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From Ellie in ‘The Last of Us’ to Ross in ‘Friends’: What did these nine characters do to become so unpopular?

On paper, they were the heroes audiences were supposed to love, the ones driving the story forward. Yet somewhere along the way, they fell out of favor

Jun 06, 2025 - 13:11CEST

ELLIE IN 'THE LAST OF US' — There’s no need to explain the negative reactions sparked by characters like Joffrey Baratheon, the spoiled monarch from 'Game of Thrones;' J.R. Ewing from 'Dallas;' or Negan from 'The Walking Dead' — villainous antagonists whose many misdeeds often led to a tragic end that satisfied viewers' thirst for revenge and justice. More curious is when that rejection is aimed at protagonists — characters designed to win the audience’s empathy and accompany them on an emotional journey. It’s not a new phenomenon, but social media has amplified it. In addition to the hostility directed at actress Bella Ramsey—who, since being cast as the lead in 'The Last of Us,' has been attacked by the manosphere for supposedly not being "attractive enough" for the role — many critics have focused their ire on the character, not the actress. The issue, in their view, lies in the changes made to Ellie in her television adaptation, which they believe were for the worse. “The truth is, I don’t think they meant for her to come off as immature and rebellious. My theory is that the writers wanted to portray her as strong and independent, but ended up making her just plain annoying,” wrote one disillusioned viewer.

The second season of the series, which introduces a time jump that leaves behind teenage Ellie, is supposed to show a more mature version of the character. But her impulsiveness continues to have catastrophic consequences. We’ve seen how her reckless behavior has led to the deaths of her friends and caused a rift within her community. And she’s not much better when she lets her guard down, picks up a guitar, and performs A-ha covers for what feels like an inordinate amount of time in an action series. It’s in those moments that viewers start to question whether her life is really worth all the sacrifice — and some even wonder if Joel should have just let the Fireflies do their job and save humanity. Ellie’s case shares many similarities with other characters who’ve managed to get under the skin of fans in their respective shows. Let’s take a look at some of them.

TED IN 'HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER' – Of the many 'Friends' imitators that popped up after the beloved sitcom ended, 'How I Met Your Mother' was by far the most successful and long-lasting. The story of six friends living in New York mirrored 'Friends' in structure and ensemble dynamics, though the title made it clear who would be taking center stage. The central mystery revolved around discovering the identity of the woman with whom Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) had fathered the children who, week after week, listened to his long-winded stories with visibly bored expressions.CLIFF LIPSON (CBS /Landov /Cordon Press)

Ted was an idealistic and sensitive architect — an apparently ordinary guy whose main concern was finding the love of his life. At least, that’s what the script aimed to convey. But for many viewers, he ended up embodying what’s known as the “nice guy syndrome,” described by one user on the website Parlia in a revealingly titled thread (“Ted Mosby is the Worst”) as men who “consistently lament how great of a guy they are and question why they're still single, whilst actually doing pretty terrible things to women.” The website Ranker went even further, publishing an article titled "30 Moments from 'How I Met Your Mother' That Prove Ted Is One of the Worst Characters in TV History." Among the examples cited: his perfectionism, obsessive and petty behavior, and his controlling tendencies in relationships. Ted Mosby was, in many ways, the opposite of the image he had of himself — but in his defense, it was hard to compete with the show’s other two male leads: the lovable Marshall and the legendary Barney Stinson. MONTY BRINTON (CBS /Landov)

MEREDITH IN 'GREY’S ANATOMY' – The title of Shonda Rhimes’ longest-running series — a play on 'Gray’s Anatomy,' the classic medical reference by Henry Gray — makes it clear that while the show centered on a group of surgical residents, the one who truly mattered was Meredith. She was a talented doctor, the daughter of a legendary surgeon and an absent father, just beginning her career at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital (now Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital — named not in her honor, but in memory of her half-sister who died in a plane crash, just one of the countless tragedies linked to the character played by Ellen Pompeo).Bob D'Amico (Disney General Entertainment Con)

