Main Character Syndrome: When TV Protagonists Are Actually The Worst
Main Character Syndrome isn’t a diagnosis — it’s a lifestyle!
The condition might’ve been described in Ye Olden Days as that “record-scratch” moment when a person entered a room, and all eyes turned to them in wonder.
It’s that same center-of-attention dynamic, only all the time and in every room.
But if everyone truly is the hero of their own story, how is Main Character Syndrome any different from just being alive?
What Are The Symptoms?
It’s when someone considers themselves the main character in someone else’s story. This has traditionally been the one job where you can’t be replaced.
Pulling focus like this doesn’t work well in real life, but it’s surprisingly common on the small screen.
After all, you don’t have to be an actual main character in order to act like one, as many TV protagonists have discovered.
In fact, a character doesn’t even have to be particularly virtuous.
It’s a nifty trick for a character to blur the lines between who gets your attention and who deserves it. And a TV landscape filled with anti-heroes makes for excellent camouflage.
So, which questionable protagonists act like their show should be all about them?
If Main Character Syndrome were a person, that person would be Jennifer Coolidge. She remains the premier example in just about every project she’s in, especially The White Lotus franchise.
Her scene-stealing persona usually presents as being completely unaware of how she affects those around her.
That absolves her (at least a little bit) of intentionally causing misery to others and also sets her up as the only person in the room who doesn’t realize how awful her character’s actions are.
But there are other not-so-nice TV protagonists who trick us into seeing them as heroically good.
Watch The White Lotus Online
Guillermo de la Cruz, What We Do In The Shadows
Our favorite long-suffering ex-familiar has always been positioned as the sole voice of reason in a house of, shall we say, strong personalities.
Guillermo (Harvey Guillen)’s role as an audience stand-in and assumed good guy was based on nothing more than his not being a vampire (and, I suppose, that business about him being related to Van Helsing).
The series portrayed him as a sweet, innocent babe in the woods at the mercy of a group of vampires.
But was he, really?
Guillermo helped facilitate countless deaths over the years to feed Nandor and the other vampires. Sure, he did it with a “Mondays, amirite?” shrug, but… he did it nonetheless.
Despite a talent for walking the vampires back from their worst impulses, Guillermo himself almost murdered Nandor at least twice for breaking his promise to turn him into a vampire.
He also disposed of so many dead bodies in their backyard that a sinkhole opened.
Guillermo’s sound bites for the documentary crew always sounded reasonable and generous.
But his actions were more often self-serving and duplicitous, like when he kept his vampire hunter heritage a secret for a very long time (for good reason, but still).
His justifications were understandable after being strung along for a decade of servitude and having to lead a double life on little to no sleep.
However, his thoughts and actions can only be categorized as “good” compared to the vampires around him. And he’s not being honest with himself when he says he wants to lead a normal life.
We saw that most recently with his office job at Cannon Capital, where he was horrified at Nadja’s murderous interference until… it kept getting him promoted.
So, it seems Guillermo is a protagonist who proves that he doesn’t have to be an actual vampire in order to act like one.
Watch What We Do In The Shadows Online
Main Character Patient Zero
Main Character Syndrome has also been known to afflict actual main characters, as seen in the recent ret-con of Carrie Bradshaw as the iconic symbol of that term.
Although that’s perhaps not news for many fans of Sex and the City‘s original run, who have always considered Samantha Jones its true star.
The conceit is that while it’s not ideal to act like the world exists only to be the backdrop for your own life, it’s worse to act like that about the world of your own show.
Carrie’s self-absorption was always kind of her thing, though, and Miranda called her out on it MANY times (yes, before And Just Like That…, Miranda Hobbes had some serious sass).
However, the tipping point seems to be when other characters are treated like background scenery, not people who also have their own lives in this fictional world.
Watch Sex And The City Online
Back in the “real” world, there’s a character on that teakwood Titanic fever dream we call Doctor Odyssey who would definitely not make room for you on that floating door…
Avery Morgan, Doctor Odyssey
On a ship that’s full of shenanigans, you could strive to be the calm that you’d like to see. Or, you could be Nurse Avery Morgan and add as much drama as possible to the proceedings at every opportunity.
Avery (Phillipa Soo) is extremely competent and super prickly. This sadly reinforces that dynamic where the guys can be fun-loving professionals while the women only get to scowl and keep them on task.
However, Avery is pretty much a sourpuss all on her own. She’s fantastic at her job and wants to be a doctor but resents how long and hard she’s had to work to pay for every step of her education so far.
Avery hates the ship’s over-the-top theme weeks, as well as the passengers and their stupid, predictable ailments.
She REALLY hated Plastic Surgery Week and told the cruise line’s owner as much, which got her fired (don’t worry, it didn’t stick).
Avery’s obviously talented but is so bored in her current position that it makes her dangerous.
She’ll stick to a possibly incorrect diagnosis a beat too long just to antagonize her new boss, Dr. Max, and alternates between encouraging fellow nurse Tristan’s crush on her and cutting him down.
And in quite possibly her worst crime, she does not attend strip poker night with the rest of the crew!
It was hard to see all this initially because Avery’s angelic features, intelligence, and calm demeanor read as “good.”
But after she rejected Tristan, Avery got jealous when he became interested in a new chef and tried to create problems for them.
Avery is busy enough with medical school on the horizon and a kinda-sorta love triangle with Dr. Max and Tristan.
But she still found time this season to get appendicitis during a once-in-a-lifetime storm and almost had to amputate a woman’s arm in a cave.
Avery is an experienced medical professional who deserves her place on this elite ship’s team. However, she also lashes out in self-destructive ways.
Anchors away!
Watch Doctor Odyssey Online
Liz, Shrinking
For a gentle hangout show, Shrinking has many seriously frustrating characters. But none can come close to meddling next-door neighbor Liz (Christa Miller), an unstoppable force of annoying nature.
In the show’s first season, Liz threw herself into helping a widowed husband and devastated teenage girl stay afloat as they all dealt with loss differently.
A hyper-organized empty nester, Liz had tons of free time and the certainty that she was always right. She took on that role a little too well and became a smothering presence for the grieving family next door.
It’s easy to see why her husband, Derek, cheerfully spends his days away and just goes along to get along when he’s home. Liz is sharply funny and intelligent, which almost makes you like her until the next overstepping thing she does.
Liz’s controlling nature was tamped down in the second season. Her better qualities were allowed to shine with all the characters, and she even went into business with Sean and his food truck.
Then she sold her half of the food truck to Sean’s semi-estranged father without telling Sean first.
And… we’re back! To Season One Annoying Levels of Liz!!
Liz is not subtle about her advanced case of Main Character Syndrome. She sees her fellow characters as projects she can improve and doesn’t listen if they don’t want help.
Watch Shrinking Online
Take Two Aspirin
Self-involved protagonists have long been a TV staple, even if it does seem like there’s more of them than usual.
But it’s true that good shows rely on bad characters, so Main Character Syndrome could be responsible for much of the great television currently on television.
What’s your take on frustrating TV protagonists: Love them or leave them?
Let us know in the comments!
Watch Shrinking Online
