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TV's Most Polarizing Characters (1 Viewer)

Adam Lenhardt

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TVLine has a clickbait slideshow of TV's 27 most polarizing characters, and they asked readers to chime in and say whether they love them or loathe them. The characters in question are:

Noah ("The Affair")

Ward ("Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.")

Laurel ("Arrow")

Felicity ("Arrow")

Gabby ("Chicago Fire")
Rebecca ("Crazy Ex-Girlfriend")
Lucious ("Empire")
Travis ("Fear the Walking Dead")

Amelia ("Grey's Anatomy")

Cersei ("Game of Thrones")

Bud ("Grimm")
Annalise ("How to Get Away with Murder")

Tandy ("Last Man on Earth")

Tessa ("Masters of Sex")

Maddie ("Nashville")

Hook ("Once Upon a Time")

Piper ("Orange is the New Black")

Cami ("The Originals")

Laoghaire ("Outlander")

ChArlotte ("Pretty Little Liars")

Liam ("Quantico")

Fitz ("Scandal")

Zack ("The Strain")

Louis ("Suits")

Ali ("Transparent")
Enzo ("Vampire Diaries")

Morgan ("The Walking Dead")


Of the shows I watch, I love Felicity ("Arrow"), Maddie ("Nashville") and Morgan ("The Walking Dead"); loathe
Laurel ("Arrow"), Laoghaire ("Outlander") and Enzo ("Vampire Diaries"); love to loathe Ward ("Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.") and Cersei ("Game of Thrones"); and am pretty ambivalent about Travis ("Fear the Walking Dead").


How does everybody else feel about these characters? What other characters should be on the list? Off the top of my head, Dana on "Homeland" was a character that I really liked but most people seem to despise. Iris on "The Flash" is a character that has a sizable following but whom I personally loathe.
 

TravisR

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I admire Morgan's (The Walking Dead) "life is precious" stance but unfortunately, it's just not realistic in their world. Especially since the world would be a better place with less wolves in it.


And Tessa (Masters Of Sex) is one of those characters that has reasonable and realistic reactions to the situations they're in but alot of the audience doesn't like the the character because they argue with the lead.
 

Walter Kittel

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I don't watch a lot of the shows listed, but my thoughts..


Cersei from Game of Thrones is polarizing? I would have suggested that she is universally reviled. As Tyrion observed (to Cersei) "You love your children. That is your one redeeming quality. That and your cheekbones." Honestly I could not muster up one iota of sympathy for the character during any of her travails.


I always thought that Felicity from Arrow was pretty much a fan favorite, but no?


Pretty much in agreement with Travis about Morgan, and as far as Iris goes sometimes she is very annoying, but then there are other times particularly in her scenes with Barry that I find her very endearing.


- Walter.
 

Oliver Ravencrest

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I've only seen The Last Man on Earth from TVLine's choices and I think Carol from that show could be added too, if not most of the cast as well. I agree with Walter about Iris from the Flash.
 

Greg_S_H

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Bud is comic relief. He's a nice, goofy little eisbiber. Tandy's a complete idiot, but if you aren't at least amused by him, you probably should just give up on the show. Most of the rest, I don't know. Oh, Ward can take a headshot any time and just be gone.
 

DaveF

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I watch a lot of tv, but I don't watch any of those shows. I take it this list is only of currently airing shows. From the title I expected it might include, say Skylar from Breaking Bad.

So, since apparently I don't watch shows with "polarizing" characters, what's it take to get on this list? What's a hallmark of such a character?
 

TravisR

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DaveF said:
So, since apparently I don't watch shows with "polarizing" characters, what's it take to get on this list? What's a hallmark of such a character?
I assume the idea is that a good chunk of viewers agree with/like the character while another chunk disagree with/hate them. Like I alluded to, they don't necessarily have to be bad or working against the main character, they have to be an impediment to or argue with the main character that most viewers are rooting for and that makes a chunk of the audience hate them.


Your example of Skyler from Breaking Bad is a good choice and the only reason that she probably isn't on this list is because BB is over.
 

Walter Kittel

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I would think that contradictory character traits or philosophies that are at odds with the world view of the show might create polarization.


Morgan from The Walking Dead is a good example. While his philosophy that all life is precious is admirable, it has the potential to do more harm in such a hostile and unforgiving world. The contradiction in his character being that not taking a life might ultimately cost others (and potentially more 'innocent') their lives.


I would agree with the inclusion of Skylar from Breaking Bad. She obviously cared deeply for her son, but she also did some pretty terrible things.


- Walter.
 

Josh Dial

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Walter Kittel said:
Cersei from Game of Thrones is polarizing? I would have suggested that she is universally reviled. As Tyrion observed (to Cersei) "You love your children. That is your one redeeming quality. That and your cheekbones." Honestly I could not muster up one iota of sympathy for the character during any of her travails.

I think the television series' Cersei would have been slightly more sympathetic if the showrunnners hadn't completely ruined the prophecy scene (much like they ruined most of the major scenes in the books). While her shift is not as dramatic as Jaime's, in the books, once you understand her motivations (coincident with her becoming a POV character), a lot of her actions have understandable context.
 

John Lee_275604

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I can see how Louis on Suits could be polarizing, but like Tandy on tLMoE, he's the epitome of the draw and the drawbacks of the show he's in.


The show is largely ridiculous, and mostly gets by on setting and actors who are pleasant to look at. But if Rick Hofman wasn't selling the shit out of the ridiculous plotlines written for him, there wouldn't be much reason to watch the show at all.
 

Walter Kittel

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I think the television series' Cersei would have been slightly more sympathetic if the showrunnners hadn't completely ruined the prophecy scene (much like they ruined most of the major scenes in the books). While her shift is not as dramatic as Jaime's, in the books, once you understand her motivations (coincident with her becoming a POV character), a lot of her actions have understandable context.

You know, I've read similar observations elsewhere on the web regarding the prophecy sequence. Guess I should get back into the print version of the series (I've only read the first three books.)


- Walter.
 

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