From fun-loving corporate managers to once just fantasy monarchs, here are several beloved TV characters who were egregiously ruined by their series conclusion.
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Updated 5 months ago,November 20, 2024
Change is an important part of any great TV show.
After all, no one wants to tune in week in and week out, from one season to the next, and watch the same episode of television over and over again, do they?
Game of Thrones / HBO
In this sense, its integral that characters and situations in TV shows change organically over time, bringing with it a natural sense of transformation in the characters lives (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse).
Unfortunately, despite how crucial these transformations are to a series success, some TV shows wind up bungling their characters development, ushering in personality changes that are fundamentally at odds with the characters earliest traits.
From fun-loving corporate managers to once just fantasy monarchs, here are several beloved TV characters who were egregiously ruined by their series conclusion.
Andy Bernard (The Office)
More so than of his fellow characters inThe Office, Andy Bernard had a far more progressive journey throughout the entirety of the show.
Initially debuting as a brash, brown-nosing salesman trying to seize Dwights place as Michaels right-hand man, Andy slowly became one of the most enjoyably quirky characters onThe Office.
Once the series entered its ninth season, however, Andy rapidly reverted back to his old egotistical self, demonstrating the same narcissistic tendencies associated with the character way back in Season 3.
NBC
Pierce Hawthorne (Community)
In the first season ofCommunity, Chevy Chases elderly community college student possessed a fair number of idiosyncrasies.
Awkward, naive, and hilariously misguided when it came to interacting with his younger classmates, there was nevertheless an undeniable charm around Pierce Hawthorne, complete with some poignant heart to heart moments that showed off the characters softer side.
Beginning around Season 2, however, Pierce began to display an increasingly dastardly persona, bullying his fellow study group members and lashing out without the slightest provocation.
NBC
Instead of the well-intentioned Pierce we got in Season 1, Pierce became a mean-spirited grouch obsessed with his standing in the group, a characteristic that proved grating to most viewers of the show.
Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)
Its no accident that millions of viewers across the globe named their babies Khaleesi in honor ofGame of ThronesDaenerys Targaryan.
One of the principal lead characters on HBOs flagship fantasy series, Daenerys also served as one of the most engrossing personalities on the show.
HBO
Overcoming adversity and personal hardship and becoming a benevolent ruler across the Narrow Sea, Dany appeared alongside Jon Snow or Tyrion Lannister as the closest thingGoThad to a sympathetic hero.
Unfortunately, all of her character development came rapidly undone by the shows final season, triggering Daenerys unfortunate descent into a paranoid, power-hungry successor to her father, the Mad King.
Malcolm (Malcolm in the Middle)
ThroughoutMalcolm in the Middlesearliest seasons, Malcolm appeared as the relatable albeit mischievous lead character on Foxs 2000s-era sitcom.
Fox
Using his genius-level intellect for all the wrong reasons, viewers couldnt help but smile brightly whenever they saw Malcolm use his vast intelligence to help his brothers prank, sabotage, and haphazardly terrorize their suburban neighborhood.
As Malcolm grew into a teenager, however, this once adorable propensity for hijinks was replaced by a egocentric need to fit in.
Demanding love and attention from all those he deemed his mental inferior, Malcolms prodigious intelligence soon became his greatest flaw.
The WB
Rory Gilmore (Gilmore Girls)
To this day, fans ofGilmore Girlsfuriously debate over Rorys personality changes during her time at Yale.
One avenue of thought has acclaimedGilmore Girlsfor showcasing Rorys growth, citing the fact that she became less of a stereotypical girl-next-door-jot down character and instead became a realistically imperfect heroine.
On the other hand, more critical viewers pointed to her growing entitlement as a major flaw incompatible with Rorys earlier character traits, triggering her descent into a character audiences couldnt fully relate to.
Fox
Regardless of the camp you fall under, its clear that Rory became a shadow of her former self halfway throughGilmore Girlsrun, allowing viewers to form their own individual thoughts on her journey throughout the show.
Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
If were being quite honest, virtually every character onFamily Guyhas seen some degree of character devolvement as the series has gone on.
But theres just something wholly disturbing about Peters transformation from goofy if absent-minded suburban dad into an outright immoral sociopath.
Harboring little of the same love he held for his family inFamily Guysearliest seasons, todays version of Peter is about as likable asGame of ThronesJoffrey and as sympathetic asBreaking BadsTodd, leaving one to wonder if he can even be considered a family guy at all anymore.
