There have been some legendary and iconic soap opera characters who’ve graced the daytime drama television screens over the years. The evil Stefano DiMera wreaked havoc on Salem residents for over three decades on Days of Our Lives (DOOL), while Victor Newman still rules over Genoa City on the Young and the Restless (Y&R), and who could ever forget the beautiful love story between Luke and Laura Spencer on General Hospital (GH)! Alas, these characters have worked while many on soaps simply haven’t. As such, below are the most disliked soap opera characters of all time.
12. Claire Brady – Days of Our Lives
She was cute when she was little, but once the offspring of Shawn and Belle Brady experienced Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome (SORAS) she became entitled, bratty, manipulative and whiny. Who knew? Overall, it seems that these second-generation children of DOOL super-couples simply don’t have the same adventurous genes that their parents did back in the day. She settled down and matured over time and then left Salem in 2021.
Shutterstock/Michael Mattes11. Noah Newman – Young and the Restless
It’s sad that Noah Newman made this list because he is a really good guy that always does the right thing. But, unfortunately, that is all that this character is really about. There’s nothing intriguing about Noah, no depth or diversity which makes it not surprising that Noah has taken a secondary role when it comes to storylines that revolve around Genoa City.
Shutterstock/Michael Mattes10. Matthew Hunter – General Hospital
One would think that Matthew Hunter would have been a little more interesting than he was. Entering the land of Port Charles in 2008, he was the younger brother of Patrick Drake and tried to establish real roots in the little town. A lacklustre love affair with Maxie Jones proved to be quite disappointing, and by 2012 Hunter was shipped out of GH thanks to a storyline that sent him to prison for five years. GH audiences have yet to hear anything from Matthew Hunter since and this just might be a good thing.
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins9. Fancy Crane – Passions
In general, Passions was over-the-top; however, Fancy Crane fit her name to the tee. She was a snobby, socialite that had a flair for evil-doings, and was the favorite grandchild to the troublemaker on the show, Alistair Crane. Having said all that, the character was overall shallow, one dimensional, and very annoying.
Shutterstock/s_bukley8. Stephanie Johnson – Days of Our Lives
You’d think that with a super-couple like Steve and Kayla, Stephanie would have some great love affair to show for herself? Sadly, no. She was romantically linked to Phillip Kiriakis, Max Brady, and Nathan Horton, but no major relationship that people still talk about. On the other side of the coin, most of her storylines were a bit drab. Makes a lot of sense as to why she isn’t in Salem right now.
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins7. Heather Stevens – Young and the Restless
The Heather Stevens character was originally very interesting when she strolled into town in 2007, struggling to find common ground with her bio dad Paul Williams, and engaging in a secret affair with Adam Newman. Sadly, as the years progressed, the character got very stale, and multiple recasts over a short time frame didn’t help the situation for Heather either.
Shutterstock/s_bukley6. Serena Mason – Days of Our Lives
Generally, when a character passes away, fans mourn. When a character is viciously murdered there tends to be an audience outcry. But, if anyone perused soap opera internet fan boards during the aftermath of DOOL’s Serena Mason’s murder (thanks to the Salem Necktie Killer), you would have seen quite the opposite. Most fans were happy to see the annoying character axed in 2015. She added no real substance to the show in the grand scheme of things.
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins5. Kelly Andrews – Young and the Restless
When Kelly Andrews first hit the Genoa City scene in 2013, she was quite the intriguing character. She was a mom who lost her son and had this weird relationship with Stitch (before fans realized he was her brother). Then there was her affair with Billy Abbott. Once she went full-blown nutty a few years later, the character took a downward spiral and it just didn’t seem believable. Makes sense why the character was done away with in 2015.
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins4. Levi Dunkleman – General Hospital
Eccentric characters work on soap operas and often enhance storylines or offer some comedic relief. GH is famous when it comes to these types of quirky, yet loveable, soap personas. For example, Damien Spinelli and Luke Spencer were great characters, but when Levi Dunkleman entered the GH scene in April 2014 his earthy, yoga-loving, Zen-ish personality simply did not make the cut. Makes it no surprise that mere months later, the character was axed. He was back-stabbed (literally) by Maxie Jones.
3. Cassie Brady – Days of Our Lives
Ridiculous soap opera storylines can sabotage a good character and this may just be the case with Cassie Brady. She strolled into Salem in 2012 with twin brother Rex in tow. At first, Salem residents thought the duo were aliens (yeah, that makes sense). It later turned out they were DiMeras with Stefano being their dad and Marlena being their mom. Everything took a turn for the worse when they ended up being Roman Brady and Kate Roberts’ kids. Sadly due to all the mixed-up blood lines, Cassie found it hard to find love in Salem (she was related to almost all the males in town) and fans found it hard to connect with the character. Three years later, she and twin Rex left the show.
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins2. Abby Newman – Young and the Restless
Speaking of difficulties around finding love, with an Abbott for a mom and a Newman for a dad, it has been virtually impossible for Abby to make a solid love connection in Genoa City. She’s related to almost half the town after all. The problem with the Abby character is she is too one-dimensional. She’s self-centered, a little immature for her age, and a bit bratty. She’s just a terrible character because she’s too entitled — maybe a nice romance would help her evolve into something more?
Shutterstock/Kathy Hutchins1. Melissa Bedford – General Hospital
At one point in time, Jensen Buchanan stepped into the legendary soap opera role of Vicky Hudson. She played this part on both Another World and As the World Turns. Unfortunately for Buchanan, not every daytime drama role is an iconic one for every actress. Such was the case when it came to her Melissa Bedford character on GH. She entered the role in 2001 and, within a year, exited the show. The character lacked any connection to Port Charles or even GH’s audiences for that matter.
