The most irritating sitcom characters are like nails on a chalkboard. They can ruin a funny show before you know what is happening. Sometimes, an annoying television character has a few redeeming qualities that can be endearing. Other times, their presence makes the sitcom hardly worth watching.
While many more sitcom characters can be added to this list, the characters on this one are frequently annoying. There’s just something about these particular characters that irks people.
Whether or not a sitcom character is annoying is subjective. Every person has their own idea of what is irritating. However, to compile a list of the most irritating sitcom characters 24/7 Tempo consulted numerous entertainment websites, including IMDb. Let’s take a look and explore the most irritating sitcom characters people love to complain about. (Interested in sitcoms where the entire show should have been thrown out? Read our list of sitcoms we could have done without.)
Sheldon Cooper
- TV Show: “The Big Bang Theory”
- Years on Air: 2007 to 2019
- Played By: Jim Parsons
Sheldon Cooper is a brilliant character in “The Big Bang Theory.” However, he lacks genuine empathy for his friends and can be rude and stubborn.
While his character is meant to encompass a person who lacks social skills, his constant meanness towards his friends can be offputting.
Steve Urkel
- TV Show: “Family Matters”
- Years on Air: 1989 to 1998
- Played By: Jaleel White
Steve Urkel was meant to be a funny neighbor who didn’t understand social boundaries. However, even with his little quip, “Did I do that?” he sometimes came across as aggravating and rude.
Walking into a neighbor’s home unannounced can annoy any family. When you add his obsessiveness with Laura, his actions constantly irritate viewers.
Becky Conner
- TV Show: “Roseanne”
- Years on Air: 1988 to 1997
- Played By: Lecy Goranson, Sarah Chalke
Not all of the characters in “Roseanne” were likable. However, Becky has the worst rap. She was a teenager during most of the show; therefore, some of her antics could be forgiven. Yet, many viewers found her unreasonable, disrespectful, and way too moody, even for a teen.
Ross Geller
- TV Show: “Friends”
- Years on Air: 1994 to 2004
- Played By: David Schwimmer
“Friends” is a classic sitcom that is still popular today. Each member of the core group has their own quirks and humorous personalities. However, Ross Geller is often deemed the most annoying character. In fact, when it comes to the most irritating sitcom characters, his name comes up again and again.
There are many reasons why Ross earned this title. He comes across as rude and disrespectful, especially if someone disagrees with his belief system. While Ross was in a relationship with Rachel, he became overly jealous, eventually driving her away. Then, right after their breakup, he sleeps with another woman. It may be easy to overlook some of these traits, yet his incessant whininess throughout the series is hard to take.
George Costanza
- TV Show: “Seinfeld”
- Years on Air: 1990 to 1998
- Played By: Jason Alexander
The premise of “Seinfeld” involves a group of friends who learn no life lessons and never grow as human beings. This can be funny initially; however, it can be hard to watch when someone continually relishes in their annoying habits.
George was thoughtless and dishonest. He also lacks social awareness, often making him appear rude. His character becomes incessantly annoying later in the series when his shortcomings are fully displayed and outweigh his positive traits, grating on too many people’s nerves.
Ryan Howard
- TV Show: “The Office”
- Years on Air: 2005 to 2013
- Played By: B.J. Novak
Ryan Howard was one of the least-liked characters on “The Office.” He arrived as an arrogant temp who was frequently complaining.
He annoyed viewers even more when it became apparent he was using Kelly for money. Still, he refused to let her move on and be happy, even following her and Ravi to Miami, Ohio. He was constantly unprofessional, and viewers were happy to see him go.
Kimmy Gibbler
- TV Show: “Full House”
- Years on Air: 1987 to 1995
- Played By: Andrea Barber
Kimmy Gibbler was the next-door neighbor and DJ Tanner’s best friend on “Full House.” Like Urkel, she had no problem barging in unannounced, which can be irritating to watch. However, she could also be rude, loud and disrespectful.
On the other hand, maybe she came across as annoying to viewers because it was apparent that everyone in the Tanner house (besides DJ) was always irritated by her presence.
Newman
- TV Show: “Seinfeld”
- Years on Air: 1990 to 1998
- Played By: Wayne Knight
Newman is introduced as someone Jerry Seinfeld strongly dislikes, which may be one reason viewers immediately find him irritating. He was also very whiny, always scheming and childish. His jealousy made him constantly petty.
Yet, were any of the characters on this show likable?
Janice Hosenstein
- TV Show: “Friends”
- Years on Air: 1994 to 2004
- Played By: Maggie Wheeler
Janice’s nasally voice and laugh sent shivers up Chandler’s spine. The core group’s annoyance with this side character was hilarious to watch. Wheeler played her character’s personality to a T. She was supposed to be an irritating sitcom character.
