1. Nurse Rose from Grey’s Anatomy.

“The only reason she was disliked in the show was because she wasn’t Meredith and she was dating Derek. Rose was very respectful towards Meredith, and never really made her feel ‘less than’ or that she was completely irrelevant to Derek. She always knew that he was going to be madly in love with her and never blamed him or Meredith, and she also never tried to sabotage their friendship or relationship. She honestly would’ve been a great character – she just wasn’t Meredith.”

2. Dawn Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

“She gets so much hate. Yes she’s a bit whiny and annoying at times, but she went through so many traumatic events including losing her mother and then her sister, not to mention her entire identity being turned upside down when she finds out all her memories never happened.
“In the later series she comes into her own, especially season seven when she’s acting as Watcher Junior and taking over the research role Giles used to fill. She also has a very dorky sense of humour that I appreciate!”

3. Mona-Lisa Saperstein from Parks and Recreation.

“Sure she’s terrible, but easily one of the funniest characters.”

4. Karen Filippelli from The Office.

“She was immediately the bad guy because we were all rooting for Pam. But in reality she just wanted to find love like the rest of us!”

5. Petra Solano from Jane the Virgin.

“She was made the villain in a lot of the plots but I always really liked her. She was willing to do whatever it took to be on top and I can respect that work ethic. Also, she was bisexual and that made me feel seen.”

6. Andy Bernard from The Office.

“He is my favorite character from The Office for so many reasons. He is clearly damaged from his upbringing, which explains his need for attention and his occasional problematic behaviour. He’s passionate, devoted, and absolutely hilarious. It makes me so sad that everyone hates him!!”

7. Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

“Yes she was introduced as the typical villain, trying to thwart the Gaang’s plans and take over the Earth Kingdom, but as the show progressed, we learned more about her past and the reason why she acted the way she did. She was put under so much pressure by her father and she knew she had to maintain her status as the favourite child so she didn’t end up hurt and banished like Zuko did.”

8. Wilhelmina Slater from Ugly Betty.

“She was treated like a villain for not wanting to give the magazine up to the boss’s son, when she basically created it! Also, her lines are the best part of the show.”

9. Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother.

“I mean, I GET why so many people find him insufferable and I agree that he’s problematic. And yet…I have this weird soft spot for him. He just seems like a realistic person, with some flaws, yes, but also a decent sense of humour and basically a good dude. If he were a real person, I would probably be friends with him – NEVER romantically, but in an ‘old friend from college’ kind of way who I like catching up with.”

10. Piper Chapman from Orange Is the New Black.

“She goes on a journey and the point is that she is a middle class, well-off, self-obsessed woman. That’s who she was supposed to be! She was amazing and I won’t have it any other way.”

11. Paris Geller from Gilmore Girls.

“She was smart, determined, and had no time for your bullshit. A true queen.”

12. Ann Perkins from Parks and Recreation.

“A lot of people find Ann Perkins boring, but I genuinely loved her on Parks and Rec, she was a wonderful friend to Leslie and has some of the most underrated gems in the series.”

13. Thomas Barrow from Downton Abbey.

“So many people hated him for numerous different reasons and there were moments when I did too, but by the end of the series I was truly a fan of his. He grew so much over the series, and while a lot of people say he was sly and manipulative, he was also hard-working and cared about people.
“He saved Edith from the fire in her room, helped James when he was being mugged, and was excellent with the children. And let’s not forget that all the while, he was as trying desperately to ‘change’ his sexual desires. He may not have ever been the nicest or sweetest character on the show, but he always gave you a reason to root for him.”

14. Emily Gilmore from Gilmore Girls.

“She is the actual best, yet for some reason Lorelai constantly makes her out to be the most awful self-indulgent person on the planet. I lost count of how many episodes where Emily was meant to be ‘the villain’, but honestly she is great. Emily tries so hard to connect with and be there for both Rory and Lorelai but has it thrown in her face time after time – pretty much all because she tried to make Lorelai wear dresses when she was younger. Get over it Lorelai and embrace your mum for the queen she is.”

15. Susan Bunch from Friends.

“Yes she was ‘hostile’ towards Ross but I can totally see why. He was so entitled just because Carol was his first love. I wouldn’t have put up with him constantly feeling sorry for himself, especially as he moved on with plenty of other women, whereas Susan and Carol were consistently committed and were great mums to Ben.”