These characters aren't bad, but over time they lost their luster. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the TV characters that lost their appeal over time, or all at once.
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00:00 Hey, you guys, check it out, check it out.
00:02 It's like it's coming right at me.
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:07 for the TV characters that lost their appeal over time or all at once.
00:10 I'm not going to stop the wheel.
00:12 I'm going to break the wheel.
00:16 To be clear, these aren't necessarily bad characters,
00:18 but they eventually became shadows of their former selves.
00:21 Number 20. Morgan Jones, The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead.
00:26 You'd think that over the course of multiple shows,
00:28 each character would have the chance to grow and change for the better.
00:30 You killed a lot of people?
00:32 Yes.
00:34 They were threatening you, attacking you?
00:36 Not all of them.
00:38 You save anyone?
00:40 You saved people.
00:44 Pointless acts.
00:46 But sadly, Morgan doesn't so much change as stagnate in a permanent state of flip-flopping.
00:50 At first a grief-riddled survivor on the verge,
00:52 Morgan eventually develops into an ardent pacifist,
00:55 and then he breaks his non-violent convictions whenever he feels like it.
00:58 I lose people, and then I lose myself.
01:01 Plus, Morgan will often vacillate between a need for solitude and a desire to lead a community.
01:06 It's hard to get behind a character where you don't know where they'll be standing from one week to the next.
01:10 Number 19. Bill Compton, True Blood.
01:13 Although we all so soured on series heroine Sookie Stackhouse over time,
01:17 it's one of her primary romantic interests who makes us want to metaphorically spit up blood.
01:21 Bill Compton proved charming initially,
01:23 but the eventual vampire king proved supreme at sucking not only blood,
01:26 but also plenty of our enjoyment out of the show.
01:29 For all you know, everything I did while with you was an act,
01:32 calculated to elicit a particular response.
01:35 His constant vying for Sookie's affections, along with his headlong descent into villainy,
01:39 made it difficult to have a good time watching him, southern charm or not.
01:42 And when there were so many other better vamps to follow in the show,
01:45 old Bill just lost his appeal.
01:47 It'd be foolish of you to let your anger at me get in the way of protecting the ones that you love.
01:53 You forsake them, and there'll be many more days like this in the not-too-distant future.
01:59 Number 18. Sabrina Spellman, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
02:02 Sabrina burst onto the scene as a breath of fresh air, a determined feminist heroine.
02:07 However, the teenage witch's determination eventually starts to look more like stubbornness.
02:11 Sabrina often believes she's right and refuses to consider other people's perspectives.
02:15 This often leads to her alienating those around her.
02:17 Nick, I am so sorry.
02:19 Sorry?
02:20 Sabrina, you didn't forget my birthday or show up late to the movies.
02:24 You let me sacrifice myself for you!
02:27 Additionally, while we can empathize with her desire to experience immortal life,
02:31 it could be argued that it's not exactly the safest thing for her loved ones.
02:34 Oh, and there's also the whole Queen of Hell thing.
02:36 [Crowd cheering]
02:42 The early cancellation of her show may have been for the best,
02:45 because if she was quickly losing steam,
02:47 as a character worth tuning in to see.
02:50 Number 17. Doug Wilson, Weeds.
02:52 Like a lazy friend sleeping on your couch, Doug Wilson overstays his welcome on Weeds.
02:56 An enjoyer of illicit substances and Nancy's occasional business partner,
03:00 Doug is admittedly one of the funniest characters on the show.
03:02 You gotta help me, man.
03:04 I will. I will.
03:06 I'm gonna put one of those yellow ribbon stickers on my car.
03:10 For you.
03:11 Despite being fodder for some great comedy, though, he's kind of a terrible person.
03:14 He's either stoned or manipulating those around him.
03:17 And the later seasons really go off the rails with this character,
03:20 and him never really getting his act together starts to get old fast.
03:23 Can I get you a drink, Guru Doug?
03:25 Thank you, cinnamon. I would like watermelon juice.
03:29 It's winter. There's no watermelon juice.
03:31 But I want some.
03:32 He goes on quite the long, strange trip,
03:34 and it doesn't take long before it's one we're ready to get off of.
03:37 Number 16. Fish Mooney, Gotham.
03:40 Her name might be Fish, but this character is a really good example of a character
03:43 who serves up a heaping helping of ham.
03:46 Somehow the crime boss manages to seem especially over the top
03:49 in a city that spawns dozens of maniacal supervillains.
03:52 My name is Fish Mooney.
03:55 I'm in charge now.
