TV shows during the 1970s were family-centric, demonstrating traditional family values. Many of them touched on social issues that reflected the times but they were also sprinkled with comedy to lessen the blow of tough topics.
There is always a protagonist that you side with in the storyline, especially when they face off with an obvious villain. Some characters are easy to hate like J.R. Ewing in “Dallas” or John Stewart in “Little House on the Prairie.” Others you find yourself laughing at but secretly despising.
Character personalities are at times brutish, lacking any appeal but sometimes, a character is so charming, you think of them as one of the good ones. Except, later you realize you were rooting for someone who was worth hating instead.
To compile this list of the most hated TV characters of the 70’s, 247 Tempo reviewed TV plot lines on IMDb as well as opinions on online forums like Reddit to acquire a nuanced perspective on each of the characters. (On the other hand, these are some of the most likable characters of the 1970s.)
Archie Bunker
- Show: “All in the Family” (1971)
- Played By: Carroll O’Connor
Archie Bunker is the patriarch of the family in this TV series. He is always finding something to complain about, particularly because of his rigid perspectives. Put plainly, he’s a bigot. He manages to clash with each person he comes into contact with, though he’s especially irked by his liberal son-in-law, who is an embodiment of everything Bunker detests. Many of the statements that fly out of his mouth are insulting, especially if you watch the show through a modern-day lens.
Mel Sharples
- Show: “Alice” (1976)
- Played By: Vic Tayback
Mel Sharples is the owner (and cook) of the diner in the TV series that follows the title character, Alice Hyatt, who works as a waitress. Sharples is a male chauvinist from Brooklyn, NY, who doesn’t hold back his ignorance (and at times, rabid stupidity). He’s dismissive of the waitresses who work for him, both in the way he speaks with them and in how he pays them. His hard-to-deal-with personality makes it hard to appreciate him, especially since he’s so relentless with his harshness.
Lt. Colonel Henry Blake
- Show: “M*A*S*H” (1972)
- Played By: McLean Stevenson
Lt. Colonel Henry Blake is a fictional character in this TV series. The show follows an Army hospital staff that uses laughter as medicine as they face the reality of working through the Korean War. Blake is infuriating, though not in the same ways some other characters are. He’s incompetent as a leader, which is fine for some characters as they like to let loose but bothersome for others who see how ineffectual he is in an important position of authority he’s simply unqualified for.
Bart Furley
- Show: “Three’s Company” (1977)
- Played By: Hamilton Camp
Bart Furley is the owner of the apartment complex where the main characters in the show live. He only appears in a single episode but the way his brother, Ralph Furley, talks about him lets you know that he’s a back-stabbing jerk. He’s a ruthless and intimidating character throughout but when he’s about to face financial and legal trouble, he drops to his knees and changes his tune. He doesn’t earn the pity of viewers, even when he displays theatrical weakness.
Walter Findlay
- Show: “Maude” (1972)
- Played By: Bill Macy
Walter Findlay is Maude Findlay’s husband in this spin-off series. His wife has liberal views and is outspoken about them but he is a bit more reserved. Despite this, he manages to emotionally blackmail his wife so she can cater to his chauvinistic ideals. He behaves immaturely, throwing tantrums when his wife wants to rise. The only reason he isn’t completely insufferable is because she is so headstrong and always gives him a piece of her mind.
Mary Ellen Walton
- Show: “The Waltons” (1972)
- Played By: Judy Norton
Mary Ellen Walton is one of the primary characters in this TV series. She comes off self-serving and dramatic. She also displays bursts of anger and a tomboyish personality. It’s easy to see how annoying she is, especially since she’s great at throwing tantrums. But, unlike others in this list, she does redeem herself in later seasons, becoming a much more mature version of herself.
Cousin Oliver Tyler
- Show: “The Brady Bunch” (1969)
- Played By: Robbie Rist
Cousin Oliver Tyler appeared in the show seemingly out of nowhere, following the trend in the 70s when a young character would be introduced to a show’s storyline when ratings started to dip. Some viewers feel strongly that his sudden appearance on the show eventually did it in. He appeared in only five episodes at the tail end of the fifth and final season. The show ended in 1974.
Sue Ann Nivens
- Show: “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970)
- Played By: Betty White
Sue Ann Nivens is picture-perfect on screen, appearing sweet as pie. But behind the scenes, she is quite snarky and displays a competitive streak. It is this contrast between her on-screen personality and her true self that makes her untrustworthy and unlikable. Betty White, who played her character, was once quoted as saying, “She was so rotten. You can’t get much more rotten than the neighborhood nymphomaniac.” That says it all.
