TV Characters Who Overstayed Their Welcome

There is nothing more frustrating than a TV character who has overstayed their welcome.

Essentially, those characters go from adding value to the series to severely impacting the quality of a show that we otherwise know and love.

We compiled a list of television characters whose shows didn’t have the good sense to get rid of soon enough. Check it out!

The Faks – The Bear

Seriously, what the fak is up with the Fak obsession on The Bear?

They add some levity to situations when you have a bunch of high-strung and emotional chefs and characters with a wide array of mental health issues or trauma trying to navigate the same space.

A little of the Faks could go a long way toward lightening the series’ tone and sometimes breaking up tension.

But it was painfully evident during the polarizing third season of The Bear that the series dished up a heaping dose of the Faks, and it was too much for many of us to bear.

When the palate cleanser requires its own palate cleanser, it’s no longer effective, right?

Kim Bauer – 24

Good grief, Kim Bauer was such a nuisance on 24.

No one managed to detract from Jack Bauer and whatever more compelling storylines he had going on than his trouble-magnet daughter.

Her side plots were like side quests that ultimately derailed the series, often throughout her reign.

Her presence often felt forced, and nothing was more grating than hearing Jack call her name because of yet another predicament she had thrown herself into.

Owen Hunt- Grey’s Anatomy

It’s not exactly an unpopular Grey’s Anatomy opinion that Owen Hunt is either one of the worst, most annoying characters or should’ve been gone long ago.

But some of us don’t have that much of an issue with Owen any more than we do with other characters in the series.

However, while Grey’s Anatomy excels with Kevin McKidd behind-the-camera directing, as he’s often responsible for directing some of the later seasons’ best episodes, there’s not much going for Owen Hunt on camera.

It feels like they don’t know what to do with the guy and have long since run out of storylines for him.

Noreen Fitzgibbons – Sweet Magnolias

It’s quite apparent that the Magnolia triad is the heart of the series, and others must operate as supporting characters to them.

Frankly, anyone remotely close to an adversary of these ladies often posed a problem amongst fans. But if we’re being honest, Noreen overstayed her welcome after the initial drama of the first season.

Sure, she returned to the series during Sweet Magnolias Season 2 because Maddie felt Kyle needed some help.

However, the storyline felt forced, as did Noreen’s general presence overall.

The series already had a bloated cast, and there’s very little they can do with Noreen anymore, so there’s no real reason for her to be around.

It’s not even that she’s dislikable anymore, as opposed to how she may have come across in the first season, but it’s more so that the series could use any of the screentime they devote to her to focus on so many other characters who deserve it.

Stingray – Cobra Kai

It’s all fun and games until it stops being fun.

Stingray was already an acquired taste and was a character who catered more towards those who appreciated the “cringe dude humor” that Cobra Kai can do so well.

He’s an overgrown man obsessed with all things Cobra Kai and essentially made the dojo his entire personality instead of getting anything that resembles an actual life.

But then the series quickly elevated his shtick to another level, and the frequency with which he appeared throughout the seasons became overkill.

They treated him like a fan favorite that the audience couldn’t wait to see again, shoehorning him into scenes like the bad habit he is and incorporating him in some of the most absurdly ridiculous ways that made you roll your eyes.

Seriously, why is a grown-ass man at a high school fighting teenagers? Enough!

Ani – 13 Reasons Why

Given the 13 Reason Why‘s nature, Ani’s serving as a narrator for the fourth season made little sense.

Ani was a confounding character who didn’t feel adequately written out from the beginning and had shoddy motivations for most of the season when not totally nonexistent.

She dominated a lot of the third season for a character who lacked depth and wasn’t sympathetic in the least.

And she was meddlesome and messy but not in a way that enhanced the plot.

Topper – Outer Banks

Sure, he may or may not be nice to look at for some people, but does Topper add any real value to Outer Banks outside of that?

Nope!

