7 Underrated TV Characters Who Deserve Better (PHOTOS)
Amelia Shepherd (Grey’s Anatomy)
After losing her father, brother, and fiancé, it’s safe to say that Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) has had a rough several years. But she overcame addiction and even worked her way up to Head of Neurosurgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital — only to receive a cold welcome. Amelia is a force to be reckoned with, and she deserves a happy life, which we’re hoping we’ll see play out with Owen Hunt.
Janet (The Good Place)
Let’s face it, without the walking, talking Google, Janet (D’Arcy Carden), everyone in The Good Place would be lost. Janet knows literally everything, has the ability to teleport, and can summon or retrieve anything from anywhere — who wouldn’t want that? A world without Janet would be like a world without the internet, and that’s a world nobody wants to live in.
Jude Adams Foster (The Fosters)
In the series finale of Freeform’s The Fosters, we see an underwhelming transformation of Jude (Hayden Byerly) in the 5-year time jump. What once was a bright-eyed kid turns into an unmotivated, and almost troubled, young adult. If Jude has a bigger part on the show’s spinoff, Good Trouble, hopefully he transforms back into the caring and motivated Jude we knew when he was a kid.
Cheryl Blossom (Riverdale)
It’s no secret that Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) is not the nicest gal in the mysterious town of Riverdale, but there’s a reason she has so much built-up anger towards her peers. She may be a privileged, wealthy girl on the outside, but inside, she is struggling with the reality of her miserable home life. We want to see Cheryl soften up a bit so she can have real friendships with her peers.
Bob Newby (Stranger Things)
Just as we started accepting new addition Bob (Sean Astin) in the second season, the “demodogs” viciously attacked and killed RadioShack’s finest. As if Joyce (Winona Ryder) wasn’t already struggling, she’d now lost the one piece of hope she had at living a normal life with her kids. In an ideal world, Bob would’ve made it (hero he was) and married Joyce.
Joe Pritchett (Modern Family)
This little kid has a lot of funny things to say, and with a family as crazy as his, it’s a miracle that Joe (Jeremy Maguire) isn’t a complete weirdo. Though he’s still young, he’s one smart first grader. He even tattled on his own mother, Gloria (Sofía Vergara), when she accidentally shot Jay’s (Ed O’Neill) foot. Sadly, we won’t get to see Joe grow up as the series is in its potential final (or second to last) season.
Isabelle (Izzy) Lightwood (Shadowhunters)
There’s no doubt Izzy (Emeraude Toubia) is a strong, independent woman, who just so happens to destroy demons (in high heels) with her family. But this powerful Shadowhunter barely gets any recognition for her talent among her peers. If Izzy wasn’t around to share her fierce skills with the rest of the Shadowhunters, they probably wouldn’t have been able to defeat as many demons. Hopefully in the final episodes, Izzy’s not taken for granted anymore.
Sometimes there are TV characters who have the potential to be iconic but get lost next to their louder peers. Many of these characters just don’t get the audience recognition, while others have less of a chance to show what they can do.
From super smart and quirky Janet on The Good Place to fierce fighter Izzy from Shadowhunters, these characters all have one thing in common: They deserve better.
Click through the gallery above for our picks for some of television’s most underrated characters.
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