Worst TV Boyfriends

Television's worst boyfriends are unforgettable for all the wrong reasons — the heartbreakers, manipulators, and total disappointments the audience loves to hate. The Arts & Entertainment shares the TV boyfriends they think redefine low standards.

Roy Anderson - “The Office”

Not to be confused with one of the best television boyfriends of all time, Roy Kent from “Ted Lasso,” Roy from “The Office” is arguably one of the most detestable characters in TV history.

Now, the poor sap was undeniably written that badly to make Jim Halpert look like a saint and get the audience fired up for the possibility of Jim and Pam.

Everything Roy ever did in the show was the exact opposite of what a television boyfriend should do — he made fun of Pam for her dreams of attending art school, refused to buy her nice gifts for any sort of holiday and left her hanging an embarrassing amount of times.

“The Office” enthusiasts everywhere likely remember screaming at their TVs when Pam was clinging to Roy at the office pickup basketball game instead of Jim who was balling twice as hard and looking twice as good — but alas, it took Pam a while to realize her worth and leave Roy for Jim.

And where did Roy end up? Arrested for drunk driving. Karma’s a… you know.

The sad reality of modern dating is that most women will go through multiple Roys before settling down with their Jim. - Kaitlyn Murphy

Dean Forester - “Gilmore Girls”

*Contains Spoilers*

The worst TV boyfriend is very subjective. Some different viewpoints of the “worst” boyfriend may be whether or not they are a bad person or if they simply didn’t win over an audience.

Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki) is Rory Gilmore’s boyfriend in the classic series “Gilmore Girls.” While Jared Padalecki is very handsome and kind, there’s just something about his character, Dean, that’s irksome.

Dean was definitely a hothead. He got into multiple physical fights with guys over Rory, usually unwarranted. He also had the tendency to get defensive quickly.

Additionally, Dean had no sense of direction. He knew about everything that Rory had in her future but he never seemed to make an effort towards being with her in that same future.

He did have some redeeming qualities such as always being good and polite to Rory and having a strong family bond. This just isn’t enough to make him adored.

Later in the series, Dean’s character just loses all of his value. He starts dating a girl and ends up marrying her. Then he and Rory have an affair. Everything goes south quickly.

The worst part is, he still had no idea what he was doing. As a viewer, Dean became only became a plaguy guy. - Isabel Sweet

Mr. Big - “Sex and the City”

Disclaimer: author hasn’t finished the show yet, but she knows Mr. Big is the worst.

New York writer Carrie Bradshaw meets Mr. Big during the show’s pilot, and the two of them have an off-again, on-again relationship for the duration of the show.

Mr. Big has it all: a fancy apartment, nice suits and a lot of money, but what he doesn’t have is any dignity or respect towards Carrie.

Carrie is the best thing to happen to Mr. Big, and he leaves her to work in Paris. Worse, he leaves her to work in Paris and comes back with a skinny, young fiancée.

Mr. Big brings out the absolute worst in Carrie, and the girl gang of Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda consistently call her out on it. Fans still shake with rage when Carrie ditches her dinner plans with Miranda to hang out with Big.

Let this be a lesson, ladies. If your friends say no, he’s got to go. - Adrianna Gallucci

Ezra Fitz - “Pretty Little Liars”

This doesn’t even have to be about boyfriends — Ezra Fitz is one of the worst men on television, end of story.

Ezra meets Aria Montgomery in the show’s pilot, where the two of them share a steamy make out session in a restaurant bathroom. Come to find out, Ezra is Aria’s high school English teacher and technically a felon.

Somehow, the “Pretty Little Liars” make you ship #Ezria so hard that fans hate Aria’s parents for forcing the two to break up — hey, remember when Aria’s little brother decked him? We needed more of that.

Ezra Fitz is a liar, a psychopath and an all-out creep. - Adrianna Gallucci

Kaitlyn Murphy is a third-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.

Isabel Sweet is a third-year majoring in film production. To contact her, email ips5219@psu.edu.

Adrianna Gallucci is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.