code?
Jennifer Pierce – Black Lightning
Jennifer has all the potential to be a great character; unfortunately, we have to deal with the hurdle of her adjusting to her powers. Ever since she discovered her metahuman abilities, Jenn has done nothing but whine, complain, and play the victim. Sure, her parents are being overprotective, but she didn’t need to blame them or run away from home. Jenn is making all the wrong decisions.
Antonio Dawson – Chicago P.D.
Speaking of hypocrites, there is Antonio on Chicago P.D. He has been pitched to be the “self-righteous” and “moral compass” member of the squad, but he’s always complaining about their shady tactics. Now that he’s messed up big time and needs their help, he’s relying on the same people to get him out of the jam. Talk about being inconsistent!
Kate Pearson – This Is Us
Everyone has suffered as a result of Jack’s loss, but we wouldn’t recommend telling that to Kate, she would rightly disagree with you. NO ONE has suffered as Kate has. She continues to remind people that his death impacted her the most and that she misses him the most out of everyone. Plus, she’s the only one who can carry on his legacy. Did she forget about her brothers Randall and Kevin? The broken record needs to stop now.
Lorna Dane (aka. “Polaris”) – The Gifted
It’s one thing to seek a better mutant future for your child; however, it’s another when you’re acting selfishly about it. Nothing justifies Lorna keeping Marco away from their daughter. If Dawn hadn’t gotten sick and needed her father’s powers, Marco probably would’ve never met his child. It’s so frustrating that Lorna is acting this way, especially when she was much more open and welcoming during The Gifted Season 1.
Bryce Walker – 13 Reasons Why
Bryce took his role as the villain to a whole new level during 13 Reasons Why Season 2. He physically and verbally threatened people to keep quiet during his sexual assault/rape investigation, he treated his mother horribly, and his smug attitude got even worse. But, it’s the fact that kept winning time and time again over the heroes that hit the frustration hard.
Hakeem Lyon – Empire
Empire is on its fifth season, but Hakeem Lyon still acts like he’s the same reckless child from pre-series. You would think that a character would mature and grow as the series goes on. Not our Hakeem! He’s still impulsive, hot-headed, and immature in everything he does. He makes the same poor decisions and acts like an arrogant jerk to everyone around him.
Frank Dean – Marvel’s Runaways
What do you really want, Frank?! We all would like to know. The enigmatic cult follower/leader bounced back-and-forth over his true intentions. At one time or another, he wanted to be a great father to Karolina, drop everything to be with Leslie, and/or run the Church of Gibborim. When faced with any of these opportunities, he moaned, whined, or backstabbed the people he supposedly cared about.
Laurel Castillo – How To Get Away With Murder
Laurel has changed in all the worst ways. Her inquisitive nature transformed her into a nosy character who can’t stay in her own lane and not get people into trouble. She complains and whines a lot about the cards she’s been dealt, but yet she gets wrapped up in the mess that she created. At some point, it might be time to bid adieu or make the necessary change back into the character we used to love.
Tammy Diffendorf – Mom
Tammy is loud, obnoxious, and over the top. These qualities should all be perfect elements for a sitcom character, right? Unfortunately, Tammy’s brand of drama hasn’t blended nicely with the rest of the group. She stands out too much and hasn’t quite fit in, even though they’ve welcomed her in. Stop trying to make Tammy happen.
Lucy Mills – Once Upon A Time
Imitation is the finest form of flattery, but with Lucy Mills, it was basically lazy writing. Once Upon A Time tried to set her up as Henry 2.0 without any of the evidence or background as to why she believed that fairytales were real. Simply having Henry as her dad and Cinderella as her mother wasn’t a strong enough reason to justify her purpose in the plot. Forcing Lucy to become the next Henry and match his original personality was just super annoying.
Daphne Conrad – Nashville
With superstar parents in the music business, Daphne is no stranger to how it all works. However, her attitude toward her career made it seem otherwise. She fought against helpful business advice that would’ve propelled her career even further and beyond the reality TV competition she was in. Instead, she acted like a brat to her mentor, step-father, and sister for much of Nashville Season 6 until it was too late.
Sarah Horton – Days of Our Lives
Whenever an important person tied to a soap opera legacy character returns, it’s typically a momentous moment. However, Sarah has been a complete nightmare by acting like a teenager (she’s an adult in her 30s)! Sarah throws tantrums, acts nasty to her mother, and she inserts herself in the drama of other people. No one wanted Sarah involved in Eric’s custody battle, but there she was picking fights and forcing something that wouldn’t work. It is none of your business, Sarah!
Milk – RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3
In the reality TV category, we can’t forget our serving of Milk. Her return to the Werk Room brought in a new level of ego that has been unmatched all year. Milk thought she could do no wrong, but her performance during All Stars 3 fell squarely in “average.” She badmouthed contestants in confessional, she had a meltdown over being “safe,” and she interrupted Trixie Mattel during a team challenge in the most unprofessional way.