George Jefferson
- Show: “The Jeffersons” (1975)
- Played By: Sherman Hemsley
George Jefferson is a fictional character in the show who has done well for himself and his family, earning “a deluxe apartment in the sky.” While ambition is usually admirable, Jefferson is arrogant and obsessed with acquiring more money (in whatever way possible). He is loud, rude, and bigoted, spouting off without a filter when referring to other races.
Basil Fawlty
- Show: “Fawlty Towers” (1975)
- Played By: John Cleese
Basil Fawlty is the owner of Fawlty Towers Hotel and dreams of serving a more high-end clientele. He’s a snob who wants to be a part of the upper class but who behaves in ways that cause the rug to be pulled out from under him constantly. He’s cheap, hardly competent, and has a short fuse. He believes himself better than he is, and watching him fumble and fail is satisfying to viewers.
J.R. Ewing
- Show: “Dallas” (1978)
- Played By: Larry Hagman
J.R. Ewing’s most well-known quote is, “Revenge is the single most satisfying feeling in the world.” That says a lot about his character. He’s the oil tycoon antagonist in the show who is shockingly ruthless as a business man.
Chachi Arcola
- Show: “Happy Days” (1974)
- Played By: Scott Baio
Chachi in the show isn’t exactly a villain. He looks up to The Fonz, the older, cooler, and more rebellious character in the show and emulates him. But viewers found him annoying, especially since his catchphrase was an awkward, “wah, wah, wah” that only appealed to teenage girls.
John Stewart
- Show: “Little House on the Prairie” (1974)
- Played By: Harris Yulin
John Stewart is an alcoholic in the show who mishandles the grief of losing his wife. Since she died when birthing their son, he often takes it out on the boy during beatings, blaming him for his mother’s death.
Louie De Palma
- Show: “Taxi” (1978)
- Played By: Danny Devito
Louie De Palma is a dispatcher in the show who is mean-spirited and frequently offensive. He’s constantly unkind to the other cabbies and engages in sexual harassment at work, which gets him into trouble. It’s one thing to be unpleasant but quite another to be abusive (which he is — to his mother).
Karen Shields
- Show: “Hart to Hart” (1979)
- Played By: Karen Austin
Karen Shields is a single-minded villainous character who appears on episode nine of season one in the show. She is a chemist who has her mind set on selling an ultra-powerful narcotic for the sole purpose of acquiring wealth. She is undeterred in her quest and capable of murder, even taunting her victims in their final moments. In one scene, she takes her time tormenting her trapped victims with a big smile plastered across her face. Then she ends their lives. She isn’t just a ruthless character. She is the definition of evil.
Grandma Esther Walton
- Show: “The Waltons” (1972)
- Played By: Ellen Corby
Grandma Walton is a stern character in the show who works as an organist at the local church. She’s full of pride and stubborn to boot, always expressing her jealousy any time her husband speaks to another woman. You can tell she has deep love for her family but she’s so brusque and rigid, it’s hard to like her at all.
Captain Nirvana of the Necrotons
- Show: “Mork & Mindy” (1978)
- Played By: Raquel Welch
Captain Nirvana of the Necrotons is part of the Black Army and she has a mission to find the Orkan Observer, Mork, to acquire all the information he knows and decide whether earth is worth invading or better off destroying. She’s not competent enough for the job but she’s vicious in her ways, taking on the task as if she was the first one appointed. Behind the scenes, the actress who played her seemed to leave a bad taste in the mouth of the other actors in the show, which only adds to the character’s unlikability.
Peter Ibbotson
- Show: “Kojak” (1973)
- Played By: John P. Ryan
Peter Ibbotson is a cold and calculated criminal who has spent time in prison. However, instead of emerging reformed, he’s dead set on revenge. Lt. Theo Kojak is the one who put him in prison so Ibbotson’s focus is on him. He sends him death threats and then he sets out to target Kojak’s niece on one of the most important days of her life.
Fred Sanford
- Show: “Sanford and Son” (1974)
- Played By: Redd Foxx
Fred Sanford is a bad-tempered character in the show who works as a junk dealer. He’s a bigoted man who always has something to say about his son’s friends, particularly those of other races. He’s manipulative, capable of faking heart attacks to keep his 34-year-old son from leaving to find work better suited for him. He struggles to be nice and when he manages to say the right thing, he quickly turns it around with his grumpy attitude.
Florida Evans
- Show: “Good Times” (1974)
- Played By: Esther Rolle
It’s not obvious to audiences that Florida Evans is conniving at first. She’s a stay-at-home mom who supports her family. She comes off as a superwoman who handles everything life throws their way with a good attitude. But when you see how she behaves when the family receives opportunities to get out of the ghetto, you realize she intentionally thwarts their attempts at acquiring a better life. She is the ultimate blessing blocker who enrages anyone who watches the show from an objective perspective.