Drew already serves as an antagonist, and Kook will wreak havoc on the Pogues, so they stopped needing Topper to contribute that aspect to the series.

But then they attempted to do this redemption for the character, and he became a begrudging ally for the Pogues sometimes, while also coming across as pathetic for consistently allowing Sara to manipulate and use him or take advantage of his feelings for her.

At this point, there’s no real reason for Topper to be around anymore, and it’s doubtful they’ll find anything worthwhile to do with his character.

Paige Lassiter- Virgin River

It’s not so much that Paige herself has stuck around on Virgin River longer than necessary.

It’s the impact of his presence on the series, specifically Preacher’s story arc.

She was such a non-starter and a love interest for Preacher that it was frustrating to see the tease of something more for him not come to fruition.

But then Preacher had to take care of the child while she was on the run, and he covered for her when she killed her abusive ex. Now, Paige is long gone, and Preacher is facing the possibility of this murder investigation leading back to him and all types of consequences.

Paige’s presence has severely impacted Preacher’s love life, whether it was with Julia or now with Kaia.

We still know very little about Preacher as a character because his entire storyline during the series revolved around Paige.

Elias Voit – Criminal Minds: Evolution

We can’t help but reiterate that Voit’s presence on Criminal Minds: Evolution has become overkill.

Voit is not a bad villain or anything; he’s certainly interesting in his own right, and he’s provided a lot of content and tension.

Of course, Zach Gilford is great in the role.

However, the series stalls a great deal because this single character monopolizes so much time and space in the narrative at the expense of other great characters.

Maggie MacPherson – The Lincoln Lawyer

Of all Mickey’s ex-wives with whom he has to cross paths, Maggie continues to be the most frustrating.

Outside of serving as their daughter’s mother, Maggie didn’t offer anything of interest to the series, and it was difficult to connect with or care about her when she felt more adversarial to Mickey than an actual antagonist.

Maggie just doesn’t standout on a series full of interesting and charismatic characters. The love story between Mickey and Maggie is stale, and the show has struggled to incorporate her character in a way that makes her feel overly important.

Even when she was involved more in the first season of The Lincoln Lawyer, she still felt disconnected from everything. And it only got worse in season 2. 

It doesn’t help that her character is kind of snooze in general. If the series decided to write her out completely, nothing would really change. 

Maggie never should’ve had a significant role in the series in the first place.

Rumplestiltskin – Once Upon a Time

Throughout the Once Upon a Time, Rumplestiltskin evolved from a multidimensional villain to a one-dimensional hero and steadily switched between those roles and everything in between until the end.

While Robert Carlyle was absolutely fantastic in the role, it became evident over time that the desire to keep such a talent on the series surpassed the plot and the necessity of his presence.

After an incredibly long and complicated journey, there was little for the series to do for Rumplestiltskin after he found his son.

Sylar – Heroes

Sylar was one of the most fascinating and entertaining villains during the first season of Heroes.

Frankly, Zachary Quinto could do no wrong in the role, and in many ways, the series thrived because of his portrayal of this character.

But it still doesn’t change the fact that Sylar stuck around much longer than necessary.

The mark of a great villain is knowing when to call it quits and maybe even sticking to that original premise in the first place.

Trying to add too much depth to Sylar and having him flip-flop between villain and hero didn’t serve the character or the series well, and it was clear the writers lost sight of what to do with him.

Felicity Smoak – Arrow

Once upon a time, Felicity was a decent character who added value to the Arrow and the Arrowverse and the plot.

But then she became a perfect example of what happens when the fans have too much say in a “favorite” character and when a relationship starts to overshadow the rest of the series.

Felicity was shoehorned into way too many plots beyond reason, which began to sour viewers’ experience of the series, even for those who may have once enjoyed the character.

And if it wasn’t enough that she had that effect on Arrow, the issue with her spilled into other series, like The Flash, as well.

Over to you, TV Fanatics! Do you agree with our list? Who do you feel is missing? Hit the comments.