5 Toxic TV Characters You Love On Screen But Should Stay Away From IRL

When we watch a TV series, we usually root for the "good guys" without realizing that sometimes they are far from being the protagonists of the show. It seems to be enough that they don't kill anyone and aren't thieves, right?

Everything they do seems logical and well-placed, even when we're talking about things like ruining a friend's date, causing a fight between relatives, destroying someone's workplace, and so on.

These things, done on screen by charming characters with smiles on their faces, actually seem okay, but we never thought about what it would be like if we had to deal with them in real life. Would we be laughing then? So it’s better to stay away from people like these characters.

1. Jim “The Prankster” Halpert, The Office

We doubt that there’s at least one person who felt that Jim was in the wrong while putting Dwight through hell over the nine seasons of the show. Starting with the jello-stapler prank and ending with James Trickington’s garden party book, it all seems like a fun game with a lovable guy in the lead.

But imagine having to deal with someone like Jim at work... The non-stop pranks would irritate you so much that it would eventually become unbearable, and you would either throw him out the window and happily go to jail, or just quit your job just to get away from him. Jim is definitely not your typical work friend Susan.

2. Chuck “The Badass” Bass, Gossip Girl

Now that we've established who you don't want in your workplace, it's time to talk about personal life choices. And Gossip Girls has so many "perfect" examples, it's hard to pick just one. Still, we think a Chuck Bass in your life, no matter how handsome and magnetic he is, would not be a wise choice.

He is a bad boy who often tries to pass himself off as a softie in order to win a girl over, which only tells you that he is a manipulative, toxic, and selfish man who uses people for his own gain.

3. Jay “The Patriarch” Pritchett, Modern Family

It may not be obvious enough, but Jay has a fair amount of toxicity in his personality. It's hard to be around him for very long, and his adult children know that better than anyone. They live under the pressure of their father's expectations and are constantly afraid of making a wrong move that won't be approved.

But the one who suffered the most was actually Gloria. We don't want to take away from their love story, but there were still a lot of toxic jokes from Jay about his wife's accent and her inability to explain herself perfectly in English.

4. Ross “The Chaos” Geller, Friends

Going back to the ones you don't want as a boyfriend, Ross from Friends definitely has a place at the top of the list. After the first five times we watched the show, we were still rooting for him and Rachel to be endgame, but after a while we actually saw how insecure, manipulative, and duplicitous he actually was.

While he stuck to his infamous "we were on a break" line, he was still the type of boyfriend who always questioned his relationship and was jealous of any man around his girlfriend.

5. Eve “The Destroyer” Polastri, Killing Eve

Probably the most self-centered female character on television. Eve is willing to destroy everyone around her just to feel the thrill of her life as a secret agent and to haunt Villanelle one more time. Under the guise of "doing her job," she only puts others in harm's way. That's certainly not the kind of friend you want around.