10 TV Sitcom Characters With Shockingly Dark Backstories

Each of the characters discussed up until now has suffered because of unfortunate family mishaps, bad relationships or addiction. But, now it's time to delve into something far scarier and more powerful, systematic prejudice - oh god.

Character-wise, Captain Holt is an unbridled delight. He's stoic and almost robotic on the outside, posing a huge contrast to the rest of the cast. However, he's a caring, warm man on the inside. That's what makes it hurt so much whenever you hear about his unjust career struggles.

As a young, gay, Black man, Holt suffered an endless barrage of racial profiling, homophobia, and discrimination, causing him a tonne of difficulty in his career. Of course, the show presents a cautiously optimistic approach to this, as Holt battled proudly against this awfulness to make his way to the top. Still, it's hard to ignore how much unfair difficulty his career path was paved with.

It's true that Holt's lack of emotions is hilarious. But, when you dig a little deeper, it's rather morbid to think that without his cold, calculated personality, he'd never have survived working for the NYPD.