The Boys and 13 Great TV Shows That Turn Annoying Characters Into Must-Watch TV

Let’s be honest: there’s no better time in history to be a TV nerd than right now. We can binge entire legendary shows in a weekend, or pick and choose the classics at our leisure. But even in the greatest of greats, some characters just get under your skin. I'm not talking about the villains you love to hate, like Joffrey on 'Game of Thrones', or the intentional sitcom punchlines like Urkel. No, I mean the supposed “good guys” or core supporting cast members that, for whatever reason, a chunk of the audience simply cannot stand.

The whole thing came to mind after a buddy unloaded on Hughie from 'The Boys'—one of the main heroes, at least on paper. Apparently, a large segment of fans just can't with his indecisiveness, inferiority complex with Starlight, or general sense of whininess. Which, honestly, is fascinating. We’re used to despising the obvious antagonists, but what is it about certain “allies” that makes them so uniquely grating?

Why Some TV Characters Drive Us Nuts

If you skim fan lists for most-hated TV characters, a pattern emerges. The most annoying aren’t always villains or comic relief—they’re characters who can grind the plot to a halt, get in everyone’s way, and never seem to learn or change (unless it’s to get worse). Often, their worst traits—self-importance, nagging, cluelessness—get exaggerated until the actual character dissolves, leaving only their one most irritating quality.

Sometimes, this is the writing's fault: padding out a show or giving too much focus to side players long after their expiration date (looking at you, “sexy new roommate” types). Sometimes, it’s because these characters exist as plot engines or sounding boards—and have never developed beyond their original metric for “necessary.” But mostly, it’s because they hit too close to home, reminding us of that real-life coworker or distant cousin you wish you could write out of your own story.

What drives fans truly mad isn’t just the trait itself, but when those traits are constantly thrown into the spotlight—nagging, whinging, entitled, petty—until it takes over every scene they’re in. In comedies, it starts to get cartoonish; in dramas, it wears you down. Worse yet, they're rarely called out—or, when they are, the show often forgives or rewards them anyway.

13 Great Shows, Countless Annoying Characters

Let’s break this down in a list so you can keep score—just one list, in no particular order, but with a bit of context for each:

• Marie Schrader ('Breaking Bad'): People love to complain about Skyler, but let’s be real—Marie is right there, compulsively shoplifting, lying to everyone, and acting totally put-upon when she gets caught. The show tries to soften her near the end, but she’s always hovering, overbearing, and somehow managing to make everything about herself. But hey, a believable “normal” caught in the chaos.
• Keiko O'Brien ('Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'): The fanbase has it out for Keiko, dubbing her “naggy” and meddlesome. But when you think about it, she’s a botanist, forced into space for her husband’s career, stumbling into a war, and trying to find purpose. She makes some truly questionable calls (like almost ditching Miles at their wedding via Data—a choice, for sure), but she’s there trying, even if the writers didn’t know quite what to do with her.
• Lana Lang ('Smallville'): Her relationship with Clark never really lands—sometimes it feels forced, other times like the writers had no idea what to do next (especially after witchcraft plots and Lex blackmail arcs). Lana is often treated as the center of the universe by other characters, and yet comes off ungrateful and mopey, no matter what.
• Bernadette ('The Big Bang Theory'): Started cute, ended up terrifying. Bernadette quickly becomes the sitcom’s reigning shouter and occasional bully, especially in work settings. She keeps Howard in line—but does so by yelling at everyone, leaving even her friends wary of crossing her. Compared to Priya (who straight-up cheated on Leonard), Bernadette at least has a heart, but not always a pleasant energy.
• Kimmy Gibbler ('Full House'): Everyone (including most characters) wonders why Kimmy is still hanging around. She’s loud, crass, and always seems to be making bad situations worse—true to the show’s “lovable weirdo” formula, but also...really. Just. Go. Home. She does mellow out later, but the early seasons set her reputation in stone.
• Screech ('Saved by the Bell'): The original wacky sidekick with a voice that haunts your dreams. Screech is smart (sometimes), socially clueless (always), and is the butt of every joke, yet manages to make things awkward just by entering a room. He never outgrows his schtick, not even in the spinoffs.
• Pierce Hawthorne ('Community'): Here’s a case where it’s genuinely hard to figure out why the other characters tolerate him. Old, rich, usually racist, and spectacularly petty, Pierce spends much of his time sabotaging friends out of jealousy or boredom. Chevy Chase himself hated how far into “bigoted” territory the scripts took him, but behind the scenes, Chase reportedly wasn’t exactly helping matters. Eventually, Chase and the show parted ways, to the relief of many.
• Dawn Summers, Connor, and Xander Harris (the 'Buffy'/'Angel' universe): Dawn starts out as a magic plot device and, for a while, is straight up insufferable—clingy, trouble-prone, and (at first) artificially shoehorned into the group. She gets better with time and context (she's literally a few years old in existence, cut her some slack). Connor from 'Angel' shows the opposite—his introduction shakes up the story in all the wrong ways, and his weird relationship with Cordelia is the nail in the coffin. As for Xander? The guy is walking, talking “nice guy” syndrome: jealous, insecure, and never taking responsibility unless forced. You could write essays about his double standards, but some claim his arc is a slow-burn maturity tale.
• Janice Soprano ('The Sopranos'): Tony’s sister is a tornado of bad choices and selfishness, constantly making everything harder for everyone. Writes herself into a corner, then expects Tony (and the audience) to bail her out, again and again. Honestly, she made even the Soprano kids seem tolerable by comparison.
• Andrea ('The Walking Dead'): Started out as a wet blanket and “buzzkill,” allegedly evolved too much, too fast, only to somehow make things worse (and slept with the Governor for her trouble). Just as she was starting to turn a corner, off she went.
• Janice Litman ('Friends'): Nasal-voiced, ever-returning ex-girlfriend with a ridiculous catchphrase (“Oh my gawd!”). She pops up throughout the series, always when you least want her to, much to the irritation of both the characters and viewers.
• Wesley Crusher ('Star Trek: The Next Generation'): Ultimately, Wesley is the poster child for “annoying but necessary." Cast as audience surrogate and boy genius, he’s so over-the-top competent that he makes actual seasoned officers look like chumps, all while acting like a surly teen. Even Wil Wheaton admits that bad writing made things worse. And yes, the “Shut up, Wesley!” meme is well-earned.
• Hughie Campbell ('The Boys'): Bringing it full circle—he’s technically supposed to be our grounding force in all the chaos, but for some, his indecision, awkwardness, and inferiority complex just rub them the wrong way. Some viewers even ding him for not being violent enough or too “feminine” (which, frankly, says more about those viewers than about the character). If anything, Hughie is proof that what makes a character annoying isn’t always what the writers or fans think.

Why Writers Keep Writing Annoying Characters (And Why We Secretly Need Them)

So: does having an ‘annoying’ character ruin a show? In my opinion—not really. If anything, these awkward, frustrating, insufferable weirdos bring some realism (or just entertainment) to the story. In real life, you don’t get to cast your favorites and ignore the rest; sometimes, people just hang around, no matter how much you wish you could fast forward.

As Wil Wheaton put it regarding fan hatred for Wesley: "I didn't hate being Wesley, but the backlash got to me.” Sometimes it truly is the writing, sometimes it’s the dynamic, sometimes it’s just the actor (yikes). But more often, the character is there to drive someone else’s story, to act as a mirror for the rest, or just to remind us that even the best shows still have room for real-world pain points.

And if you’re still mad about Hughie, Xander, or Janice? Trust me—you’re not alone. But without them, would it really be the same show?