Some television characters cannot catch a break. Just like in real life, there are those characters that, no matter what they do, are always getting kicked around by others. They are ridiculed, dismissed and treated like a human punching bag. When it happens in dramas, it can be very upsetting. But when it happens in comedies, it can be hilarious — in the darkest way possible.
These poor characters are mistreated all for our amusement. While some of them might deserve some of the criticism they get, others are perfectly nice people who are unnecessarily punished by their friends, family, and coworkers. Here are the most put-upon television characters who are mistreated by everyone else.
Jared (Silicon Valley)
Jared started the series working for the giant tech company Hooli, but soon found himself drawn to the ambitious journey of the small start-up company, Pied Piper. Since then, he has been an integral and passionate member of the team, often being the only one of them that uses rational thinking.
Despite his clear head and willingness to do anything for the company, Jared is often dismissed as a weird and awkward guy. He is constantly mocked by his subordinates and even the anxiety-riddled Richard feels comfortable enough in being mean to Jared. And yet, Jared never wavers in his support of the team.
Cliff (Cheers)
Cliff Clavin might be one of the regulars at the Cheers bar, but his loyalty did nothing to grant him any respect from the people who work and drink there. To be fair, Cliff is not exactly the most fun person to be around. He takes annoying pride in his work as a mailman and he is constantly spouting dubious factoids.
However, most of the patrons of Cheers are far from perfect, yet Cliff is always the target for insults and abuse. When he is in the hospital, all of his so-called friends come up with endless excuses not to visit him. His best friend Norm is always belittling him. The bar even dubbed anyone they perceive to be a loser “a Clavin” after Cliff.
Gunther (Friends)
The six main characters in the classic sitcom Friends are what many people aspire to with their friendship goals. They spend all their time together, support each other and occasionally date each other. And yet they seem totally unwilling to share any of that friendship with poor Gunther.
Gunther is the oddball manager of the gang’s favorite café, Central Perk. Despite spending most of their lives in that café, the gang barely acknowledges him, treating him as a total nobody. It seems these “friends” only want to be served coffee and not be bothered by the wait staff.
Dee (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia)
None of the characters on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are good people — in fact, they’re quite awful. So it’s hard to feel bad for Dee Reynolds since she’s as bad as the rest. But it is pretty unfair how poorly she is treated, especially since she is the only girl in the group.
Dee already has self-esteem issues but the gang piles on even more, constantly saying she looks like a bird and insulting her lack of a love life. When the gang heads on a road trip, they continuously try to leave her behind, despite the fact that they’re using her car. Also, Frank has a tendency of setting her on fire, which is pretty mean.
Kenneth (30 Rock)
30 Rock is another show filled with people who are not always the nicest people around. But then there is Kenneth the page, who might actually be the nicest person on the planet. Kenneth loves everything about the television industry and he is grateful to be able to work in his dream job, despite the fact that he is basically treated as a servant.
While none of the characters hate Kenneth, they hardly treat him like he’s human. They send him on crazy and often dangerous missions. They poison him just so they can meet cute doctors. And although Kenneth always greets everyone warmly and with a big smile, that kindness is rarely ever returned.
Britta (Community)
Britta’s journey as a character on Community was quite interesting. She started the series as a beautiful and independent young woman, becoming the love interest of Jeff Winger. However, as the series continued, Britta gradually turned from the love interest to the laughingstock of the group.
It’s true that she can be a pretty big buzzkill and her ambitions of being an activist can be misguided, but Britta gets a lot of unnecessary hate from the study group. They see her as the uncool one in the group and always assume she’ll fail at whatever she tries. There is even a catchphrase from the series directed at Britta — “You’re the worst.”
Meg (Family Guy)
The Griffins might be the worst television family of all time. There are often violent, cruel and demeaning to each other. However, no one in the family gets mistreated more than the only daughter, Meg. It’s clear Meg has a pretty tough life at school, always being bullied and never being about to find a date, but things are even worse at home.
With all their wacky adventures, the Griffins are always trying to get rid of Meg or just ignoring her. They’re always telling her to shut up, putting her in incredibly dangerous situations and not caring about her struggles at all.
Anne (Arrested Development)
The Bluth family is another clan that seems to be closer to enemies than relatives. While they can be mean and selfish with each other, it appears to be even worse for those who are outside of the family, like George Michael’s girlfriend, Anne Veal.
Anne is the very religious and very forgettable girl who George Michael falls in love with, but no one can understand the attraction. Michael Bluth is especially mean to his son’s companion, never remembering her name, forgetting that they have met several times and even forgetting her in Mexico during a road trip.
Jerry (Parks And Recreation)
Parks and Recreation has one of the most likable casts of characters on television. They are all such warm and fun characters to spend time with. But if there is one flaw with the people of Pawnee’s Parks Department, it is that they are horrible to their friend and co-worker, Jerry Gergich.
Sure, Jerry is a little accident-prone and he might not be the brightest guy around, but he is always a kind and positive presence in the office. He does his best to help out the team however he can, despite the fact that his hard work is always met with insults and ridicule.
Toby (The Office)
It’s hard to understand exactly what inspires such hatred for Toby Flenderson. The HR representative for Dunder-Mifflin Scranton is a dull man to be sure, but he is also incredibly considerate and seeks to help out the office wherever he can, even though he is mistreated so badly.
The boss, Michael Scott is the principal abuser when it comes to Toby. Michael hates him more than anyone alive for no apparent reason. While the rest of the office sometimes think Michael takes the abuse too far, as the series goes on, pretty much the entire office joins in on hating Toby without reason.
