The 20 most controversial TV characters of all time

All South Park viewers can agree that Eric Cartman is politically incorrect. But what they can’t agree on is whether it’s warranted or not. Fans of the show don’t seem to mind, but critics don’t find his comments funny. 

Just about everything Stewie Griffin has done on Family Guy has been questioned. He’s always getting into trouble, and many people find the character to be discriminatory and unhumorously irreverent. 

Dexter gave viewers a major perspective crisis by making its protagonist someone they’d normally root against. Is Dexter a good person because he eliminates objectively bad people, or is he just as bad as the people he kills?

Sure, she’s a style icon, but many viewers over the years have questioned whether Carrie Bradshaw deserves all the love. A bad friend, self-centeredness, and an inability to let go of toxic men have been just some of the chief complaints fans of Sex and the City have had about the show’s main character. 

A lot of viewers love Barnie Stinson and find him hilarious. However, his character has been challenged as sexist and arrogant. It begs a larger question: Is there still room for character types like Barnie in the sitcom space?

Beavis & Butt-Head has made many headlines for controversy, but a notable instance was when a two-year-old child died after her five-year-old brother lit the house on fire with a cigarette lighter. The mother blamed the characters for calling fire fun.

The Ren & Stimpy Show started receiving flack the minute it aired. Parents did not like that an animated show geared toward children included content they found to be highly inappropriate, like sexual innuendos and violence. Some of its episodes have even been banned from airing. 

All the main characters from Girls are insufferable, but Marnie Michaels might be the worst — or so fans have debated. While the rest of the characters know they’re not great people and are constantly messing up, Marnie seems to think she’s above it all, and fans don’t like it. 

Viewers loved Archie Bunker when All In the Family was on air, and he became a legendary sitcom figure. However, upon rewatching, lots of old viewers have reversed their opinions, and new viewers have questioned why he was so beloved in the first place, calling him a bigot. 

The Simpsons is full of controversial characters. It’s sort of part of its charm. But that hasn’t stopped viewers from calling out its main character, Homer, for particular behavior, like him strangling Bart. 

Is there a character on Game of Thrones that viewers don’t find controversial? Considering the taboo subject matter, it should come as a surprise to no one that one of its main characters, Jaime Lannister, doesn’t have the best reputation. 

For some, Todd Packer is comic relief (though that’s not exactly necessary on The Office), but for others, he’s just an amalgamation of the most bigoted people they’ve ever met. Crass, rude, and often obnoxious, even Michael Scott grew tired of Packer’s antics by the end of his time on the series. 

13 Reasons Why was a controversial show, so of course, its main character, Hannah Baker, was, too. Online discourse has revolved around whether Hannah deserves sympathy or if her issues were largely of her own making. 

Rich and handsome, Chuck Bass has garnered affection from many a viewer since Gossip Girl debuted in 2007. But his reputation has been called into question by others who point out that in the first season, much of his behavior was highly problematic. Several of the show’s stans have called on others to stop glorifying him.

Pierce Hawthorn was a controversial character, but the man who played him, Chevy Chase, is perhaps even more controversial. He didn’t even last the entirety of the series, allegedly due to racist comments he made toward Donald Glover. 

Fez had plenty of fans, but many, especially in retrospect, have called out That ‘70s Show, claiming that the character was a poor representation of an immigrant. The show was allegedly rife with other hidden controversies, too, like Topher Grace hating the rest of the cast and Lindsay Lohan being tough to work with. 

Most viewers can agree that Nate Parker is one of the most attractive people on Euphoria, but his behavior toward others, particularly Maddie, Cassie, and Jules, is quite troubling to many people. 

Almost every icon comes with a little controversy, and Tony Soprano is proof. The legendary HBO character was found to be stereotypical by some. The show’s finale and Tony’s fate brought on further controversy for years after the series ended. 

It’s hard to root against Jon Hamm, but it’s easy to root against Don Draper. Those poles fight against each other when watching Mad Men. He treats people terribly, notably the women with whom he has relationships, but there’s still something appealing about him while he’s being so awful.

When shows run for so long, they have no choice but to challenge viewers’ perspectives of the main characters, no matter how beloved. To some, that’s exactly what happened with Jack Bauer. Many of the show’s stans became critical of Jack’s treatment of others, particularly his brother.