It's always a good feeling to find something worthwhile to invest in, and that extends to TV shows. Fans of their respective favorite show dedicate plenty of time theorizing the trajectory of the show and, of course, trying to find out what happens to their favorite character.
Whether it's sitcoms, fantasy, or drama series, investing in a show is a risk and one viewers expect to pay off. So when their favorite character returns to old habits or stumbles into an illogical and rushed character arc, viewers walk away disappointed, going to websites like Reddit to air their grievances.
1 Jim Halpert
Given that Jim Halpert's (John Krasinski) storyline for most of The Office show centered on his love for Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and his quiet quest to win her over, fans were rightfully disappointed when the two got married only for Jim's character to grow selfish and create unnecessary friction.
u/missy_moo_moo wrote, "it felt so forced when Jim, who idolized Pam and loved her so deeply that he bought a ring a week into dating, chooses a sneaky career in Philadelphia and ignores his family." u/Olgil75 agreed, writing, "it felt incredibly unrealistic and seemed more like they were just trying to throw some drama in at the end to tie into the film crew storyline."
2 Britta Perry
Despite being introduced on Community as a witty, self-assured, politically active powerhouse, Britta Perry's (Gillian Jacobs) intelligence was quickly replaced with incompetence. Her stupidity became the butt of every joke, and her name was used to describe the act of making mistakes or messing up.
u/imhereforthemeta reflected on the problem underlying this characterization, writing, "Britta going from b*tchy troublemaker to extremely dumb because the audience didn’t like her when she was capable never sat right with me." As said by u/MightyThoreau, "they did her so dirty by making her the Nickelback of the show."
3 Jon Snow
While Game of Thrones fans will agree that most of the show's characters didn't receive the arcs they deserved, Redditors had specific qualms with the way their Lord Commander was characterized. Beginning the show as a warrior, Jon Snow's (Kit Harington) character development (or perhaps character regression) saw his character become preoccupied with a romance that fans said lacked any chemistry.
u/lostmonkey70 wrote, "they tried to make his reluctant hero thing tragic by making his path run opposite the woman he loved. The issue is that he and Dany had no chemistry at all, so it just came off as his being contrarian." u/CouncilmanRickPrime suggests this is simply "because he knows nothing."
4 Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock has always been a divisive series. Viewers either love the show's cleverness and the dynamic between Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman) or loathe Sherlock's pretentiousness and how he treats those around him. In this instance, Sherlock watchers were quick to argue the latter, suggesting that Sherlock's character development was so bad it hindered the show's quality.
Speaking to the depiction of Sherlock's addictions, u/TheSpaghettiEmperor wrote, "his addictions being a true vice that actually [messed] him up and Watson saving the day worked fine, why did we need the 'it's all a 5000 IQ plan by Sherlock' twist for the umpteenth thousandth time?" u/spinereader81 agreed, writing "I don't mind a little of that, but it eventually eclipsed the detecting."
5 Ted Mosby
For a show which recounts the events which led How I Met Your Mother protagonist Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) to meet the mother of his children, it seems it was actually the disclosure of these events which resulted in the character's undoing. With the fail of each new romantic endeavor, some fans have concluded that maybe Ted was the problem, insisting that he never cared about these women as much as he desired an end to his search.
Redditor u/Blue_Swirling_Bunny writes, "the more I learn about how Ted met the mother, the more I think Ted...doesn't care about whom he marries, so long as he marries someone...but eventually we learn that Ted is just a desperate loser who strikes out with women because he doesn't want a woman with a personality, he wants a mannequin on his arm."
6 Jamie Lannister
Until the show's final episodes, fans will agree that Jamie Lannister's (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) arc on Game of Thrones was one of, if not the best, on the show. Things were looking up for the Prince Charming doppelgänger, who had found genuine friendships in characters like Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) and was no longer recognizable as the man who pushed Bran Stark out the tower window.
But despite finally leaving behind his incestuous and toxic relationship with Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), Redditor u/polojeff writes, "the ending just undid all the steps he took towards redemption."
7 Señor Ben Chang
In a seemingly never-ending list of erratic and quirky professors at Greendale Community College, Señor Ben Chang (Ken Jeong) was the greatest. His unlikely role as a Spanish Professor gave his character an inherent funniness and a capacity to abuse his authority in hilarious ways. u/Pabsxv writes, "being an unqualified authority figure was such a great character for him. Him trying to fake his way as a Spanish teacher made for some great bits."
But, as noted by Redditor u/evremonde, "he went from being a funny figure because he was an authority, to a far less funny wannabe peer of the group." As stated by u/RazorOfSimplicity, "the rest of the series just turned him into a flanderized lunatic no one took seriously."
8 Amy Sosa
As the protagonist of Superstore for most of the series, Amy's romantic relationships, specifically with coworker Jonah, were always of great importance. As a result, her slow-burn relationship with Jonah was one of the greatest aspects of the show and one fans came to root for, believing that, after all the tribulations, the two would end the show on Cloud 9.
However, America Ferrera's departure from the show complicated the pair's happy ending, adding unnecessary complications to their relationship and, in the process, portraying Amy as selfish and quick to neglect a relationship she'd fostered for so many years. u/Noltonn wrote, "she went from deeply in love with Jonah...[to] ripping her family apart because she doesn't want to get married to this man she's been dating and living with for so long?" adding that they ruined "all the romantic development they did across 5 years."
9 Louis Litt
Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) was a character Suits fans originally loved to hate. His tense and deeply opinionated persona perfectly matches Harvey Specter's cool, calm, collectedness. As is often the case with characters such as Louis, his personality was viewed as a problem in need of fixing, resulting in an unpopular character arc that sees him go from ruthless too, well, not.
Redditor u/pugwalker writes, "he had such an awesome arc early on that they just couldn't resist ruining. That episode where you realize how talented of a lawyer he is, is one of my favorites of the show. It's a shame that they had to turn him into a complete clown since they just ran out of other interesting material."
10 Andy Bernard
Few characters from The Office are as divisive as Andy Bernard (Ed Helms). While his early antics were often irritating, with his highly relatable, though inappropriately-timed singing, he was ultimately harmless. However, most fans of the show agree that, despite earlier attempts at developing and improving his character, Andy fell victim to some serious character regression when they made him a "Michael replacement."
u/inkyspearo writes, "at the very end he comes back from his sailing trip and is even worse than he was in the beginning of the show. I never understood that writing." But u/wesnotwes seems to have the answer, suggesting that Andy's characterization in the later seasons was simply "punishment for bailing to do The Hangover."