Top 10 Exact Moments We Fell Out of Love with a TV Character
#10: Andy Sets Sail
“The Office” (2005-13)
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After entering the picture in season 3, Ed Helms’ buffoonish director of sales was polarizing for many viewers. His immaturity was pretty evident, even for a Dunder Mifflin employee. Over the course of the next few seasons, however, he underwent significant character growth and became a valued ensemble member. Yet, in the final season, Andy alienated fans and his coworkers when he abandoned his girlfriend, Erin, who already had abandonment issues, to sail the Caribbean with his brother. This reminded viewers of the callous and selfish guy he was when he was first introduced. Even a hasty attempt to win back some of his goodwill in the latter half of the season failed to rectify the damage.
#9: Deb’s Feelings for Dexter
“Dexter” (2006-13)
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He may be a serial killer, but Dexter Morgan has a soft spot for his adopted sister. And after six seasons, we learned just how much of a soft spot she had for him. Debra Morgan was a character who brought out the human side of Dexter. But in the sixth season, she realized she was in love with him, kicking off a bizarre turn of events in a show that was no stranger to bizarre turns of events. Murder was one thing, but this was a bridge too far for many viewers. Debra’s devotion to Dexter before was adorable, if sad. Adding this unnecessary layer only made it incredibly disturbing. Thankfully, it didn’t last too long.
#8: Nate Betrays Ted
“Ted Lasso” (2020-23)
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Head coach Ted Lasso treated his coaching staff like family. Among them was Nate Shelley, his protégé and assistant coach. However, Nate quickly grew jealous of Ted, and it all boiled over in this penultimate season 2 episode. In a shocking and heartbreaking turn, Nate betrayed Ted by leaking news of his anxiety attacks to the press. It was a rare moment of viciousness from a character we’d come to love. Nevertheless, just like all things on “Ted Lasso,” the fallout ultimately concluded on a gentle note. Despite the betrayal and hurt, Ted and Nate eventually reconciled, although the incident made fans completely second guess the show’s central theme of kindness.
#7: Carrie Breaks up With Aidan
“Sex and the City” (1998-2004)
What If Carrie Had Stayed with Aidan?
The columnist at the center of this HBO comedy set in New York City often left us scratching our heads. Carrie’s ongoing will-they-won’t-they relationship with Mr. Big made for some rich drama, but it also hindered our understanding of her character. The most egregious example of her self-serving behavior came when she broke up with Aidan, whom the show made out to be a near-perfect guy. He was sweet, handsome, and attentive, qualities that stood in contrast to Big, who could be cold and infuriating. Aidan even forgave Carrie when she cheated on him with Big. So when she abruptly decided to end their relationship, it didn’t make any sense. Suddenly, Carrie’s hopeless romanticism just seemed ridiculous.
#6: Rory Drops Out of Yale
“Gilmore Girls” (2000-07)
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If Lorelai Gilmore wanted anything, it was to see her daughter attend an Ivy League school and not become the spoiled rich kid her parents envisioned. Well, as it turns out, those two things might go hand in hand. Having grown up believing she was inherently exceptional, Rory’s response to a rotten internship experience was to impulsively steal a yacht and then act indignant when forced to take accountability. Her decision to drop out of Yale was the culmination of a series of bad choices driven by a bruised ego. Now, we can cut her some slack due to her young age, but as any fan would tell you, Rory lost some of her shine after this incident.
#5: Fiona Endangers Liam
“Shameless” (2011-21)
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“Shameless” threw so much at Fiona Gallagher, handing her the unofficial responsibility of sole parent over her multiple siblings. Given her circumstances, we forgave her when she occasionally went off the rails. In a show full of characters constantly going off the rails, Fiona’s missteps kind of felt earned. However, in season 4, her actions took a more troubling turn as she cheated on her boyfriend with his brother and ended up in possession of narcotics. Her youngest brother, Liam, accidentally ingests the drugs she carelessly left out, resulting in his hospitalization and Fiona’s arrest. Watching her grapple with overwhelming guilt was moving, but it was the natural conclusion to a series of really dumb decisions.
#4: “We Were on a Break!”
“Friends” (1994-2004)
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Hindsight is 20/20. Ross Geller was a lovable, if somewhat goofy, paleontologist who spent the whole series pining after Rachel. Even when he was marrying another woman. But when the two were broken up – or on a break, depending on who you ask – and Ross slept with someone else, a lot of people started to see he wasn’t all he was cracked up to be. Then, on top of that, he almost expects her to be grateful for his efforts to keep the affair hidden. Ross continuously digging his heels in over the semantics may have launched a catchphrase, but it also really made him look like a jerk.
#3: Spike Attacks Buffy
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997-2003)
Prior to this season 6 episode, Spike, the vampire was a fan favorite. The forbidden romance between him and his slayer, Buffy, was fraught and teased out for most of the series. However, the dynamic took a darker turn in this particular episode when Spike makes aggressive advances towards Buffy, before pinning her to the floor. If their relationship wasn’t doomed before among the fans, this incident seemed to seal the deal for many. Despite the show’s array of frightening monsters from hell, this was perhaps the most unsettling moment across all seven seasons. Actor James Marsters, who portrayed Spike, found the scene so difficult to shoot that he vowed never to do anything similar again.
#2: Alex Leaves Jo for Izzie
“Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-)
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Dr. Alex Karev arrived at Seattle Grace Hospital as a cocky and generally unlikable intern. Over the next 16 seasons, we witnessed his transformation into a caring and loving partner to Dr. Izzie Stevens. After Katherine Heigl, the actress who portrayed Izzie, exited the show, viewers had to adjust to Karev’s tumultuous romance with Dr. Jo Wilson. However, all of that progress was undone when Karev abruptly left Jo via a letter. Not only did he depart without a proper goodbye, but he also reunited with Izzie, who had left him years before and had been raising his secret children the whole time. Even fans of Karev and Izzie’s relationship thought it was an unfortunate mishandling of a key character’s exit.
#1: Daenerys Destroys King’s Landing
“Game of Thrones” (2011-19)
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Witnessing the conclusion of HBO’s epic fantasy series was bittersweet for us all. Jamie Lannister’s character development was all but undone by his decision to die with his sister, Cersei. Daenerys Targaryen, on the other hand, always bore a bit of her family’s darkness. Instead of taking us on that ride with her and delving into the corrosive nature of hatred, the show chose to fast track her descent into a snarling madwoman. In the penultimate episode, audiences watched in horror as she ordered her army and her dragons to ravage the city of Kings Landing. We were always destined to fall out of love with Daenerys, but the rushed final season made it impossible to really process that loss.
What TV moment completely destroyed a character for you? Tell us in the comments.
