10 More TV Sitcom Characters With Shockingly Dark Backstories

When working in a dank and dingy office space, you need a ray of sunshine like Erin Hannon to keep you sane. Sadly, this beloved Office character's optimistic personality should send alarm bells ringing in your head, as it masks a tragic past. 

This unfortunate soul was born four months premature, and her early life was filled with health problems. She even spent three years (from age three to six) confined to a hospital. On top of that, her parents were entirely absent from her life, as they abandoned her as a baby and left her to grow up in an orphanage. 

If you think life was easy for her there, guess again. 

Erin struggled to live, fighting the other kids for everything from snacks to pillows. She eventually moved around in foster care, but was so traumatized that she would pull her hair in front of her face and pretend it was a private room just to escape. Yeah... pretty tragic.

The mystery of Erin's birth parents was a major part of her character arc, and thankfully, the heartfelt final episode reunited them, putting an ultimately joyful spell on this character. She really deserved it!