In 'Grey’s Anatomy,' there’s so much drama — so many relationships and personal storylines crossing paths — that it’s a miracle the doctors ever find time to treat their patients. And that whirlwind of emotions is one of the reasons viewers have grown tired of the main character. Meredith is involved in too many dramas. Falling in love with a married man didn’t help her case either. In fact, viewers ended up siding with the “other woman,” who became so popular she got her own spin-off series. One could argue Meredith is a product of a traumatic childhood, but many of her colleagues — raised in trailer parks or by abusive, alcoholic parents — have had it just as rough and manage to be far less miserable. “I love Grey’s Anatomy and I hate Meredith Grey,” wrote one LiveJournal user, succinctly capturing a common sentiment. To her credit, as the character has matured, her behavior has become less erratic and whiny. But the fact that the show continues to rack up seasons and millions of viewers — even as Meredith has faded into the background or disappeared for entire stretches — suggests that her role in her own series was never quite as central as the title implies.Eric McCandless (Disney General Entertainment Con)

CARRIE BRADSHAW IN 'SEX AND THE CITY' – The adaptation of Candace Bushnell’s novel about the adventures of four New York women completely transformed the city’s image, turning it into a mecca for hundreds of thousands of tourists eager to live the same experiences as Carrie and her friends Charlotte, Miranda, and the much-missed Samantha. That meant sipping Cosmopolitans at the city’s trendiest clubs, living in a charming rent-controlled apartment, juggling lovers, and having endless time to spend with friends and go shopping. More than just a series, 'Sex and the City' was a lifestyle — and its narrator, Carrie, a guru.Tom Kingston (WireImage)

Just how much the character played by Sarah Jessica Parker gets under people’s skin becomes clear when you realize that while most of the characters on this list are roasted in Reddit threads, Carrie has her own dedicated website — aptly named “Carrie Bradshaw Is the Worst.” And if that weren't enough, 'Time' magazine published a scathing piece titled "All the 'Sex and the City' Episodes Where Carrie Bradshaw Is the Worst." The reasons given are plentiful. Carrie is accused of being selfish, prioritizing even her most trivial whims over the real concerns of her friends, and behaving immaturely in her relationships (not to mention her questionable taste in men). Long before memes were part of our daily vocabulary, Sarah Jessica Parker’s character was one in the making — thanks to her faux-deep reflections typed into her laptop, eyes gazing into the distance as she mused things like: “I couldn't help but wonder: Inside every confident, driven, single woman, is there a delicate, fragile princess just waiting to be saved?” Anyone hoping for some growth in 'And Just Like That,' the 'Sex and the City' sequel, would have been disappointed: Carrie’s ego seems to have grown right alongside her increasingly extravagant hats.Bill Davila (FilmMagic)

ROSS GELLER IN 'FRIENDS' – The show that redefined the sitcom in the 1990s and turned its stars into the highest-paid actors in television history featured six young, urban, relatively attractive characters — but not so flawless as to be unrelatable. On paper, Monica, the obsessive-compulsive clean freak with a competitive streak, seemed like the obvious candidate for most annoying character. But then there was her brother Ross — the divorced paleontologist hopelessly in love with his friend Rachel Green — who easily outdid her.NBC (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

If we go by the sheer number of pages dedicated to criticizing him, the character played by David Schwimmer tops the ranking of the most hated TV characters. The reasons are many: he’s selfish, petty, childish, and deeply insecure. This wasn't necessarily intentional — his was supposed to be the central love story that hooked viewers. After a failed marriage and several unsatisfying relationships, Ross finally got to live the dream: he ended up with Rachel and had a daughter with her. They were meant to be the romantic heart of the show. And yet, Ross never seems genuinely happy. “Why You Hate Ross from 'Friends'” was the title of an article by journalist Hannah Ost, where she compiles some of the most common answers: he’s sexist, controlling, possessive, struggles with anger issues, and always has to be right. And on top of it all, he broke Rachel’s heart — because no matter how much he insisted, they were not on a break.NBC (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

HANNAH IN 'GIRLS' — The millennial answer to 'Sex and the City,' which many new viewers see as problematic and outdated, arrived through a group of nepo babies who brought little diversity to the medium and, worse, seemed even more self-absorbed than Bushnell’s characters. Marnie, Jessa, Shoshanna, and especially Hannah — played by Lena Dunham, who was also the show’s creator, writer, and central figure — revolutionized television in the early 2010s.MPI67/Bauer-Griffin (GC Images)