03:57 Still, she earns herself fans due to her rise in a male-dominated criminal field
04:01 and for her role in elevating Oswald Cobblepot.
04:03 However, Fish's time on the show takes her to increasingly absurd turns,
04:07 from losing her eye to coming back from the dead to gaining mind-control powers.
04:11 It got to the point where many were begging for Fish to go sleep with her namesake permanently.
04:15 They got their wish as she ultimately didn't survive.
04:18 It's okay. It's okay. We can get you some help.
04:21 No, no, no. I've done this enough times to know I'm finished.
04:26 Number 15. Britta Perry, Community.
04:29 Most of the characters in Community find ways to get themselves together
04:32 and improve their lives, even if it's a challenging road at times.
04:35 But that's not the case with Britta.
04:37 Granted, she initially seems relatively put-together,
04:39 especially compared to the rest of the study group.
04:41 You may have noticed this morning, I'm not so good at the small talk.
04:44 Yeah, I like big talk. What's your deal?
04:46 That's not small talk.
04:47 What's your deal in this god-dead?
04:49 All right, you want to know my deal?
04:51 I dropped out of high school because I thought for some reason it would impress Radiohead.
04:56 Yet as the seasons go on, her IQ seems to take a few hits,
04:59 along with her life becoming more and more of a disaster.
05:02 It gets so bad that the other characters use Britta as a synonym for screwing up.
05:06 She Britta'd it.
05:08 Whatever. I'll run them through again.
05:11 And you guys are going to stop using my name to mean making a tiny and understandable mistake.
05:18 Don't get us wrong, though. Actress Gillian Jacobs still kills it.
05:21 Number 14. James Olsen, Supergirl
05:24 The direction James Olsen takes is a bit confusing.
05:27 No longer is this Superman's adoring fan and Clark Kent's colleague at the Daily Planet,
05:31 James is older, compelling, and tragically inconsistent.
05:34 First, it seems like the show will get him and Kara together, but the spark is lacking.
05:37 Kara, what are you trying to say?
05:41 No more saying. I'm so much better at doing.
05:44 And he later goes on to become a superhero in his own right.
05:47 Then the middle seasons see him in a relationship with Lena Luthor,
05:50 despite previously being against the Luthors on principle.
05:53 We're not saying he didn't have his moments, but ultimately the show never seemed to land on just what to do with him,
05:58 especially as time went on.
05:59 This basically left him playing second fiddle to the other characters' storylines.
06:03 For now, I'm going back to Calvintown.
06:08 Going home.
06:10 And I am going to show that town that there is somebody who is willing to fight for them.
06:13 Number 13. Ted Mosby, How I Met Your Mother
06:16 As the show's narrator and its ostensible protagonists, we're initially rooting for Ted.
06:20 It's the story of how he met his children's mother, after all.
06:23 However, as the show continues, the central narrative drifts, and so does Ted.
06:27 You said that you wanted to know.
06:28 I didn't want to know.
06:30 You said you wanted to know.
06:32 Well, I didn't know I didn't want to know.
06:34 You knew, and you know me, and you should have known I didn't want to know.
06:38 His pretentiousness becomes more apparent, as does his hypocrisy.
06:42 For instance, he may deride his friend Barney for pursuing shallow relationships, but then does so himself,
06:47 repeatedly going after women who are wrong for him.
06:49 The show does take some steps toward redeeming Ted near the end,
06:52 after the titular mother is introduced, but then the finale happens.
06:55 And we all remember how controversial that is, right?
06:58 [Music]
07:05 Number 12. Betty Draper, Mad Men
07:07 Initially, we feel for Betty.
07:09 She's the so-called perfect, beautiful housewife who's neglected and cheated on by anti-hero Don Draper.
07:14 What's happening to me?
07:16 Do I need to see someone?
07:21 As she gradually realizes what kind of man he is and leaves him,
07:24 it seems like she might be taking control of her life.
07:26 But this is balanced out by her frankly terrible treatment of her children,
07:29 as well as the fact that unlike the other women, she doesn't change with the times.
07:33 In fact, she seems to get more spiteful and spoiled.
07:35 It's not all her fault, as she's been raised in a largely suppressive environment, but still.
07:39 Plus, once she's divorced from Don, her connection to the main story feels flimsier,
07:43 and we're left with a character who just feels out of place.
07:45 Please don't let this mar your afternoon.
07:48 We'll see you when you get back.
07:50 Slightly too.
07:51 Number 11. Jack Shepard, Lost
07:54 Lost may be an ensemble show, but Jack is still the nominal lead.
07:57 The surgeon and leader of the survivors is always pretty intense and driven.
