While it’s not a prerequisite for me to like the protagonist of the TV series I’m watching, it can be frustrating when I never warm up to a character I know I’m supposed to like. Over the years, I’ve watched a lot of shows with morally ambiguous anti-heroes, like Walter White on Breaking Bad or Tony Soprano from The Sopranos, and although I’ve had mixed feelings about their characters, I believe that the gray area was one of the best aspects of those shows. However, other times, characters I’m supposed to root for just never did it for me.

There have been some TV protagonists that I knew were controversial, like Hannah Horvath on Girls or Michael Scott from The Office, who, despite their often contentious reputation, I quickly warmed up to. However, other protagonists from acclaimed dramas, beloved sitcoms, and even animated series left me cold and indifferent. Having strong opinions on characters on TV shows can be part of the enjoyment of watching certain series, and even though these were protagonists I never warmed up to, that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy these shows or thought they had no redeeming qualities.

10

Carrie Bradshaw

Sex and the City (1998 – 2004)

Sometimes, I find it hard to accept that some viewers out there truly like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City because I’ve always felt the entire point of that show was to cringe at her absurd behavior. I have never been able to warm up to Carrie, as she has consistently been her own worst enemy, caused problems for herself, and been extremely dismissive of friends in times of need. Throughout Sex and the City, the movies, as well as And Just Like That… Carrie has been self-involved, egotistical, and downright unlikable.

All any viewer had to do was consider Carrie’s worst moments throughout Sex and the City, and they would see that she was a truly unlikable protagonist. Not only did I watch in horror as she abandoned her friends at every turn for Big, but I could never forgive her after she cheated on Aidan and broke his heart. Although Sex and the City seemed to be a show highlighting the power of female friendships, Carrie just never lived up to its ethos, and I couldn’t warm up to her.

9

Piper Chapman

Orange Is the New Black (2013 – 2019)

Although Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) was the protagonist of Orange Is the New Black, I’ve always felt that the real appeal of this Netflix series came from the incredible talent of its ensemble cast. In fact, I would even argue that Piper was among the weakest characters in the entire show. I understand that her cluelessness and inane character traits were necessary for her to act as our audience surrogate, but that was no reason she had to be so annoying, narcissistic, and wholly unlikeable as a series’ main lead character.

Thankfully, Orange Is the New Black often shifted its focus away from Piper, and I found the episodes of the series I enjoyed most thoroughly focused on the other female inmates’ fascinating backstories. From Natasha Lyonne’s exceptional performance as Nicky Nichols to the incredible character development of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren, I felt like Orange Is the New Black was at its best when Piper was offscreen. With countless cringeworthy moments and some really questionable decisions, Piper was a character I could just never warm up to.

8

Ross Geller

Friends (1994 – 2004)

Friends was a series that I can remember watching since I was a child, and it was one of the few shows that my entire family would gather around the TV to watch new episodes each week. Back then, a lot of the humor went over my head, but as I grew older, I began to notice many harsh realities about Ross Geller’s character that took me too long to notice. Although Ross was responsible for some of Friend’s funniest moments, when I look at all his actions throughout the show, I just can’t warm up to him.

The biggest reason for this was that Ross was just a really strange guy, and the more I think about his actions, the more he creeps me out. Ross made a pass on his own cousin, he dated his young student, and no matter how many times he professed that they were on a break, I can’t shake the feeling that he did Rachel dirty. Friends has always held a special place in my heart, but if I were to meet Ross Geller in real life, he’d be no friend of mine.

7

Dr. Gregory House

House (2004 – 2012)

Undoubtedly, Dr. Gregory House was a highly unlikable man who made life difficult for everyone around him. While I always enjoyed watching Fox’s medical drama House and the genius way that Dr. House solved medical mysteries often made riveting television, he remained a very difficult character to warm up to as his drug addiction, misanthropic nature, and cynical worldview would test my patience. Whenever I felt myself growing to like Dr. House, he would make an outrageous statement or commit a heinous act that turned me off him entirely.

For me, the best example was in the Season 7 finale, when Dr. House drove into Cuddy’s home in a development that felt so heartless that it turned me off him for good. Of course, I understand that House’s action came from a place of deep emotional turmoil and that this represented his repressed rage toward Cuddy. While Dr. House’s action may have made sense from a narrative point of view, this was a House moment that made me want to quit the show entirely.

6

Rachel Berry

Glee (2009 – 2015)

Glee was a show full of characters viewers loved to hate, and I was no different. Although she was the protagonist of the series, I was just never able to warm up to the musical stylings of Rachel Berry. Despite often being among the funniest characters on Glee, I have to admit she was also the worst. As the pure embodiment of white feminism, it was hard not to feel aghast at Rachel’s constant microaggressions toward those around her and her need to always be the center of attention.

