Let’s be real—every fandom has a character that folks love to dislike. Perhaps they were cornered in the writing, marketing hyped up the story, or perhaps the audience just wasn’t prepared to empathize with them. Whatever the case, these characters received much more flak than they were ever due. Here’s a retrospective of 10 of the most misinterpreted TV and film characters who were due more sympathy than derision.
10. Chip Douglas – The Cable Guy
Jim Carrey’s performance as Chip Douglas left viewers scratching their heads. Promoted as another wacky comedy in the string of family-friendly hits from Carrey, The Cable Guy was a black satire of obsession and isolation. Chip wasn’t merely a weirdo caricature—a product of abandonment and a lifetime of stuckness on television. The backlash was less at the hands of his character and more at the hands of the audience feeling tricked by the tone of the movie. Chip was a tragedy, not a villain.
9. Skyler White – Breaking Bad
Few television wives have been as loathed as Skyler White, and unjustly so. Audiences criticized her as “naggy” or “in the way,” when in fact, she was a woman caught up in the consequences of her husband’s deceptions, crimes, and irresponsible decisions. Walt put their family at risk, brought them into money laundering, and became progressively more dangerous. Skyler wasn’t the villain—she was a survivor trying to hold her world together while fans bizarrely rooted for the actual criminal.
8. Miranda Hobbes – And Just Like That
Miranda Hobbes was barely recognizable in the reboot. Fans derided her new decisions, labeling her messy, reckless, and out of touch. But was it Miranda’s failure, or the writers’? The show eliminated the features that made her a favorite among fans and substituted them for cheap drama. In fact, the Miranda hate tells us more about sloppy writing than it does about her as a character.
7. Ross Geller – Friends
Ross gets dragged perpetually as TV’s worst boyfriend. Sure, he had his jealous, whiny moments (and sure, “we were on a break” became grating). But Ross was also faithful, humorous, and loved his friends deeply. He was a dweezy professor with flaws, but also a single father trying to do his best. Perhaps we despise Ross because he was just too real, representing aspects of ourselves.
6. Lori Grimes – The Walking Dead
Lori was a lightning rod for criticism, but step back: she was surviving a zombie apocalypse while keeping her child alive and making impossible moral decisions. Her supposed “bad” choices were most often the only ones available. Fans demanded she was perfect while surviving anarchy. The backlash said more about gender expectations in fandoms than it did about Lori.
5. Marley Rose – Glee
When Marley arrived, viewers immediately called her “the new Rachel” and dismissed her. She wasn’t flashy—she was quiet and vulnerable and struggling with real things like body issues and eating disorders. The showrunners didn’t provide her with the same large arcs or songs, making it simple for viewers to overlook her. But that wasn’t Marley’s doing—she was one of the only relatable, real characters in the later seasons.
4. Che Diaz – And Just Like That
Che Diaz may be the most polarizing character on television right now. They’re not funny, their relationship with Miranda was saccharine, and their personality grated on viewers, according to critics. Here’s the thing: a lot of the Che hate has spilled over into unfair criticism of nonbinary characters as a whole. Sure, the writing didn’t help them, but the ferocity of the backlash shows the extra, unfair weight that representation too often bears.
3. Dean Forester – Gilmore Girls
Dean began as dream boyfriend material—sweet, respectful, and reliable. By the conclusion of his stint, however, he was controlling and insecure. Why? The writers wanted Rory’s errors to appear less egregious, so they manipulated Dean’s character to make her out to be innocent. Dean wasn’t ideal, but he didn’t deserve the villain makeover he got.
2. Vanessa Abrams – Gossip Girl
Vanessa was the star of the books. In the show? She was relegated to the sidelines, handed scraps of plot, and eventually written out. Rather than develop her as a complex character, the writers utilized her as a convenient plot tool, and she was hated by fans. In reality, Vanessa’s greatest sin was being poorly written. Her fate underscored the show’s general failure to treat non-elite, non-white characters with any dignity.
1. Steve Brady – And Just Like That
Steve transformed from a likable, everyday bartender to the punching bag of the show. The reboot deafened him as a joke, made him impotent as a plot device, and pitifully faithful to Miranda while she was treating him poorly. Viewers were weeping while watching a once-great character be reduced to type. Steve did not deserve mockery; he deserved the same respect and development as the rest of the characters.
The next time a character is ripped to shreds online, it’s time to ask: Is it truly their fault? Or is lazy writing, mismarketing, or fandom bias at work? These 10 remind us that sometimes, the “villain” is really just a victim of poor storytelling.