08:01 But we're all here now, and God knows how long we're going to be here.
08:05 But if we can't live together, we're going to die alone.
08:15 But given his savior complex, Jack is ironically even more lost after some of the group gets rescued.
08:20 He falls into a depression and starts consuming substances.
08:23 Even going back to the island doesn't seem to improve things for him,
08:26 since he hits on a wild plan involving an explosive and time traveling? Don't ask.
08:30 Hurry up, Doc! What are you waiting for? Drop it!
08:33 Plus, it's undeniable that in the last few seasons,
08:40 some of the other survivors take the spotlight and make for better leaders.
08:43 Number 10. Brian Griffin, Family Guy
08:46 The Griffin family's resident talking dog, Brian, starts the show off as the sole voice of reason to the antics around him.
08:51 He's charming, sophisticated, and sarcastic.
08:54 Gosh, I'd like to help you, Peter, but I've got to go out in the hall and chew on the back of my ass for about five minutes.
08:59 However, as Family Guy goes on, Brian becomes more and more flawed.
09:02 He reveals himself to be pretentious, self-obsessed, and far less kind than he used to be.
09:06 Although when his flanderization reaches its peak as debated,
09:09 many point to Brian's return following his death as the beginning of the end for him.
09:13 Quagmire's rant about him honestly fits the once beloved dog to a T.
09:16 God, you're pretentious, and you delude yourself by thinking you're some great writer, even though you're terrible.
09:21 Number 9. Arthur Fonzarelli, Happy Days
09:24 Better known as Fonzie or the Fonz, Arthur Fonzarelli was the breakout character of Happy Days.
09:28 The rebellious, leather jacket-sporting guy quickly became the major focus of the show.
09:33 Now, I would let him go unless you want to make medical history.
09:37 However, that spotlight proved a double-edged sword.
09:39 Fonzie's impossibly cool, to the point where it eventually proved hard to take him seriously.
09:43 This reaches its breaking point with the infamous jumping the shark moment,
09:46 when the Fonz literally leaps over a shark while water skiing.
09:49 And if you think that soured the public on the character, you would be correctamundo.
10:03 Number 8. Andy Bernard, The Office
10:06 For most of his time on The Office, Andy is a fun, supporting player.
10:09 While he has some anger issues, he often feels like an entertaining character, with some musical inclinations.
10:14 However, following his promotion to regional manager, Andy is revamped to become an obnoxious boss.
10:27 His relationship with Aaron also sours, particularly after his unceremonious boat trip.
10:32 We're breaking up.
10:33 And just so you know, I was worried that you were dead.
10:39 You were gone for three months!
10:41 To be honest, while the final few episodes do see Andy end up in a better place,
10:45 the last couple of seasons do make it hard to be a fan of the Nard Dog.
10:49 Number 7. Will Schuster, Glee
10:51 You'd think that as the teacher behind the titular Glee club,
10:54 Will Schuster would be an extremely popular character.
10:56 And he is, within the show.
10:58 But viewers watching at home are far faster to point towards Mr. Schuster's incredibly problematic behavior.
11:03 What I did then was the blackest moment of my life.
11:08 You want to tell me how long you've had a drug problem?
11:13 I don't even know who the chronic lady is.
11:15 From putting his students in uncomfortable or harmful positions to blackmailing them,
11:18 to his profoundly uninteresting personal life,
11:21 Will wore out his welcome with fans at some point during Glee.
11:24 It turns out that Sue Sylvester's many rants about him hit closer to home than many of us thought at first.
11:29 Your charms wore off a long time ago, William.
11:32 Somewhere around Bieber week.
11:35 So why don't you take your washboard abs and your washboard forehead and get the hell out of my office.
11:41 Number 6. Leonard Hofstadter, The Big Bang Theory
11:44 As the nominal protagonist of The Big Bang Theory,
11:46 Dr. Leonard Hofstadter is initially the viewpoint character.
11:49 You're not done with her, are you?
11:52 Our babies will be smart and beautiful.
11:55 While he's every bit as geeky and nerdy as his friends,
11:57 Leonard grounds the rest of his comparatively quirkier buddies,
12:00 while also pursuing his neighbor Penny.
12:02 However, over the course of 12 seasons, Leonard reveals himself to be needy and secure
12:06 and willing to throw his friends under the bus if it benefits him.
12:09 He doesn't treat his love interests any better either,
12:11 cheating on multiple and essentially pressuring Penny into both marriage and having a child.
12:15 I'm sorry, I did, I crossed a line, I didn't mean to.
12:18 Who says something like that?
12:19 Leonard makes the rest of his friends' relationships look almost healthy by comparison.