If there’s one common trait in this list, it’s selfishness. And no one embodies it better than the spoiled, falsely independent Hannah. Nothing outside of herself mattered, and she was willing to step on anyone to get what she wanted — a constant throughout all six seasons. 'Hannah Horvath, Why Do We (Still) Hate Thee So?' Kathryn VanArendonk asked in 'Vulture' as the series was nearing its end. One viewer even tweeted to the show’s creator on X: “Dear Lena Dunham, please kill Hannah in episode 1 of season 6. If needed, I’ll wait until the finale.” Another wrote, “I hate Hannah more than I’ve ever hated any real person in my life.” Journalist Erin Whitney was blunt in 'The Huffington Post': “It’s safe to say that Hannah Horvath is one of the most disliked characters on television, and that's including all the villains, anti-heroes and sociopaths.” Fortunately, her haters knew how to separate the actress from the character. Jen Doll wrote in 'Wired': “I know Dunham is not Hannah and Hannah is not Dunham, but how can Hannah be so stupid if Dunham is so deft?”ANDERSON/Bauer-Griffin (GC Images)

JON SNOW IN 'GAME OF THRONES' – Raised as a bastard, he eventually became the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. His origin was supposed to be a source of shame, but in reality, it was a secret meant to hide his true identity. Jon Snow was the chosen one, the savior of Westeros — a noble-hearted warrior destined to protect humanity from an unprecedented threat. A hero like no other. At least, on paper.HELENSLOAN (©HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection / Cordon Press)

Unlike his companions, Jon Snow wasn’t a narcissist or egotist — he was just terribly boring. In a story bursting with emotional intensity, Snow wandered endlessly like a lost soul. He was at the center of every major event, yet everything seemed to go wrong for him. While his listlessness is less noticeable in George R.R. Martin’s novels, it was hard to ignore on the show. To make matters worse, the writers did him no favors by handing one of the most epic moments in the story — the Night King’s assassination — to Arya Stark. A 12-year-old girl freed the continent from its greatest threat, while Snow, overwhelmed, could only scream helplessly. The character is further diminished by Kit Harington’s rather limited acting range. He lacked chemistry with Rose Leslie, his first love interest — despite the fact that they eventually married in real life — and with Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys. Harington lost acting battles even with a direwolf, and not even the real one, but the CGI version.HELENSLOAN (©HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection / Cordon Press / Cordon Press)

PIPER IN 'ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK' – The series that, along with 'House of Cards,' helped establish Netflix’s early prestige told the story of a group of ordinary inmates in a state prison through the eyes of Piper Chapman, a privileged hipster who got caught up in a drug trafficking case – the one and only time she didn’t follow the expected path.

“‘Orange Is the New Black’'s Piper Will Go Down in History as the Most Hated Character of All Time,’ wrote Kayla Cobb in 'Decider' — perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, since the main flaw of the character played by Taylor Schilling was simply being the protagonist while many other characters had far more interesting and, above all, less clichéd stories. Still, without Piper leading the way, the show might never have made it to air. As the series creator Jenji Kohan explained, Piper was her Trojan horse: "You're not going to go into a network and sell a show on really fascinating tales of black women, and Latina women, and old women and criminals. But if you take this white girl, this sort of fish out of water, and you follow her in, you can then expand your world and tell all of those other stories." Although Piper gradually learned to look beyond her privileged world — where her biggest problems involved recycling coffee pods and empathizing with her fellow inmates — the hatred toward the character eventually affected the actress. "I felt really hurt. I took it personally and I felt like I was no longer a part of the pack," she told 'The Independent.' "I think Piper held the projection of a lot of white privilege for the collective that was invested in the show. That’s a vital theme to discuss but it’s also not the easiest thing to hold..."

DAWSON IN ‘DAWSON’S CREEK’ – Another one of those shows that makes it clear from the title who’s in charge. Dawson was also a reflection of his creator, Kevin Williamson — a teenage movie buff and devoted Steven Spielberg fan. A good son, a good student, and a good friend — although maybe not so much, at least according to many of the show’s fans.Getty Images (Getty Images)

Another clear example of the “nice guy” trope. Dawson didn’t hide his firm belief that he was morally superior to his peers. This led him to badly handle the fact that the love of his life, sweet Joey Potter, fell for his friend, the rebellious Pacey — a spark that all the viewers understood, who considered the character played by Joshua Jackson the true protagonist of the show. Dawson was also terribly puritanical and never held back his opinions, even when they emotionally hurt the people he cared about. But above all, he was unbearably whiny, leaving behind as his main legacy a crying GIF that TV critic Sarah D. Bunting called “the Mount Rushmore of GIFs.” Dawson’s tears (always for Joey, of course) were so grotesquely over the top that the GIF went viral back when sending images by email still took some effort — a feat in itself. Actor James van der Beek showed he took the criticism well and years later recreated the moment for the website Funny or Die.Columbia TriStar (Getty Images)