Television shows are a source of comfort for so many people. We watch them to unwind and experience a loved niche, such as comedy, and often, we become so invested in a character that we develop strong feelings toward them. With some characters, hatred runs deep. This list is going to explore the most hated TV characters.
We will look at what makes them so despicable and if they even had any redeeming qualities (the answer for most of them is a capital N-O.)
To compile a list of the most hated TV characters, 24/7 Tempo consulted numerous entertainment sources, including IMDb. Now, let’s take a look at the most hated TV characters ever. (Click here to read more about 30 of the most evil villains in TV History.)
1. Joffrey Baratheon
- Played in: Game of Thrones
- Actor: Jack Gleeson
- Redeeming Qualities: None
Joffrey Baratheon is one of the most hated TV characters ever, and for good reason. He took pleasure in inflicting physical pain on others. His cruelty is despicable, and it doesn’t take audiences long to see how much of a sadist he is.
Among his worst crimes are having Ned Stark beheaded, making people fight to the death, and inflicting physical harm on beloved characters like Sansa Stark. Audiences see how dark he truly is when he is given Ros, a prostitute, for a night and uses her as target practice with his crossbow.
Perhaps the most satisfying ending to any character was that of Joffrey when he died a violent death after drinking poison given by Lady Olenna Tyrell. Of course, cheers could be heard everywhere when Lady Olenna delivered the line, “Tell Cersei, I want her to know it was me,” right before she died.
2. Ramsay Bolton
- Played in: Game of Thrones
- Actor: Iwan Rheon
- Redeeming Qualities: None
If Joffrey Baratheon is president of the most hated TV characters, Ramsay is vice president. At first, Ramsay appears loyal to the Starks. However, things worsen when he overtakes Winterfell and holds Theon captive.
He tortures Theon, renames him Reek, and mentally breaks him. He is given Sansa in marriage by Petyr Baelish and tries his best to break her.
Ramsay is also a sadist who takes satisfaction in seeing the pain inflicted on others. It is apparent with his torture of Theon, repeated abuse of Sansa, and how he would hunt people in the woods after letting them loose to run for their lives. More of his crimes include killing Rickon Stark, emasculating Theon, and killing his own family. Fans everywhere felt relieved when Sansa delivered her lines, “You’re going to die tomorrow, Lord Bolton,” and Ramsay was finally captured.
Sansa releasing Ramsay’s hounds on him after they hadn’t eaten in days was one of the best displays of karma depicted by The Game of Thrones.
3. Cersei Lannister
- Played in: Game of Thrones
- Actor: Lena Headey
- Redeeming Qualities: She loved her kids and brother Jamie
Cersei Lannister is the mother of Joffrey Baratheon. While Cersei isn’t an apparent sadist, she will do anything to win the Game of Thrones. Where Joffrey and Ramsay are straight evil, Cersei is more of a morally grey character.
She cares for her children and loves her twin brother Jamie, with whom she has an incestuous relationship. Being the son of twins is most likely why Joffrey was a sadist. It was often said that in The Game of Thrones, many kings went mad due to being inbred.
While they loved one another, hiding her relationship with her twin brother meant she committed awful acts to cover it up, such as letting Bran be pushed out a window.
Cersei is terrible to her brother Tyrion, enables Joffrey, and destroys the Great Sept (killing Margaery and causing harm to her city.) Lastly, she killed Missandei to hurt Daenerys. She may have done what she did to win the Game of Thrones, yet Cersei was one of the more loathsome characters on the show. This is why her being killed in the end by a pile of rocks, next to the only person she ever truly loved, did not satisfy fans.
4. Shou Tucker
- Played in: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
- Actor: Chuck Huber and Yo Oizumi
- Redeeming Qualities: None
Shou Tucker was a minor anime character on Fullmetal Alchemist. However, he is one of the most hated characters ever.
Shou experimented with both his daughter’s and wife’s lives by turning them into a chimera. His wife dies, and his daughter is put in a state “worse than death.” When confronted with his wrongdoings, he shows absolutely no remorse, making him despicable and hated.
5. Livia Soprano
- Played in: The Sopranos
- Actress: Nancy Marchand
- Redeeming Qualities: She cares for her grandchildren
Livia is the mom of Tony Soprano, a crime boss. She is abusive towards her son, narcissistic, and cynical.
Livia was the show’s main antagonist, always bitter towards her children and causing issues wherever possible. She even went as far as to put a hit out on her son.
6. Todd Alquist
- Played in: Breaking Bad
- Actor: Jesse Plemons
- Redeeming Qualities: None
Todd Alquist is considered one of the main antagonists in Breaking Bad. He is an exterminator for the company Vamonos Pest.
Todd shows little to no remorse for his actions, such as when he kills Drew Sharp. He is a thief, killer, and meth cook with seemingly no guilt, making him a character people love to hate.
7. Petyr Baelish
- Played in: Game of Thrones
- Actor: Aidan Gillen
- Redeeming Qualities: None
Petyr Baelish, also known as Littlefinger, was a character most people hated. His loyalty was wishy-washy, and he did whatever he could to secure a higher title.
Perhaps the worst thing Petyr Baelish ever did was betray the beloved character Ned Stark. Yet, his crimes did not stop there. Littlefinger sells Sansa to Ramsay Bolton, a sadist who abuses her. He also did what he could to cause problems between Sansa and Arya. Petyr is manipulative and only makes moves during “The Game of Thrones” if it benefits him.
