10 TV Shows That Chose The Wrong Main Character

Writing a main character for a TV show can be a bit of a balancing act. After all, they've got to be normal and relatable enough to appeal to a large potential audience, but complicated enough to to make the show interesting.

And then there's the choice of actor. It's certainly not an easy role and requires someone with major talent and the dedication to act as the show's driving force for years, sometimes even decades.

With so many factors in play, it's no wonder that sometimes things won't work out. Whether it's the fault of the writing, the acting or both, the balancing act will go wrong and we'll end up with a protagonist who is either bland and boring or completely unlikable.

For a bad show it can be fatal, but even some of the most popular shows around suffer from terrible protagonists. These shows survive though, thanks to the work of their excellent side characters. These characters truly live up to the name "supporting actors", holding up their shows with compelling and interesting performances that keep viewers coming back for more.

With side characters so interesting and protagonists so bad, it's pretty clear that these 10 TV shows chose the wrong person to focus on.

Who It Was

Bucking the trend of Marvel's incredible Netflix output, Iron Fist debuted to decidedly lukewarm reactions.

While opinion on the show has been mixed, one thing most critics agree on is that Iron Fist himself is a pretty bad protagonist.

The main problem is that, due to what seems like a budget issue, we never really see the trials Danny has to go through to become the Iron Fist. The result is that he comes across less like a master of kung-fu and more like the "enlightened" hipster you see practising tai-chi outside and quoting whatever trite phrases he learned during the single week of Philosophy classes he bothered to show up for.

It also really doesn't help that Finn Jones can't perform a convincing fight scene to save his life, lazily swatting away punches like they're particularly nonthreatening bees.

Who It Should Have Been

Contrast that with Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing. Colleen is a much better fit as a protagonist, a down to Earth samurai who balances fighting ninjas with trying to run a struggling dojo. She's also responsible for some of the show's few good fight scenes, including a steel-cage brawl against multiple opponents and a rain-soaked showdown against the Hand assassin Bakuto.

Unfortunately, since her name isn't the show's title, she's stuck serving as a sidekick while Danny blunders his way to victory.