Many aspects of Rachel Berry on Glee have aged poorly, and I remember feeling totally uncomfortable with the way she flirted with Mr. Schuester, had an affair with Sam, and allowed her cutthroat ambitions to take precedence over her friendships. But as much as I never warmed up to Rachel, I also have to admit she was an essential part of Glee’s success and an important addition to the cast. Rachel’s self-centered nature may have been unlikable, but in my experience, it was pretty accurate musical theater kid behavior.

5

Jessica Day

New Girl (2011 – 2018)

It pains me to say this because New Girl was a show I’ve always held near and dear to my heart, but Jessica Day was never a character that I truly warmed up to. While Jess has had some great moments throughout New Girl, she was also the least interesting character on the show, whose cheerful and upbeat nature can, at times, feel draining and annoying. While Zooey Deschanel was the perfect choice to play Jess, after seven seasons, I had more than enough of her character.

I always found Jess’s difficulty traversing her personal relationships frustrating, such as with her childhood best friend Cece Parikh or her shameful attitude toward her struggling sister. Jess consistently allowed her emotions to get in the way of her judgment, and she pushed past the boundaries of her relationships, especially with Nick when they were not together. While that’s not to say I dislike Jess, I never warmed up to her in the way I did the rest of the main cast.

4

Jerry

Tom and Jerry (1940 – Present)

The ongoing game of cat-and-mouse at the heart of Tom and Jerry led to one of the greatest cartoons of all time, and I’ve always appreciated its fine animation, incredible music, and attuned attention to detail. However, I could never warm up to Jerry, and I must say that the way he toyed with Tom bordered on sadism. Of course, I understand that Tom is a cat and Jerry is a mouse, so they were always going to have an acrimonious relationship, but the way Jerry goaded Tom always felt cruel to me.

Jerry has always known that he could outsmart Tom, which I could get on board with if it was just to get away and save his own life. But Jerry continually built up Tom’s expectations, only to send them crashing down time and time again, to the point that Tom was left a broken cat without any hope or joy in his life. I could never warm up to Jerry because, no matter how much he needed one, he never gave Tom a break.

3

Lorelai Gilmore

Gilmore Girls (2000 – 2007)

Despite the fact that Gilmore Girls has long been countless viewers’ go-to comfort show, I have to admit I never could get on board with Lorelai Gilmore’s character. While I appreciate the series’ unique take on a mother and daughter’s relationship and, I know there have been plenty of heartwarming moments to love and cherish throughout Gilmore Girls. I also think that Lorelai has displayed some characteristics that really rubbed me the wrong way and stopped me from warming up to her.

The older I get, the more I realize just how many negative qualities Lorelai possessed, such as her resentment of Rory’s relationship with her grandparents, Richard and Emily. The way that Loralai also traded time with her parents for them to pay for Rory’s tuition felt rather exploitative and not the circumstances required to foster good family relationships. Most of all, I’ve been frustrated by the way Lorelai treated Rory like more of a friend than her daughter and was often not the support that Rory truly needed as a young teenager.

2

Emily Cooper

Emily in Paris (2020 – Present)

I’m truly convinced that the only reason the show Emily in Paris even exists in the first place was so that we can all feel frustrated by Emily Cooper. As this Netflix sitcom sets its main character up as a clueless social media-obsessed American, I knew I would have my issues with her, and this only got worse as Emily in Paris progressed. Emily’s character was so frustrating that I have continued to hate-watch the series every time a new batch of episodes gets released.

My issues with Emily stem from several factors, although I will highlight that I think Lily Collins has done a great job portraying her, and to get such an emotional reaction from me was a testament to her acting talents. Not only were Emily’s decisions usually selfish, but she has repeatedly inserted herself into other people’s relationships without worrying about the devastating emotional wreckage she created. Adding to this, Emily also made little effort to assimilate into Parisian culture, and if ever I encountered her, the only words I would have for her would be “au revoir.”

1

Ted Mosby

How I Met Your Mother (2005 – 2014)

I understand that Ted Mosby was the narrator of How I Met Your Mother, and the entire show was viewed through the lens of his experience, but I still can’t shake the feeling that it would have been better off without him entirely. Ted’s overbearing desire to get married, dismissive attitude toward the women he did date, and pretentious nature meant that I could just never warm up to him. How I Met Your Mother was filled with great characters, but no matter how many times I rewatch it, I came to the conclusion that Ted was not one of them.

At times, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the How I Met Your Mother writers actually wanted Ted to be unlikable, which became even more pronounced when they reimagined him as Jed Mosely in the in-universe film The Wedding Bride. Here, Ted’s character uttered his inane catchphrase, “No-can-do’s-ville, baby doll,” which perfectly encapsulated the annoying nature of the real Ted. Although Ted Mosby always viewed himself as a good guy, I always agreed with The Wedding Bride’s assertion that he could often be insufferable.