10 TV Characters Who Were Secretly Terrible People

In many sitcoms, characters are defined by their flaws. When you’re looking for characters with good track records for being bad people there’s several in The Big Bang Theory but it’s Leonard Hoftstadter who manages to be way worse than he immediately comes across.

In fact, Leonard falls very easily into the habit of putting up a front and pretending to be what he’s not. What defines Leonard far more than his intellect or his lovelorn chase of Penny is that he lets his insecurities get the best of him.

Whether that’s mocking Penny’s boyfriends, reading Penny’s journals or doing Penny’s work for her… man, Leonard really did have a weird thing about controlling her life.

Worst of all is that Leonard repeatedly chastises his friends group that is made up of over-achieving science nerds for being… well, nerds. It’s a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black as Leonard tries to distance himself from his socially awkward friends when they only want the best for him.

What actually makes Leonard stand out is that whilst the other characters in the show grow overtime and overcome their flaws, Leonard does very little changing. He’s still the same insecure pushover from season one even twelve years later.