I'm Sorry But The 16 Most Annoying Protagonists On TV
Enough is enough. I love starting new TV shows during the holidays, but something that grinds my gears is when one of the main characters we're supposed to cheer for is the most insufferable character on the entire show.
Giphy / Via media.giphy.com
This is my list of TV protagonists that have made me consider throwing a remote at my 60" Samsung TV:
1.Emily Cooper
Netflix / Via giphy.com
Show: Emily in Paris
I'm not sure if this is more on Lily Collins or Emily's character, but she is one of the most annoying characters to have their name in a show — ever. Her style is not great, and her personal obnoxiousness caused me not to continue watching the show for Season 2, when I heard that her annoying ways turned up a notch.
2.Puleng Khumalo
Netflix / Via giphy.com
Show: Blood & Water
Blood & Water is one of my favorite shows to binge each time the show has dropped a new season. However, the show's biggest weakness is character development, and we see that prevalent with the show's main character, Puleng Khumalo.
Her relationship with Wade seems more of a "reward" as it has zero chemistry. She never seems to learn from previous mistakes and battles she had; she's narcissistic at times, and even in times when we are supposed to cheer for her, she still finds ways to be annoying despite being one of the bravest characters on TV right now. Can't wait for Season 4 to come out because Season 3 is the least annoying season I have seen so far.
3.June Osborne
Hulu / Via giphy.com
Show: The Handmaid's Tale
Yes, technically Offred, the narrator, is the show's protagonist, but June during the first four seasons is someone you could have declared as the series protagonist.Deep down I really want to be compassionate for her due to the circumstances she has been through, BUT she hands down might be the most annoying person on this list. I hate a protagonist who completely disregards other people's feelings constantly. Her decisions have led to the death of other characters, and as someone who is normally pro-antiheroine, this one just ain't it.
4.Piper Chapman
netflix / Via giphy.com
Show: Orange is The New Black
One of my biggest pet peeves is people who constantly think nothing is their fault and play the victim game, and no one screams that more than Piper Chapman. She's annoying but probably draws out more hatred than anything. I know the show wants us to see her foolish situations for the nonsense they are, and damn, they got me.
I don't know if it was when she got Maria's sentence extended due to not wanting to be inclusive or how she did the homegirl Hapakuka when I declared her the worst, but she got "go-away" heat with me.
5.Spencer James
CW / Via giphy.com
Show: All American
Spencer might not be as bad as Coop, but he has to be an all-time annoying character. I can't knock a guy who wants to play hero, but he does it too much for a guy who also wants to be saved himself. It does something to my soul every time I remember how this show is based on real-life events because there's a real-life Spencer James walking this world not knowing how annoying he is despite possibly being a GREAT guy.
6.Meredith Grey
ABC / Via giphy.com
Show: Grey's Anatomy
As Grey's Anatomy is about to go off the air in 2023, let us acknowledge that the show is one of the greatest TV shows ever. However, in the latest seasons, Meredith has reached all-time annoying levels. Part of the reason is me having to explain to other people watching casually, or for the first time, why she is so annoying and having to give her backstory due to how long the show has been on the air. My annoyance for her came once I realize how illogical some of her decisions truly are. On top of that, she is incredibly rude to interns and people she doesn't know for someone who has been given tons of grace, and for someone who messed up the cure to Alzheimer's and was never the most talented in the office due to Cristina's brilliance.
7.Danny Rand aka Iron Fist
Marvel / Via giphy.com
Show: Marvel's Iron First
Danny Rand is so annoying that I'm still contemplating reading the Iron Fist comic just so I can confirm if this guy is truly that annoying in every medium Marvel offers or if it's just this show. There's a huge gap between the other main characters on this show and him. Simply put, every time he hops on my screen, I want to skip forward. In the storyline, Iron Fist has been training for 15 years to have the powers he has. The moment he comes back, he is so immature that the viewing audience forgets the great background story. I blame a good portion of this on the show's writer due to him being better in his Luke Cage appearance.
