An inordinate number of amazing female TV characters were mistreated either by the narrative or the audienceand didn’t get the legacy they deserved. SeveralTV characters who completely divided their audiencefall into this category, being women who tell empowering or nuanced stories but were received poorly because of double standards or one bad storyline. Audiences tend to be less accepting of flawed female characters, who are often expected to be better, while a male counterpart gets to be the anti-hero.
Female characters are also the victims of"fridging"more often than male characters;this trope refers to when a character is killed off solely to further another character’s storyline, with little attention paid to the tragedy of their death. Some of these fictional women are among thebest TV characters of all timewho inspired or prompted discussion in a spectacular manner. While some of them constituteTV deaths that left fans reeling, they often shouldn’t have been killed in the first place when they held great additional story potential.
10Rita Bennett (Julie Benz)
Dexter (2006-2013)
Rita’s brutal death inDexteris often used as an example of fridging, as she is slaughtered by the Trinity Killer only to send Dexter down an even darker path in future seasons.Rita is one of the most vital characters inDexterbecause of how she represents a sense of normalcy and safety. She has her own storyline separate from Dexter, as a survivor of domestic abuse and a mother of three. However, what happens to her children after her murder is only a minimal storyline.
10 Great TV Characters Who Deserved Much Better Endings Than They Got
Great characters make great TV, and when they eventually reach their ending, whether in the finale or sooner, they deserve an appropriate send-off.
Rita’s death happens off-screen; Dexter infamously discovers her body in one of the most shocking TV moments ever. Even if the writers decided that Rita’s death was absolutely necessary for the show thematically,they could have spent more time on Rita’s death to give her the exit she deserved.Possibly waiting to kill her until later in the series and giving her more screen time leading up to her end would have made her death more of a tragedy rather than the next step in Dexter’s arc.
Dexter
Dexter is a television series following Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police who secretly leads a dual life as a vigilante serial killer. Released in 2006, the show focuses on Dexter’s internal conflict as he hunts down criminals who elude justice within the legal system.
9Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein)
House (2004-2012)
The protagonist ofHouseis an egotistical man who takes up a lot of the audience and supporting characters' attention, making it hard for anyone to get a word in edgewise. On the other hand,Dr. Lisa Cuddy is the picture of professionalism,handling a lot of House’s antics with grace while being a genuinely kind doctor and co-worker. Part of the problem with Cuddy’s sudden departure was that Lisa Edelstein didn’t renew her contract, but they could have given her a better exit.
Cuddy gets a lot of hate for breaking up with House because of his drug addiction,which she knew about going into the relationship (viaReddit). However, realizing that this will always be a problem or that she can’t live in a relationship on these terms is still a valid reason to leave. What’s most unjust is that Cuddy, a talented doctor in her own right, gave up her job and moved to get away from House after he drove a car into her living room. She deserved to at least get an exciting promotion out of her exit.
House
House is a medical mystery drama in which the villain is typically a difficult-to-diagnose medical malady. It follows Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie), a world-renowned disabled diagnostician with a notorious substance abuse issue. With his team of world-class doctors, House has built a reputation as one of the most brilliant doctors in the world - an especially impressive feat when taking into account that he rarely actually sees his patients.
8Betty Draper (January Jones)
Like Walter White, Don Draper is a product of the anti-herogenre blowing up in movies and TV, with a wife who is held to higher standards than he is. While Don is being a rampant womanizer and abusing his employees and family, Betty is attacked more often by the fandom. This is justified when she is horrible to her children. However, audiences seem more likely to view Don as a flawed character and a product of his time who represents good storytelling than Betty.
For instance,Don is notorious for his constant affairs, while Betty has one dalliancebefore trying to leave her clearly failing marriage. If Don’s arc is supposed to be a commentary on the behavior of men in the 1960s, then Betty’s can be interpreted as the dark side of the stay-at-home life expected of women, especially wives. Despite the reasons Betty is a strong addition to the cast ofMad Men, people aren’t inclined to read into her story as much as other (male) characters.
