TV Characters Who Overstayed Their Welcome

During its four seasons, the Netflix teen drama 13 Reasons Why was a polarizing show because it covers so many controversial topics in intense ways. And especially after the first season, many criticized the show for its plot holes, bad writing, and unlikable new characters.

One of those annoying newbies is Ani, the seemingly out-of-place narrator introduced in Season 3. Her posh British accent, know-it-all air, and attempts to meddle when she's new to the school all rubbed fans the wrong way. Unlike previous narrators, she's not telling her story, just being a busy-body, airing everyone's dirty laundry. The Season 3 ending reveals that she's making her long-winded confession to the sheriff, framing a deceased man, so that her friend can get off scot-free.

Kevin O'Keefe wrote for Primetimer, "Her story importance is massive, when any number of the original ensemble’s members could have taken at least part of her role. Ani’s inclusion smacks of deus ex machina, and an irritating one at that."

Sales rep Andy Bernard, introduced in Season 3, is insecure, has anger issues, brags a lot, and generally annoys and antagonizes the other characters. So when he punches a hole in the wall, it would have been the perfect way to permanently say goodbye to an unlikable character. The writers, however, wanted to keep Andy on because they liked actor Ed Helms. To bring him back without everyone hating him again, they needed to reinvent his character, but that just makes him appear to go through bizarre personality changes.

After anger management training, Andy is less volatile and more human, and even gets involved in several romantic relationships. But then Andy goes bad again when he becomes the new manager after Michael Scott leaves and the writers needed a new obnoxious boss. Plus, Helms was becoming more famous elsewhere and needed time off for other career obligations, so the writers had to find a way to get rid of him again.

Although Andy's personality initially changes for the better, he relapses, which just makes him seem annoyingly weird. 

Many of the minor roles on Game of Thrones had to be recast for various reasons, and although sometimes the new actors looked similar to the original ones, that wasn't always the case.  

Nowhere was this more obvious than with Daario Naharis, the sellsword who eventually sweeps Daenerys off her feet. He goes from a smooth-faced blond with long hair, played by Ed Skrein, to a short-haired, bearded brunette, played by Michiel Huisman. That's already confusing, but after the actor swap, he doesn't have much to do even though his fighting skills could be put to good use.

According to Digital Spy, "basically, Daario [is] just keeping Dany’s sheets warm until Jon Snow [comes] along."

At first, the chemistry between Carrie and Brody on Homeland is intense and electric. The two lead characters, both damaged in different ways, find solace in each other's arms, and viewers are here for them. But by the second season, the writers seemed to have lost their way. Brooding Brody is pouting in a corner while Carrie obsesses over him and throws temper tantrums, and both characters suffer for it. 

Brody has long overstayed his welcome by the time he is terminated at the end of Season 3. Though showrunner Alex Gansa said Brody's "shelf life had expired," he added that he thought the character needed to stick around. Otherwise, he said, some brilliant episodes from the previous two seasons might not have happened.

Madeline "Mandy" Hampton joins President Jed Bartlet's team as a media consultant for the first season of The West Wing. She's Josh Lyman's ex and seems like a welcome addition to the team, but doesn't really connect with the rest of the characters. Eventually, she just disappears. Season 2 starts with no trace of her and no explanation as to what happened. Even though she was only on for one season, she was still a primary cast member for 22 straight episodes before even the creators admitted they truly were not sure why the character was there.

Series creator Aaron Sorkin later told The Hollywood Reporter that actress Moira Kelly, who didn't have to audition for the part, "was a joy to work with, a total pro who understood as time went on that for whatever reasons - and those reasons had nothing to do with her considerable talent - it just wasn't working." 

On Boardwalk Empire, a show chock-full of interesting and quirky characters, Nelson Van Alden carves a niche for himself. The repressed, ultra-religious Prohibition agent makes it his life's mission to bring down Nucky, the kingpin dealer in booze and narcotics. Van Alden's pursuit leads him down a dark and destructive path. In a fit of rage, he finishes off his deceitful partner and ends up on the lam. Every season sees him further embroiled with the mob, ultimately becoming the muscle.   

Even actor Michael Shannon thought his character's descent into evil got old. He told Variety:

I wasn’t always happy with what was happening with Van Alden. I honestly thought it could have been a lot more interesting. I thought it fell into a very repetitive thing, particularly toward the end where he’s just being constantly humiliated and he tries to take it, then he loses his sh*t and does something bad and then he does it again.