8.Devi Vishwakumar
Netflix / Via giphy.com
Show: Never Have I Ever
Look, I can't hate too much on Devi because I truly don't understand how she goes through so much and still manages to get good grades. I think she is the character I like the most on here, but man, at times she's insufferable and a lot to handle in a one-hour watch. Teenagers make mistakes and do stupid things sometimes, but her constant bad choices, and knowing each episode consists of her apologizing to someone, is a bit annoying to watch consistently. Overall, a messy and problematic character who is part of a very cute series that can look past her antics.
9.Archibald "Archie" Andrews
CW / Via giphy.com
Show: Riverdale
I want to love "Betty and Archie" so much, and honestly, I still do, but Archie and Riverdale as a series, to be frank, can be very annoying at times. The way the show writes Archie's character makes me not want to be a fan of him. He is hands down the most boring character on the show, and I find myself constantly wanting to see Jughead and Veronica on my screen versus him. He can be off this list by the end of the series, but now, he deserves this spot.
10.Donald Ressler
NBC / Via giphy.com
Show: The Blacklist
Donald Ressler has had a bunch of up and down moments and is not even the most annoying person on this show (that person is next), but between the way he treated several other characters on this show such as Tom and Kirk's henchman, I just can't get down with his character at times. If this was a most annoying FBI agent list, he will crack that list as well. Ressler being necessarily annoying for integrity reasons due to his job makes me want to take it a bit less harsh on him, but he's also the same character who killed someone and covered it up, so again, is it one mic or oochie wally?
11.Elizabeth Keen
NBC / Via giphy.com
Show: The Blacklist
Protagonist or not, Elizabeth Keen is an all-time insufferable character. She alone made me stop watching this show so many times. She is just too much. I remember before watching the show, going on Twitter to see a big crowd there hate her guts on a weekly basis, and all I'll say is, I get it. The whisper-talking is the final nail in the coffin for me. Okay, let me stop now, LOL.
12.Sheldon Cooper
CBS / Via giphy.com
Show: Young Sheldon
Adult Sheldon Cooper is crazy annoying, so you already know a younger version was a complete gremlin. I'm not going to write why Sheldon is annoying. He's been terrorizing my TV screen since 2007 and hasn't made me crack a real laugh yet. "Go-away heat" it is, simple as that.
13.Dr. Max Goodwin
NBC / Via giphy.com
Show: New Amsterdam
There are not too many things I hate more in a TV show than someone with a white savior complex, and Dr. Max has got a rabid case of that. If his "god" complex wasn't so bad, he wouldn't be that bad of a character, but this is where we are.
14.Zoey Johnson
FreeForm / Via giphy.com
Show: Grown-ish + Black-ish
I swear I don't remember Zoey being this annoying in the early days of Grown-ish, but she took it up a notch. She is the same type of annoying that Fiona Gallagher was in Shameless, but the circumstances Zoey faces in comparison are way less minuscule, which is why she irks me. I do not get why TV writers insist on writing shows about late teen college girls where they heavily portray them as women who suffer from the meanest case of "main character syndrome." If you don't know what I mean, watch Never Have I Ever and Grown-ish, and get back to me.
15.Cassie Bowden
Hbo Max / Via giphy.com
Show: The Flight Attendant
This character made me a fan of Kaley Cuoco, so I don't want to ruffle any feathers. There's a charm to this character that I love, and I feel like she's not annoying consistently. But she's annoying enough for me to hope that she can be less annoying so I can continue to like The Flight Attendant.
16.Deku
Hulu / Via giphy.com
Show: My Hero Academia
So, maybe this is unfair of me to write because I'm not an anime watcher normally, but I remember being interested in wanting to start watching. My Hero Academia was the first one I watched, but I stopped due to Deku. His character is so whiny. Like, my goodness, starting to watch anime with such a talented character that happens to be a big crybaby was something I shouldn't do. It's possible that I gave up on the program too early, but he deserves a spot on this list no matter what.