From her catchphrase to her inability to read social cues, she was obnoxious and quirky, and fans loved to hate Janice.
Diane Chambers
- TV Show: “Cheers”
- Years on Air: 1982 to 1993
- Played By: Shelley Long
Diane Chambers is one of the main characters in “Cheers” and the love interest of Sam Malone and Frasier Crane. She is a little self-absorbed, pretentious and arrogant. Yet, during the first few seasons, her character is tolerable. However, in the later seasons, she becomes more unbearable.
She loved to spout off what she knew, which made her irritating, and she often came off as a know-it-all. When she finally exited the show, many viewers were relieved.
Sue Heck
- TV Show: “The Middle”
- Years on Air: 2009 to 2018
- Played By: Eden Sher
Sue Heck could be lovable at times. However, there were many instances where she was obnoxious, immature and lacked much character development.
Ted Mosby
- TV Show: “How I Met Your Mother”
- Years on Air: 2005 to 2014
- Played By: Josh Radnor
Ted Mosby was an obsessive character who was supposed to be the good guy. However, in hindsight, he was far from a good guy. He treated women poorly, was pretentious, and loved to point out other people’s mistakes.
Zack Morris
- TV Show: “Saved By the Bell”
- Years on Air: 1989 to 1993
- Played By: Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Zack Morris was the preppy teenager in the core friend group. He was supposed to be cute and endearing, but many times he wasn’t.
Sometimes, he could be a good friend, but a simple rewatch of this show can illuminate how problematic Zack could be. For starters, he was often selfish, overlooking his friends’ feelings. Actions like hiding a camera in the girls’ changing room, charging people to kiss Lisa (in an attempt to “help” her with her shopping addiction) and trying to sell her clothes were inappropriate. His character did not age well.
Hilary Banks
- TV Show: “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”
- Years on Air: 1990 to 1996
- Played By: Karyn Parsons
Hilary Banks is the oldest daughter of wealthy Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv. She is often shallow and self-centered. One of the attributes that makes her character annoying is how obsessed she is with wealth—so much so that she often looks down on Will’s childhood.
Grace Adler
- TV Show: “Will and Grace”
- Years on Air: 1998 to 2006, 2017 to 2020
- Played By: Debra Messing
One of Grace Adler’s main character traits is selfishness. She is quirky, smart and funny. However, she often came across as egotistic, smug and competitive, which was more than a little annoying to fans.
Gina Linetti
- TV Show: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
- Years on Air: 2013 to 2021
- Played By: Chelsea Peretti
One of the characteristics that annoyed fans about Gina Linetti is that she mistreats people but gets whatever she wants. Her character is egotistical and manipulative.
One of the main actions that irritated fans more than anything was Linetti’s objectification of Terry. She never faced any consequences for these actions.
Roland Schitt
- TV Show: “Schitt’s Creek”
- Years on Air: 2015 to 2020
- Played By: Chris Elliott
Right away, Roland Schitt is cringe-worthy. He doesn’t possess the ability to read social cues, is rude and many of his jokes are indecent.
While his character is meant to irritate the Rose family constantly, he does his job a little too well, getting on the audience’s nerves too often.
Howard Wolowitz
- TV Show: “The Big Bang Theory”
- Years on Air: 2007 to 2019
- Played By: Simon Helberg
Of all the characters in “The Big Bang Theory,” Howard Wolowitz was probably the most irritating sitcom character, at least initially. His antics were often meant to be funny but came across as creepy. Bernadette didn’t come along soon enough, but we were happy when he finally settled down and stopped being as horrendous with women.
Furthermore, Howard wasn’t a great friend to Rajesh Koothrappali and constantly competed with Sheldon Cooper. To make it worse, his inability to stand up to his mom and grow up to be a man spilled over into his relationship with Bernadette. She truly put up with quite a bit from him.
Samuel “Screech” Powers
- TV Show: “Saved By the Bell”
- Years on Air: 1989 to 1993
- Played By: Dustin Diamond
Screech was the intelligent and often quirky character in “Saved by the Bell.” During the first few seasons, he was bearable. However, as the show continued, he became less bright and excessively over-the-top.
Many fans do not understand why Screech became increasingly less intelligent as the show continued.
Malcolm Wilkerson
- TV Show: “Malcolm in the Middle”
- Years on Air: 2000 to 2006
- Played By: Frankie Muniz
Although “Malcolm in the Middle” is a show about none other than Malcolm, he is often considered the worst character on the sitcom. Is he a boy genius? Yes. However, his know-it-all attitude is annoying.
Additionally, his actions often display selfishness, and he loves complaining. While this can mostly be chalked up to typical teenage behavior, it was excessive for Malcolm. (For more sitcom content, read our list of the very best sitcoms of all time.)