When Arya finally kills Petyr Baelish while he’s begging for his life on his knees, no fans feel any sense of remorse for the man.
8. Benjamin Linus
- Played in: Lost
- Actor: Michael Emerson
- Redeeming Qualities: He is loyal
At the end of Lost, the show did what it could to redeem Benjamin Linus’s character. However, fans grew to hate the character throughout the show, and for good reason.
One of Benjamin’s worst acts was allowing his daughter Alex to die in the name of self-preservation. He also killed John Locke, helped slaughter the Dharma Initiative, stole Alex, kidnapped Walt, and manipulated many of the main characters. All these acts made it difficult for fans to come around to his character.
9. Paige McCullers
- Played in: Pretty Little Liars
- Actress: Lindsey Shaw
- Redeeming Qualities: She did care for Emily
Pretty Little Liars did everything they could to redeem Paige’s character, yet fans had trouble getting on board. She was quite literally the worst in many eyes.
First, she tried to drown Emily because she felt her spot on the swim team was threatened. Yet, Emily dates her? Their relationship felt odd and forced, making fans dislike Paige even more. It didn’t help her case when Paige told police that Alison was alive and gave Emily no room to grieve the way she needed to.
10. Caillou
- Played in: Caillou
- Actor: Jaclyn Linetsky
- Redeeming Qualities: The show itself can be educational
While Caillou is a cartoon character, he still makes this list because parents everywhere think he is one of the most annoying television characters.
Throughout the cartoon, parents can see the self-entitlement that Caillou exhibits. He throws ridiculous tantrums and receives very little to no consequences for poor behavior, like pinching his sister; plus, Caillou is very whiny. While the show can be educational, parents do not want their children to copy these traits.
11. Will Schuester
- Played in: Glee
- Actor: Matthew Morrison
- Redeeming Qualities: Encouraging his students
While Will Schuester, also known as Mr. Schue, was a pivotal character in Glee, he was not well-liked. Many fans hate this Glee Club teacher because many of his actions seem unprofessional and inappropriate. For example, it’s never okay for an adult to watch a teenager (who is still technically a child) showering in a locker room, regardless of whether the teen has a great voice.
From there, Will has been seen putting his students in dangerous situations or not protecting them. He was also manipulative and often uncompassionate, like with his first wife, Terri. All these little acts led audiences to hate Will Schuester’s character.
12. Ezra Fitz
- Played in: Pretty Little Liars
- Actor: Ian Harding
- Redeeming Qualities: None
Speaking of teachers being inappropriate, Ezra Fitz is one of the most hated TV characters of all time, and for good reason. For starters, he was a teacher who knew how old Aria was when they first met, and he still went for her. He carried on an inappropriate relationship with a vulnerable and underage child that in itself is inexcusable, even for a television show.
However, as the show goes on, his character continuously gets worse. He joined the A-Team, but it makes zero sense why. He is distant and shady, and his character arc makes little sense. While he is written as a romantic, he is also written as a creepy guy; all this and more is why fans hate him.
13. Rachel Berry
- Played in: Glee
- Actress: Lea Michele
- Redeeming Qualities: She can be empathetic
While Rachel is one of the main characters on Glee and was written to be the underdog, many people see Rachel as annoying. There were many attributes to her character that fans couldn’t stand. Rachel is selfish, rude, bratty, and entitled. She did whatever she could to be number one, even pitting people against one another and trying to deport an innocent student.
However, Rachel remains the worst throughout the show; she is constantly jealous of her supposed friend’s successes, hurts friends if it means she benefits, and more. Right until the end, Rachel was always a selfish character.
14. The Governor
- Played in: The Walking Dead
- Actor: David Morrissey
- Redeeming Qualities: None
When it comes to evil characters in The Walking Dead, the show is full of them. However, The Governor was the biggest villain of the show. One of the reasons is that his character had no redeeming qualities.
The Governor was evil for many reasons. He gave people over to the walkers for pure joy, killed anyone who was in his way, and had no clear boundaries or moral lines. Perhaps his worst sin was killing the beloved Hershel in front of his kids, sealing him as the absolute worst and one of the most hated TV characters of all time.
15. Negan
- Played in: The Walking Dead
- Actor: Jeffrey Dean Morgan
- Redeeming Qualities: Attempting to right wrongs by saving Judith, Hershal, and killing Alpha
While Negan is controversial because of this character’s redemption arc, he still makes the list as one of the worst characters.
When fans witnessed the brutal killing of two beloved characters, Glenn and Abraham, at the hands of Negan, his fate as one of the most hated TV characters of all time was sealed.
As we learned more about Negan, some fans softened, and others were cemented in their hatred, and for good reason. Negan is a complex evil; he doesn’t kill just to kill like the Governor. Negan kills to keep people in line or to keep himself safe. However, in trying to prove a point to those from Alexandria, Negan landed himself on the wrong side of the beloved TWD characters.
Negan is also a manipulative leader who rules only by fear. Yes, he offers protection at a price, but he stays in control by inflicting fear on anyone who crosses the line. He has a few redeeming qualities; however, as you learn more of his backstory, you gain a deeper understanding of why he became the coldhearted killer he is. Plus, his redemption journey has saved many TWD characters, making his character more complex and, for some, a little likable.