Historically, female TV characters rarely get their due. There's no dearth of tropes that reduce women to plot points and sources of inspiration for male protagonists. Sometimes, their suffering even becomes a motivating factor for others' character development. It's not difficult to see why this is a common trend when female TV characters who deserve better.

While there has been an intentional pushback against this trend in recent times, it's still disheartening that some of the most iconic female characters in TV history have such dissatisfying endings. When one thinks of disappointing arcs of TV characters who never got their happy ending, most of the characters are female. It's particularly disappointing when such a character gets a dedicated arc of growth where their life starts changing for the better, only for that to be rejected in favor of a tragic ending.

10 Robin Scherbatsky From How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)

Played By Cobie Smulders

Right from her introduction in How I Met Your Mother, Robin is a headstrong character. While she's accommodating and empathetic to her friends, she doesn't compromise on her own goals. She has an idea of how she wants her life to be and who she wants to become and remains focused on it throughout. While the show is undoubtedly about the friendships between the main characters, one can't deny that it's ultimately about the woman Ted considers his "the one," who was supposedly the titular mother.

However, when it came to the series finale, not only is it revealed that the mother of Ted's children isn't this — he still has feelings for Robin. The infamous finale shows Robin ending up with Ted, despite scenes that establish their incompatibility throughout the show. There's an episode where Ted explicitly lists what he wants from a potential partner, and it's apparent that Robin barely meets the criteria. This ending undermines the strength of her character as a career-driven woman who doesn't need a relationship with a man to be content.

9 Elektra Natchios From Netflix's Marvel Universe

Played By Elodie Yung

Elektra is a flawed and complicated character, but she's not irredeemable. While the first few episodes of Daredevil season 2 focus on establishing her as an antagonistic presence to Matt's morality, she has satisfying character development throughout the season. Matt and Elektra complement each other, and each helps the other find a more nuanced approach to their problems. Elektra decides to change her ways and Matt in his crusade against crime, but before she can commit to that life, she sacrifices herself to save Matt.

When she's revived in Defenders, her character development is undone, albeit with a reasonable explanation. It takes her less time to reject the life of crime this time, but she then has to die for humanity to survive again. Not only does it feel like she goes through the same character arc twice, but she doesn't get the happy ending she was beginning to earn. With the debate regarding Netflix Marvel shows being MCU canon officially over, she may return, but the MCU doesn't have the best track record with female characters either, so there's no reason to hope for better.

8 Sarah Lynn From BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)

Voiced By Kristen Schaal

BoJack Horseman is known for embracing dark truths about celebrity culture and portraying the tragic reality of Hollywood as a vapid and toxic place. Most of the characters, who aren't real celebrities, either represent an archetype or are a parody of an archetype of LA residents. So, while the female characters in BoJack Horseman are fleshed-out with complex dimensions to them and get happy endings, it makes sense for the pop music sensation to meet a tragic end. Her life in Bojack Horseman teaches a brutally realistic lesson.

However, Sarah Lynn's end comes in such a heartbreaking way that it's impossible to not feel sorry for her. While it's true that she decides to break her sobriety, she deserves a better friend than BoJack. Any other responsible person would have ensured she got help on time. Due to their sexual relationship, it further feels like BoJack has groomed her throughout the show. Sarah is an exception, because the show isn't to blame for portraying the harsh reality that many women like her have experienced, and yet, it feels like she should have gotten better.

7 Charlotte Richards From Lucifer

Played By Tricia Helfer (2016-2021)

Like most network TV shows, Lucifer begins with an episodic format of stories, without any significant hints of an overarching plot. The lack of character development, especially for Lucifer, makes viewers often quit during the first couple of seasons. Then with the second half of the third season, there is a distinct deviation from the episodic format. Not only does Lucifer pick up a relevant character arc, but the recurring characters get dedicated subplots which are explored in-depth over many episodes.

It's impossible to not feel like Charlotte deserved to live longer.

Of the recurring characters, the most compelling arc in season 3 arguably belongs to Charlotte Richards. When she's first introduced, there's nothing much to like about her. However, she makes use of her second chance, choosing at every point to be better, making it heartbreaking to watch her die. Lucifer is necessary for the plot progression, and to prove that she has earned herself a spot in heaven by sacrificing herself to save Amenadiel. Yet it's impossible to not feel like she deserved to live longer, especially after watching Dan break down over her death.

6 Amy Farrah Fowler From The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)

Played By Mayim Bialik

The Big Bang Theory may have dropped in quality over the second half, dragging on for longer than necessary, but the final season does a fantastic job of revitalizing the old charm of the first few years. The show's finale ties up several loose ends and prepares the audience for its heartwarming farewell to the characters they followed for 12 long years. Among other fun aspects, the finale granted Mayim Bialik her wish for Amy Farrah Fowler, but the ending is still somewhat unfair to the character.