Mad Men
Mad Men is a drama series set in 1960s New York, focusing on the lives of competitive men and women working in Madison Avenue’s advertising industry. The show explores the social mores and cultural dynamics of the era while delving into the personal and professional challenges faced by its characters.
7Mandy McAllister (Emily Osment)
Young Sheldon (2017-2024)
Mandy quickly became a fan-favorite character among theBig Bang Theoryfandom,and it’s easy to see why: She is witty, brave, and finds herself in difficult and real circumstances. She rises to the challenge of becoming a mother and has heartfelt storylines as she bonds with Connie, the grandmother of her father’s baby, and works on her relationship with her own mother. Her popularity is evident when she is now set to carry aYoung Sheldonspinoffalongside Georgie. However,Young Sheldonisn’t as good to Mandy as some people think.
First off, she gets pregnant because Georgie lied to her about his age, something that could prove difficult for her in the future if any employer does the math regarding her child’s age. Georgie realizes his mistake and does everything for Mandy during her pregnancy. However, the rest of her storyline is mostly about slowly falling in love with Georgie for real, when the show implies that their marriage isn’t going to last.Mandy gets one episode about pursuing a career after giving birth, which is never followed up onafter a bad broadcast audition.
Young Sheldon
A spinoff of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon follows the youth and coming-of-age of Sheldon Cooper during his childhood in Texas as he pursues science and academia. The show also follows his parents, siblings, and Mee-Maw, painting a picture of the world where Sheldon grew up.
6Tracy McConnell (Cristin Milioti)
How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)
Tracy’s story is very human, about grief and learning to accept love again. Tracy had the life that Ted wanted, having found the love of her life by the time she is 21 — until he is killed in an unspecified accident.For all the timeHow I Met Your Motherspends building up to Ted meeting Tracy, she had so many surprising depthswhen she did finally arrive as a real character. She is shown to be just as hectic and lost as Ted, making their inevitable meeting and healing each other even more meaningful.
The infamous How I Met Your Mother finale insulted a lot of people but did especially wrong by Tracy.
Of course, this is all competently redundant. Not only doesTracy only get 10 years of her happy ending, dying before her kids are grown up;this was only written as her story to enable Ted to get back together with Robin.The infamousHow I Met Your Motherfinaleinsulted a lot of people but did especially wrong by Tracy. After all that she had been through, she deserved to be the nine-years-in-the-making moment everyone expected her to be — not tossed aside for Robin.
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is a television series that follows a father telling his children about his past. Released in 2005, it explores his experiences and adventures with four close friends, leading up to meeting their mother, as depicted through a series of flashbacks.
5Tara Maclay (Amber Benson)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Tara is a great character and an amazing girlfriend to Willow, with more insight into Willow’s darkest tendencies than anyone else. Tara tries to prevent Dark Willow from happening years before the fact, adding nuance to the relationship. However,Tara and Willow’s romance is mostly beautiful and happy, in addition to being a completely groundbreaking LGBTQ+ representationfor the time. Yet while Tara is one of the biggest milestones in LGBTQ+ TV characters, she is also an archetypical example of the“bury your gays”trope.
Tara is accidentally killed by a bullet intended for Buffy,sending Willow spiraling down a path of villainy and destruction. Tara’s death was hurtful just because she was a meaningful character and one half of an important relationship, butBuffy the Vampire Slayerhad also established at this point that resurrection is possible in its setting. Dark Willow (successfully) resorting to bringing back Tara and exploring the consequences of this would have had the same effect and allowed another change to give Tara her due.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a television series created by Joss Whedon, focusing on Buffy Summers, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar, a young woman chosen to battle against vampires, demons, and other supernatural forces while navigating the complexities of teenage life.
4Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke)
Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)
Daenerys is the poster child of the botchedGame of Thronesfinale, one of the biggest problems of which is how it handles the end of her arc. There is an argument thatDany was always going to become the“Mad Queen,”or that slotting in another unelected monarch or savior-conqueror was not the solution to all of Westeros’ problems. However,Dany as a character deserved a better-developed storyline to bring her to either one of these conclusions,while the show had seemingly set her up for an unconditional victory.
10 Most Tragic TV Show Characters Who Could Not Catch A Break
Some tragic characters from TV shows can never catch a break, dealing with constant misfortunes and only finding peace at the end of the series.
Sadly, theGame of Thronesfinale rushed the conclusion to one of the most iconic TV characters of all time. For years,audiences completely bought into the ideology of Dany returning to Westeros to overthrow the corrupt governmentand create a better life for everyone. If this was a flawed dream all along, the character and the audience deserved the dignity of the show stating this more elegantly.
Game Of Thrones
Based on George R. R. Martin’s ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. It follows noble families like the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryen vying for control of the Iron Throne while a rising threat from the undead looms in the North. The series received significant critical success and amassed a loyal fan base due to its high production values, sprawling sets, iconic characters, and shocking twists.
3Lexi Branson (Arielle Kebbel)
The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)
Lexi is a great character, and everyone forgiving Damon for killing her completely undermines how important she is to Stefan. Lexi is one of the toughest yet kindest characters in the show. She pulled Stefan out of several of the darkest parts of his vampire existence when he was overwhelmed by his thirst for human blood.Lexi is also a romantic with the truest outlook on romance for vampires,offering advice like loving is even better for them and that their lives are so long there can be more than one“the one.”
Lexi’s life is still a mystery, as nothing is known about her past before meeting Stefan. Her unceremonious death is also insulting to her own great love, who turns up for one episode before being talked into also forgiving Damon by Elena.Every time Lexi shows up inThe Vampire Diaries, it is amazing because of how she transforms the episodewith a rare kind of magic. However, she is a victim of an even worse version of fridging: Not only is she less important than a male character’s story, she is less important than her murderer’s story.
The Vampire Diaries
Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another’s affection.
2Maggie Greene Rhee (Lauren Cohan)
The Walking Deadseason 6 finale is already controversial, followed by Abraham and Glenn’s brutal murders at Negan’s hands, while Maggie is pregnant with Glenn’s child. After years of having her family members picked off, this is the biggest tragedy yet for Maggie. However, the show continues to treat her poorly because of her storyline with Negan which has gone on for far too long.Negan is a TV character who doesn’t deserve his redemption,butThe Walking Deadspends a lot of time on him doing heroic things to counteract his past actions.
The franchise then pairs her up with Negan in The Walking Dead: Dead City and emphasizes how well they work together.
However, this doesn’t mean Maggie has to be happy with having him around. She summarizes this well enough in theWalking Deadseries finale. The franchise then pairs her up with Negan inThe Walking Dead: Dead Cityand emphasizes how well they work together.Maggie is one of the strongest characters on the show and has been through so much that the story should now let her have some peace,instead of insulting her by acting like she owes anything to her husband’s killer.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a television series that premiered on August 04, 2025. It follows Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. He embarks on a journey to locate his family, encountering various survivors amidst the chaos.
1Skyler White (Anna Gunn)
Skyler White is undeservedly one of the most controversial characters of all time, criticized for being the nagging wife to the anti-hero protagonist. When Skyler first finds out about Walt’s double life, it is maybe not yet completely clear that he is the story’s definitive villain.Skyler does everything in her power to keep Walt out of her houseand, after this, to get him to stop cooking and selling meth — both completely reasonable actions in this situation.
When Skyler can’t accomplish either of these things, she is pulled into Walt’s business and starts laundering his money, giving her the brand of a hypocrite. However, all criticisms overlook the fact thatSkyler’s life was ruined one day, and she did her best to handle an impossible, deadly problem.She is a well-written character who got a lot she didn’t deserve in the story, but also in the real world with how she was received by audiences.
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.
