10 Totally Irredeemable TV Characters

Not all TV characters are likable, nor do they deserve to be forgiven for their actions, making them completely irredeemable. The main character/characters in TV shows are usually likable, regardless of the series’ genre, as they are meant to attract the audience’s attention and, hopefully, get them to relate to them. That doesn’t mean that these characters are perfect and never make mistakes, but they go through personal journeys that make them realize what they did wrong, leading to their redemption.

However, there have also been various TV characters who weren’t made to be likable, and their continuous crimes, erratic behaviors, and more made them incapable of redemption. These characters weren’t always the main ones of the show, and many of them were secondary characters and full-on villains, and while they seemed to have regretted some of their actions and decisions at some point, at the end of the day there’s no way they could have ever been redeemed.

10 Eric Cartman – South Park

Cartman is the worst friend you could have.

South Park is one of the most popular yet controversial animated TV shows ever, and while a lot of characters are unlikable and it would be hard to forget some of their actions, the one who takes the prize is Eric Cartman (voiced by South Park co-creator Trey Parker). Cartman never hesitates to share offensive and rude comments on anything, mostly those coming from his antisemitic disposition, but as South Park went on, Cartman became a full-on psychopath.

One of Cartman’s most infamous and disturbing actions was when he turned the parents of bully Scott Tenorman into chili and fed them to Scott, and that’s just one in a long list of horrible things he has done and said.

9 Roman Godfrey – Hemlock Grove

Roman got the ending he deserved.

The horror TV series Hemlock Grove introduced the audience to Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgård), an “upir” (a.k.a. vampire) coming from the town’s wealthiest and most powerful family. Throughout Hemlock Grove season 1, Roman was in a constant struggle between his humanity and a dark force inside of him that was then unknown to him, but once he embraced his upir nature, there was no way back.

Roman committed various horrible crimes for the rest of the series and was unable to control his thirst for blood and murder, and the last straw was when he killed Destiny, his best friend’s cousin. Although he repented in his final moments, that didn’t earn him his redemption.

8 Black Jack Randall – Outlander

Randall did truly unforgivable things.

The first villain Outlander introduced was Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall (Tobias Menzies), a minor knight in England during the time of the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Randall targeted the Clan MacKenzie, mostly Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), and he enjoyed killing and torturing his enemies. Not only did Randall assault Claire, but at the end of Outlander season 1, he captured Jamie, tortured and sexually assaulted him, and in season 2, he repeatedly punched his brother’s corpse. Randall’s despicable actions continued until season 3 when he was killed by Jamie.

7 Dr. Martin Brenner – Stranger Things

Hawkins Lab hides lots of horrible secrets.

Stranger Things has seen different villains and antagonists, but one whose actions continue to be felt is Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine). Brenner was the Director of Operations at Hawkins National Lab, where he oversaw Project MKUltra. Brenner heavily experimented on pregnant women, their kids, and other children, beginning with Henry Creel, resulting in children with different and powerful abilities, among them Eleven.

Brenner posed as a father figure to the children, with Eleven even calling him “papa”, and he used this to trick and manipulate the children. Brenner never showed remorse for everything he did and continued to try to exploit Eleven, who didn’t believe his final words about only wanting to help her.

6 Frank Gallagher – Shameless

Frank earned the hate of his children.

Most of the problems of the Gallagher kids in Shameless were thanks to their father, Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy). Frank dealt with alcohol and substance abuse disorder throughout most of his life, which led him to neglect his family. Frank was also a liar and always came up with shady plans to scam others and avoid working, with one of his most notable targets being Sheila Jackson.

Despite having moments of weakness and enlightenment where he seemed to be about to go on a much better path, he always fell back into his old, destructive habits, and Frank died alone in the series finale of Shameless.

5 Tony Soprano – The Sopranos

Tony was meant to be an unlikable main character.

The Sopranos is one of the best TV shows of all time, but that doesn’t mean that its main character, Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), was the most likable one (though he ended up becoming what many call the “first likable antihero”). Tony Soprano was meant to be a character that the audience wouldn’t root for, but would be interested in seeing what he would do next.

As a mob boss, Tony committed various crimes, and as a boss, he was responsible for the deaths of many killed by his henchmen, and one of the most infamous kills committed by Tony was that of Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), his cousin and protégé.

4 Walter White – Breaking Bad

Walter White was meant to be an irredeemable main character.

Breaking Bad’s Walter White (Bryan Cranston) went from a skilled chemist and teacher to a ruthless kingpin. Walter was egotistic, often victimized himself, and put his family in danger, among many other things, and he became a darker character the more the series progressed. Walter White did many unforgivable things, but the one that turned him into a truly irredeemable man was when he poisoned Brock in Breaking Bad season 4, marking his official turn into a villain.

3 Joe Goldberg – You

Joe keeps getting worse and worse.

You’s Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) has become one of the most controversial TV characters in recent years and with good reason. Joe is a former bookstore manager who, after meeting MFA student Guinevere Beck, begins to manipulate everything and everyone around her to win her over. Joe develops an extreme, toxic, dangerous, and delusional obsession with her, stalking her and, eventually, killing her. Joe’s disturbing behavior and crimes have continued throughout the rest of You, and he shows no signs of ever being able to redeem himself.

2 Joffrey – Game of Thrones

Joffrey became one of the most hated TV characters.

Game of Thrones saw a variety of horrible characters whose actions will never be forgiven by viewers, but one that earned the hate of fans of the series and casual viewers was Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson). Joffrey was extremely spoiled and sadistic, which got worse when he inherited the throne after the death of his supposed father, Robert Baratheon.

Joffrey ordered the execution of Ned Stark, triggering the War of Five Kings, and constantly tormented his family – and at one point, he planned on serving Sansa the head of her deceased brother, Robb Stark. Joffrey was killed by poisoning during his wedding celebration in Game of Thrones season 4, in what has been deemed one of the most satisfying TV character deaths in recent years.

1 Everyone – Seinfeld

Neither Jerry nor his friends were good people.

Seinfeld is still regarded as one of the greatest sitcoms in TV history, but its main characters aren’t exactly the most likable ones. Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer were all flawed characters, which is fine as it helped the audience connect with them, but throughout the series, they did some truly questionable things that turned them into irredeemable characters.

Jerry acted as the “voice of reason” of the group, but he definitely wasn’t perfect; George was pedantic, conniving, and a liar, and he infamously drugged his boss and was pleased to learn his fiancée died; Kramer was a slacker and had no respect for anyone; and Elaine was elitist, manipulative, selfish, and cruel. Surely, all this got them into funny situations that have entertained generations of viewers, but that doesn’t make them good people.