Problematic Faves: The TV Characters We Love to Hate

There are some tv characters you just love to hate and hate to love.

Viewers feel conflicted when watching them: we root for them to win and root for them to fail.

They’re scammers, drug dealers, murderous superheroes and serial killers. One is just an all-around bad person.

The love-hate relationship fans feel for these characters is a testament to how brilliantly they are written and how effectively the actors portray them on-screen.

Here’s a list of the TV characters audiences can get enough of despite how horrible they are.

Joseph “Joe” Goldberg (“You,” Netflix)

He’s handsome, charming and intelligent, with the urge to kill anyone who stands in the way of him being with the love of his life, even if it’s the love of his life. Joe (Penn Badgley) has gone by several different names and traveled to many places because he’s constantly on the run from the authorities who are tracking him down over the slew of murders he’s committed. What makes him painstakingly lovable is his desire to be loved and to love someone back. He has mother issues, as his mom abandoned him as a child. But that doesn’t make up for him killing the one wife he had and leaving his newborn with his two neighbors just so he can travel to Europe for his next bloody adventure.

Bojack (“Bojack Horseman,” Netflix)

Bojack Horsemen (Will Arnett) may very well be the most beloved yet damaged, toxic yet hilarious character on TV. From turning his back on Herb, his longtime friend who was responsible for his stardom on the sitcom “Horsin’ Around,” to ruining his co-star Sarah-Lynn’s sobriety, which ultimately ended in her death because he waited 17 minutes before making what could have been a life-saving call, there aren’t many positive qualities Bojack possesses. What viewers did love about Bojack was his raw and honest take on life and the challenges humans face when trying to do the right thing in a not-so-perfect world.

Homelander (“The Boys,” Amazon Prime Video)

The leader of the most terrifying group of anti-Superheroes, The Seven, is Homelander (Antony Starr). He’s racist, misogynistic, sexist, ableist, homophobic and literally every other negative “ist” you can think of. All this to say, he’s the character viewers all love to see, and that may be because Starr does a damn good job playing him. Deep down inside, Homelander is just a broken man with mommy issues and childhood trauma, and that plays a key role in why audiences resonate with him — even though he manipulates his son, murdered a protestor and left a plane filled with people to crash and die.

Saul Goodman (“Better Call Saul,” AMC)

Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) — or Jimmy McGill — is a smooth-talking, criminal-supporting lawyer who was so badly good that he got his own spinoff “Breaking Bad” spinoff “Better Call Saul.” Instead of honoring the law, he breaks it. From working with Walter White (Bryan Cranston) to build his mega drug empire to choosing a life of crime over his wife’s desire to become clean and respectable attorneys, there’s nothing Saul wouldn’t do for a come-up. His various scams include tricking an elderly woman out of her settlement payout and being a factor in his brother’s suicide. Saul has always only ever wanted to be accepted by his family and his peers. Viewers were rooting for the standup guy they thought he’d one day become. 

Eren Yeager (“Attack on Titan,” Crunchyroll)

Eren Yeager (Yuki Kaji, Bryce Papenbrook) watched as a titan ate his mother in the first episode of the series. That would make anyone become a heartless anti-hero who wants to destroy the entire world. Well, that might just be Eren. After finding out years later that his home on Paradis Island was merely just an entrapment of Eldian people (whom have the ability to transform into titans), he becomes a ruthless and unforgiving leader who is on a mission to get justice from the Marleyans. And he’ll do anything to get it, even it means betraying his friends and taking down anyone who gets in his way. Fans aren’t rooting against him, but rather hoping he awakens from his tunnel vision of destruction.

Franklin Saint (“Snowfall,” FX)

Franklin Saint (Damson Idris) built his drug empire brick-by-brick. He’s tricked a couple of bookstore owners out of their longtime family business, abandoned his father, and got two children murdered all to do it. Not to mention he’s working with the CIA to move drugs into Black and Brown communities just to serve his personal come-up. You’d think his family would be the one thing that he’d never go against, but nope. He nearly shot his uncle (who raised him since he was a child) in a coffee shop. Like Homelander, Franklin Saint is merely a product of his unfortunate circumstances and that’s what makes viewers continue to support him.

Dexter Morgan (“Dexter,” Showtime and CBS)

Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is somewhat similar to “You’s” Joe. He’s a seemingly regular guy who lives a secret life as a serial killer. However, unlike Joe, he kills guilty people who have committed heinous crimes. While he should simply contact the authorities, his skill set as a trained blood splatter expert enables him to cover up the crime scenes he creates. As a child, Dexter watched his mother be brutally murdered, and was later adopted by his cop father Harry Morgan (James Remar) who taught him everything he knows. Fans fall in love with Dexter because of his quiet, gentle giant nature and his efforts to do good despite him being a bloodthirsty killer.

Ava Coleman (“Abbott Elementary,” ABC)

Ava (Janelle James) is completely unqualified and unequipped to do her job, but somehow she got hired anyway, after blackmailing the superintendent. Her poor performance as principal almost put her job on the line as well as Abbott’s much-needed school funding. Viewers might often question if the self-centered part-time influencer truly cares about the students and the teachers, but she always manages to pull through for her team, questionable strategy or not. And even though she’s Janine’s biggest hater, her comical behavior and sharp one-liners make her a problematic fan favorite. 

Daemon Targaryen (“House of the Dragon,” HBO)

Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) just wants his wife Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) — who’s also his niece — to take her rightful place on the Iron Throne, and there’s no limit to what he’ll do to achieve that goal. But it’s all to reap the benefits for himself. He’s an absent father who killed his first wife so he could marry his niece, and allowed his gang of City Watchmen to torture and murder civilians in a show of power. Plus, Daemon is his older brother’s biggest pain in the neck through his random acts of terrorism. Did we mention he married his niece?

Rue Bennett (“Euphoria,” HBO)

No other character on this list has more support from fans than Rue (Zendaya Coleman). The struggle of addiction and drug abuse are two key themes that are explored in her character, highlighting how those challenges impact family and friends. Rue’s life spiraled out of control after losing her father at a younger age, and being diagnosed as bipolar and having ADHD. Her yearning to feed her need for drugs is shown in the show when she steals pills from Fez’s grandmother and emotionally abuses her sister and mother. Rue has valid reasons for why she can be the absolute worst, and that’s why fans want the absolute best for her.