Sheldon is often a horrible friend and boyfriend, owing to his lack of social skills, but also his narcissistic belief that he's the most talented among his group and does the most important work. The show addresses this, and Amy even breaks up with him after realizing Sheldon will never prioritize her like she wants him to, but she still disappointingly ends up marrying him. Sheldon and Amy actually got along best when they were friends, and Amy might have ultimately been happier with someone else.

5 Laurel Lance From Arrow (2012-2020)

Played By Katie Cassidy

While Oliver Queen becomes a better person in Arrow, he isn't a good friend or partner to anyone before he makes things official with Felicity. Both his best friend William, and his oldest friend/romantic interest Laurel deserve better from him, but they die before he becomes his best version, although their deaths play a big part in making him this person. Laurel's death hits viewers even harder because she wasn't a nice person either, and died soon after realizing her purpose and changing for the better.

An alternate-dimensional version of Laurel does appear later in the show, not entirely replacing the bitter feeling left by the original Laurel's untimely death.

Arrow had a problem with killing off female characters, although conveniently brought back many of them, but Laurel's death was impossible to reverse. Laurel suffers from poor writing for most of her time in the show, without any significantly compelling arcs. Just before her death, she finally comes into her own as the heart of the show. Because of Laurel's character development, she deserved better than dying with her potential unfulfilled, and without getting her dues as the best person of all the characters.

4 Alex Dunphy From Modern Family (2009-2020)

Played by Ariel Winter

Alex Dunphy didn't just deserve a better ending, she deserved better overall. As the nerdy overachiever of the family, Alex is often the butt of mean jokes in Modern Family. While it's heartwarming to see her become confident in the later episodes of the show and reject all the negative comments that her family make about her, it is unfair that no one really repents for the way they made fun of her, and are forgiven nonetheless. Alex Dunphy also had some interesting love interests, but her ending insults her character.

The show never gave Alex the respect she deserved.

While her sister Haley proves everyone wrong by getting a job, Alex is never truly appreciated for being the genius that she is. Her ending leaves a lot to be desired when she ends up in a relationship with Haley's ex. She gets the career success she was always destined for, but as a competitive person who actively rejects her family's idiosyncracies and wants to become her own person, settling for her sister's ex is uncharacteristic and unfair to her. She deserved better than him, but the show never gave her the respect she deserved, so it's not surprising.

3 Daenerys Targaryen From Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)

Played By Emilia Clarke

Criticisms for Game of Thrones Season 8 rightfully never stop pouring in from fans who were disappointed by the way the show ended. The epic fantasy drama had many interesting narrative threads open for the show to tie up in the last season, and most of them were ignored. The few that the final season addressed were resolved in the most dissatisfying ways. Among them, one of the more notable arcs that deserved more patience and careful pacing is Daenerys Targaryen's ultimate fulfillment of her doomed destiny.

While many viewers agree that the show had foreshadowed from the early seasons that Daenerys would become the "mad queen," the rushed conclusion to her character arc and her ultimate demise left everyone dissatisfied. Daenerys uncharacteristically abandons the principles that the previous seasons set up for her and dies at the hands of Jon Snow. The show features many complex and flawed female characters and almost all of them get oversimplified treatment in the final season, but Daenerys' was the most undeserved.

2 Rachel Green From Friends (1994-2004)

Played By Jennifer Aniston

Over two decades since the final season of Friends aired, the show is still talked about regularly. Its longevity as one of the most popular sitcoms of all time is owed to the dynamics between the characters and their relatable lives, which continue to reflect the struggles of being in one's late 20s and early 30s. As genre-defining as the show was, Friends is often a frustrating watch because of the confounding decisions that the main characters often make, and the biggest of them arguably happens in the final episode.

While the will-they-won't-they dynamic between Rachel and Ross redefined the writing of romcoms forever, it is exhausting to stay invested in it for 10 seasons. The final season especially makes it seem like they have decided to officially part ways, but then Rachel turns around in the final episode, rejecting her most promising job offer yet, in favor of a toxic and controlling boyfriend like Ross. The reveal has been immortalized as one of the most romantic moments in TV history, but Rachel deserved better than settling down with Ross instead of focusing on her career.

1 Villanelle In Killing Eve (2018-2022)

Played By Jodie Comer

Jodie Comer's Villanelle is one of the most loved immoral characters in TV history. Her sense of humor, competence, fashion sense, confidence, and flair as a killer make it difficult to dismiss her as a villain from the start, irrespective of how despicable her actions might be. Instead of doubling down on making viewers uncomfortable through that, Killing Eve focuses on Villanelle's character development, giving her a satisfying arc of completely changing her ways to become a better person and a better partner to Eve.

So, when she dies, it makes Killing Eve's series finale the most disappointing thing ever. All the hard work that Villanelle did to change for the better is undone in a moment when her past catches up to her and leaves Eve alone. Eve and Villanelle's romance is also set up from the very first season, another reason this ending is hated. It's a disheartening example of the bury-your-gays trope where queer characters unfairly die despite their stories meriting joyous conclusions, making Villanelle yet another female TV character who deserved a better ending.