- 25
- July
- 2025
They irritate, exasperate, and spark endless debates online. These ten TV heroines have a talent for dividing audiences. At times unbearable, at times magnetic, they embody everything we love, or love to hate, in a woman.
In the world of TV series, some female characters inspire admiration. Others trigger relentless annoyance; the kind that makes you roll your eyes every time they appear, sigh with frustration, or wish for a plotline without them. And yet, they linger, impose themselves, leave their mark. Because hating a character also means acknowledging their power to provoke. It is not a failure of writing but often its greatest success: bringing to life an imperfect, ambivalent, sometimes toxic, yet always unforgettable woman.
Whether suffocating mothers, disastrous friends, or icy lovers, here are ten fictional women we love to hate… or hate to love.
1. Livia Soprano: The Sopranos
A manipulative, controlling, and profoundly toxic mother. She pulls the strings from the shadows and is the pathological definition of a suffocating maternal figure. Even through a screen, it feels impossible to breathe in the same room as her.
2. Nellie Bertram: The Office (US)
She arrived as an arrogant, incompetent boss and was instantly disliked. Even though her character softens later on, many fans never warmed to her. A jarring note in an otherwise beloved series.
3. Marnie Michaels: Girls
Self-centered, preachy, and passive-aggressive, Marnie is the ultimate toxic friend. Even her vulnerable moments do little to redeem her. She wants to shine but only manages to irritate.
4. Skyler White: Breaking Bad
She is the voice of reason, which made her unbearable to many. Seen as hypocritical, cold, and eventually complicit, she became the target of intense online hostility — revealing the sexism of some fans. A disturbing character because she is lucid.
5. Serena Joy Waterford: The Handmaid’s Tale
Cold, ruthless, and chilling. She longs for motherhood in a system she helped build. Even her tears barely spark empathy. She embodies cynicism disguised as virtue and cruelty wrapped in tradition.
6. Susan Mayer: Desperate Housewives
Supposedly the “sweet one,” yet clumsy, selfish, and her own worst enemy. Susan is the girl-next-door you end up wanting to shake or avoid. She turns every minor mishap into emotional chaos.
7. Jenny Humphrey: Gossip Girl
She went from innocent to insufferable, ultimately embodying everything the show criticized: opportunism, betrayal, and deceit. Even her early fans eventually gave up on her. The dyed-black streak in her hair said it all.
8. Shiv Roy: Succession
Brilliant, sarcastic, manipulative and yet untouchable. Shiv is an heiress who fancies herself more ethical than the rest but never hesitates to betray. A cold, calculating kind of femininity, both fascinating and feared. We admire her nerve as much as we dread her scheming.
9. Emily Waltham: Friends
Her only “crime” was asking Ross to cut ties with Rachel. But that was more than enough. Fans hated her, and she quickly disappeared from the show. She didn’t really do anything wrong; which may be the worst part.
10. April Kepner: Grey’s Anatomy
Shrill, moralizing, and constantly in crisis, April grated on many viewers. Every time she returned, it felt like she reignited tension, not just on screen, but among fans themselves.
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