Twin Peaks is one of the most compelling and endearing fictional towns ever conceived for the small screen. While its strange, complex mythology and lore are a huge part of what’s built such a passionate fanbase around the show, the heart of Twin Peaks lies in its central town’s quirky residents.
For every Dale Cooper and Audrey Horne however, there’s a handful of characters who aren’t quite so loveable, standing out as weak links in an otherwise stellar cast of colorful characters. Whether they’re trapped inside the show’s most frustrating storylines or just happen to be straight-up unlikeable, these are the ten worst characters in all of Twin Peaks.
Richard Horne
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While Twin Peaks has had more than its fair share of irredeemably evil characters over the years, Richard Horne may just be the most infuriating of them all. In fairness to him, with his birth being the result of the union between a comatose Audrey Horne and a BOB-possessed doppelganger of Dale Cooper, the guy never really stood a chance at being normal.
Still, that doesn’t excuse the unbearably awful behavior displayed by Richard in Twin Peaks’ third season, in which he sexually assaults a woman at a bar, steals money from his grandmother, and throws his disabled uncle down the stairs, amongst various other things. The character eventually gets his just desserts of course, but his role in the show is so minimal that there’s a certain nihilism to his brand of evil, which led to him just edging out fellow abuser Leo Johnson on this list.
Nadine Hurley
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At first glance, Nadine Hurley appears to be one of the more colorful residents of Twin Peaks, sporting an eyepatch and a hot-headed attitude to match. Unfortunately, the character’s luster soon begins to fade, with the tragic backstory of her missing eye and subsequent marriage to Ed Hurley being more interesting than anything she actually does on the show.
Perhaps her most infamous storyline revolves around her losing her memory, and subsequently thinking she’s a high school student – even joining the wrestling team with her superhuman strength and forming an extramarital relationship with high-schooler Mike.
Chad Broxford
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Over the course of the show’s first two seasons, the Twin Peaks Sherriff’s Department became a beacon of hope for the increasingly troubled town, with each one of its good-hearted officers and support staff emanating warmth and comfort.
By the time the third season rolled around however, they appeared to be letting just anybody join the force, with the corrupt and intensely unlikable Chad Broxford having since become a team member. Between his nasty comments about Truman’s deceased son, poorly concealed involvement with the town’s criminal underbelly, and attempted murder of Andy Brennan, Chad quickly became one of the show’s most widely despised characters.
Dick Tremayne
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Introduced as a rival to the lovable Andy Brennan in the show’s second season, Dick Tremayne is a well-spoken, seemingly well-off employee of Horne’s Department Store who attempts to woo Andy’s ex-girlfriend Lucy Moran. With the love triangle – and in particular the ‘Little Nicky’ subplot – being one of the most widely criticized storylines in the entire show, Dick Tremayne is incredibly obnoxious and unlikeable, even attempting to pay Lucy to get an abortion at one point.
Still, Dick settled into his role within the town by the end of season two, with the character finding his comedic footing outside of his rivalry with Andy.
Harold Smith
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It’s easy to feel sympathy for the neurotic, agoraphobic Harold Smith. After all, he clearly had a lot of unaddressed issues that ultimately led to his untimely death. Still, there’s something undeniably creepy about the character, with his meek, mild-mannered attitude giving off some serious Norman Bates vibes.
It also doesn’t the help that the character was revealed to be yet another mystery man involved with Laura Palmer – a revelation that was becoming all too common in the show by the time Harold showed up, making him feel like a forced plot point more than an actual character.
Donna Hayward
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Although Donna’s close friendship with Laura Palmer made her feel like an important puzzle piece in the first season of the show, it didn’t take long for the character to devolve into living proof that the teenagers of Twin Peaks are unbearably irritating – with the exception of Audrey Horne, of course.
While the character’s rocky relationship with James Hurley was exhausting, she at least made an effort to get involved in the Laura Palmer investigation – though the character had very little do once the show’s central mystery wrapped up. The main problem with Donna, however, is that every time she tries to act cool, aloof or even vaguely adult – take the scene in which she visits James in prison, for instance – it feels like you’re watching a child walk around in their parent’s clothes.
Josie Packard
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One of the biggest wet blankets in all of Twin Peaks, Josie Packard sucks the life out of any scene she’s in. The widow of successful sawmill owner Andrew Packard and secret lover of Sherriff Truman, it’s never quite clear how the audience is supposed to feel about the character. While she’s complicit in the attempted murder of her former husband, the show attempts to paint her as sympathetic, nonetheless.
The whole character feels like an unsuccessful attempt at recreating the ‘femme fatale’ archetype, but whether that’s down to bad writing or bad acting is up for debate.
John Justice Wheeler
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Introduced in season two as a love interest for Audrey Horne, John Justice Wheeler – played by Billy Zane – is actually a pretty stand-up guy. Sadly, he’s also incredibly boring. Handsome, kind, smart, and successful, there are simply no wrinkles to the character whatsoever.
Including such a flat, lifeless heartthrob character in the world of Twin Peaks feels distinctly un-Lynchian, and watching his cringe-worthy, yawn-inducing romance with Audrey unfold inspires an intense dislike for the character.
Evelyn Marsh
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The subject of by far the most despised storyline in all of Twin Peaks, Evelyn Marsh hired a wayward James Hurley to work on her husband’s car after he left Twin Peaks. Little does James know, however, that Evelyn is actually planning on framing James for the murder of her husband alongside her secret lover, Malcolm Sloan.
Like Josie Packard, Evelyn takes on a femme fatale role, and while she’s easily the more dangerous of the two, she’s also far more obnoxious – and is so far removed from the central events of the show that she’s a completely pointless addition.
James Hurley
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Everybody hates James. Between his constant moping, tired love triangle with Donna and Maddy, and ill-conceived ‘biker look’, fans of Twin Peaks are unanimous in their hatred of James Hurley.
To make things even worse, the character has absolutely nothing to do once the show’s second season comes around – so fans naturally celebrated when James finally decided to leave Twin Peaks. Sadly, the show still decided to follow James after his departure from the town, chronicling his painfully boring affair with Evelyn Marsh. You only need four words to make any die-hard Twin Peaks fan cringe uncontrollably – and those words are ‘just you and I’.