Let’s be real—if you’ve ever screamed at your TV over a character’s every decision, you’re not alone. TV fandoms love to hand out love and hate like candy, often based more on vibes than logic. And sure, some characters are genuinely terrible—but sometimes, that wave of collective outrage goes way too far.
Perhaps it’s a double standard. Perhaps it’s cultural baggage. Perhaps it’s just Twitter being Twitter. Either way, certain characters have caught a lot more grief than they deserved. So in reverse order, below are 10 TV characters who were despised—but likely shouldn’t have been.
10. Yennefer of Vengerberg (The Witcher)
Yennefer is tough, imperfect, and stubbornly independent—and to some fans, that makes her public enemy number one. Whether it’s her complicated relationship with Geralt or her refusal to play by the rules, she’s frequently savaged in ways male antiheroes are lucky to avoid. But take a closer look: she survived abuse, prejudice, and Herculean power struggles to emerge as one of fantasy TV’s most multidimensional characters. Perhaps the hate reveals more about our prejudices than about Yennefer herself.
9. Quinn Fabray (Glee)
Quinn began life as Glee’s quintessential mean girl, and for some viewers, that was enough to judge her on. Under all the icy stares and snarky remarks, though, was a teenager weighed down by perfectionism, teen pregnancy, and social expectations. When her male peers received redemption arcs and fan forgiveness, Quinn was frequently not given the same leeway. Sure, she messed up—but in the soap opera reality of Glee, who didn’t?
8. Jenny Humphrey (Gossip Girl)
Jenny’s transformation from Brooklyn nobody to Upper East Side force to be reckoned with was messy—and fans punished her for it. But can you blame her for learning to fit into the cutthroat world that surrounded her? Her ambition and missteps were met with out-of-balance criticism, particularly in comparison to the boys of Gossip Girl, whose bad behavior was frequently romanticized. Jenny was young, hungry, and trying to make it through a poisonous world that rewarded manipulation. She should have gotten more grace than she did.
7. Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Katara is the emotional anchor of Team Avatar, but she’s constantly belittled as “bossy” or “too much.” How ironic that being a strong moral compass and standing up for what is right are admired in male heroes, but annoying in young girls. Katara’s leadership, emotional intelligence, and willingness to fight for others are just a few reasons why she is one of the most admirable characters on the show. Perhaps the issue isn’t her—it’s the way we perceive powerful young women on television.
6. Betty Draper (Mad Men)
Betty has been called cold, bitter, and a “bad mom” for years. But let’s not forget: she was a woman trapped by the repressive rules of the 1960s with no true means of expressing her frustration or discontent. While Don was living a secret life, Betty was trapped playing the role of perfect homemaker, quietly disintegrating. She wasn’t likable—but she was authentic. And perhaps that made people uneasy.
5. Lori Grimes (The Walking Dead)
Lori was one of The Walking Dead’s most hated characters, criticized for everything from her parenting to her love life. But surviving a zombie apocalypse while raising a child and navigating an emotional minefield? That’s not exactly easy. Lori’s decisions weren’t always great—but they were human. Unfortunately, her agency and flaws made her a target in a fandom that rarely showed the same energy for its male leads’ mistakes.
4. Paris Geller (Gilmore Girls)
Paris wasn’t present to be your offbeat BFF. She was intense, hyper-motivated, and brutally candid—and that polarized her. She was labeled as a villain early on, but when the show continued, her vulnerability and depth made her one of Gilmore Girls’ most compelling characters. Paris taught us that ambitious girls who won’t dial it back can still be lovable—and that growth doesn’t have to accompany softness.
3. Skyler White (Breaking Bad)
Skyler didn’t kill people. She didn’t sell meth. She didn’t lie to her family for years. She just said, “No, I’m not going along with this,” and for that, she became one of the most hated women on TV. Anna Gunn, who played her, even wrote about the backlash she received—much of it rooted in misogyny. Skyler embodied the show’s conscience, and viewers resented her for shattering their illusion of supporting the antihero without remorse.
2. Jessica Huang (Fresh Off the Boat)
Jessica was not your typical sitcom mom. She was hard-hitting, driven, and cuttingly funny—and some audiences just didn’t know what to make of that. Even as she became a favorite on the show, she was criticized as being “too harsh” or “unlikable.” But Jessica was a multifaceted character caught between the demands of motherhood, culture, and identity. She was witty, nuanced, and bracing—and she deserved better than nitpicky criticism for not being warm and fuzzy every moment.
1. Constance Wu (and the Real-Life Fallout)
Occasionally, the vitriol spills over into real life—and that’s what occurred with Constance Wu. When she spoke out in disappointment about Fresh Off the Boat being picked up (because it would hold up other roles), the internet turned against her in a big way. She was labeled as entitled, rude, and even ashamed of the community. It got so bad that Wu broke down and confessed later that it nearly killed her. Her tale is a poignant reminder: we hold women—particularly women of color—to perfection in a manner that’s not just unjust, but dangerous.
It’s easy to loathe a fictional woman from behind a screen. But perhaps next time, before piling on, we ask ourselves: Is this woman really that awful, or are we simply uncomfortable with women being flawed, loud, ambitious, or in control? Because most of the time, the women we “hate” are the ones holding up a mirror—and some of us just don’t like what we see.