12:23 Almost.
12:24 Number 5. Joey Tribbiani, Friends
12:27 We all love Joey, don't get us wrong.
12:29 But among his friend group, he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
12:32 He starts the series as more street smart and charming,
12:35 capable of keeping up with Chandler's repartee, or at least delivering his own jibs.
12:39 Oh my God.
12:42 Oh no, no, no, no.
12:45 That's good, just keep rubbing your head.
12:48 That'll turn back time.
12:49 But by the sitcom's end, Joey is essentially a toddler in a man's body.
12:52 While still displaying moments of emotional intelligence,
12:55 it's otherwise a miracle Joey gets through each day without hurting himself.
12:58 Does he like you?
13:00 Because if he doesn't like you, this is all a moo point.
13:05 Huh, a moo point?
13:10 Yeah, it's like a cow's opinion.
13:12 Flanderization strikes again.
13:14 He's still charismatic and lovable, though we can't help but wonder how he can memorize lines to maintain his work as an actor.
13:20 Things don't get much better in his spin-off either.
13:23 Number 4. Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls and Gilmore Girls A Year in the Life
13:27 Rory Gilmore begins the show with such promise.
13:30 She's responsible, smart, and sassy.
13:32 However, as the show goes on, particularly after she begins to attend Yale,
13:36 Rory's character development takes a nosedive.
13:39 Don't really know what you're talking about.
13:40 You don't? Huh, I thought you would.
13:43 She develops a sense of entitlement, taking her education, mother, and friends for granted.
13:47 Her multiple affairs and the fact that she drops out of Yale despite all the work she and her mother put in to get her there
13:52 really sour many viewers on her character.
13:55 It's complicated.
13:56 It's not! It's not complicated!
13:58 You don't know?
13:59 This isn't you!
14:00 A lot of us feel like we peaked in high school, but with Rory, we have demonstrable proof that she did.
14:05 Number 3. Piper Chapman, Orange is the New Black
14:08 Piper winds up being kind of the worst.
14:10 The privileged white woman whose imprisonment kicks off the show soon proves to be the least interesting part of Orange is the New Black.
14:16 And frankly, she's less sympathetic than many of the inmates around her.
14:19 She repeatedly frames or rats out her fellow convicts, including her own girlfriend.
14:23 You called my probation officer.
14:30 You were saying that you were in danger.
14:32 Bullshit.
14:33 So, just trying to protect you.
14:34 That is bullshit, and you know it.
14:35 She takes advantage of her staff and her illegal underwear business.
14:38 Piper even ends up founding a white supremacist group.
14:40 Yes, it's unintentional, but she partakes for far too long.
14:43 Will you join me on a quest to keep our hallways clean and our hearts pure of purpose?
14:50 Piper's right, you guys.
14:52 She may be locked away for most of the series, but by the end, fans are hoping that they'll throw away the key on Piper.
14:58 Number 2. Dexter Morgan, Dexter and Dexter New Blood
15:01 The serial killer who kills, well, killers, Dexter Morgan makes for a compelling anti-hero
15:06 whose struggles with his inner demons are initially offset by his burgeoning relationship with his family.
15:11 However, after losing wife Rita, Dexter, both the show and the character start to lose their grip.
15:16 I've had a bad week.
15:18 My wife died, and it was my fault.
15:20 He no longer adheres as closely to his strict code, and his later attempts at becoming more human fall flat.
15:26 The revival doubling down on taking Dexter out of his longtime home and reconnecting with his son definitely didn't help matters in the slightest.
15:33 What's going on?
15:36 There's so much I need to tell you I should've way before it got to this.
15:41 You need to know.
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15:58 Number 1. Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones
16:02 There are so many people whose characterizations suffer during the latter seasons of Game of Thrones.
16:06 However, one of the sharpest declines belongs to Daenerys Targaryen.
16:10 I was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms, and I will.
16:18 You'll be ruling over a graveyard.
16:20 Within the span of a few episodes, our queen goes from championing the marginalized and ordinary people to violently ending their lives en masse.
16:28 While vicious punishments and tactics aren't outside her wheelhouse, Daenerys' rapid descent from queen retaking what's hers to uncaring tyrant feels a tad too steep to many viewers.
16:37 How'd you know?
16:41 How'd you know it'll be good?
16:43 Because I know what is good.
16:45 With the right buildup, it might have been an effective move, but sadly the foundation just wasn't there.
16:49 Is there a character who's lost mojo watch Mojo Lost? Help us find it again in the comments.
16:54 We have to go back!
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17:04 [outro music]