Bad Screenwriting Advice (& The Good Intention): "Your Protagonist Must Be Likeable."

Mic
Dec 7, 2024
6 min read

You've almost certainly heard the advice that you need to make your protagonist likeable in order for people to enjoy your story.

If you like to write drama, crime, or stories about antiheroes, I'll bet you've received a note like: "your protagonist isn't likeable and therefore this story sucks" from a reader who didn't take the time to understand your story's intention.

But also... I guarantee that you, and that reader, have seen several films and tv shows with unlikeable protagonists.

Some of these are the best, most successful shows and films of all time.

So if your protagonist doesn't need to be likeable in order for your story to resonate with an audience, what's the deal with this advice?! Why is it so common?

If your main character isn't actually offensive to all of humanity (and bravo if they are; i wanna read that script), what's the real issue here? What's the "note behind the note?" 😏

Let's get into it, in this first installment of: Bad Screenwriting Advice (& The Good Intention)!

The Bad Advice: "Your Protagonist Must Be Likeable"

The main 3 reasons a protagonist may be deemed "unlikeable" are:

They're annoying
They're boring
They're genuinely a bad person

I've chosen four protagonists from some of the top films and tv shows that fit into these categories to show you why their "unlikeable" nature doesn't matter, and can even be beneficial to the story.

Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex and the City" - Unintentionally Unlikeable

Carrie Bradshaw is almost universally hated by fans of this show.

She's torn apart by fans for almost everything, from her personality to her fashion choices. But ESPECIALLY her dating decisions, which is what the entire show centers around.

So you have an unlikeable protagonist doing unlikeable things that drive the series. And yet, this show is a classic, and still a huge hit to this day, even ranking in the top 10 Netflix shows when it hit the platform earlier this year.

Michael Scott + any character from "The Office" - Intentionally Unlikeable

I was going to only focus on Michael here, but let's be honest -- is ANY character in this show genuinely likeable? (don't say Jim, you KNOW he's a jerk and would be terrible to work with)

Or are they all just funny.

If you worked in The Office, you'd probably go insane because this show's cast is made up of intentionally unlikeable characters.

Each of them represents, wholly or in part, those annoying coworkers you have in every. single. job. you. will. ever. work. in. your. life.

And this is exactly why the show works so well, and why it remains one of the most-watched shows nearly 20 years after its premiere (has it really been that long?!)

Patrick Bateman from "American Psycho" - Intentionally Evil

So, Patrick Bateman is an actual serial killer.

And yet, he's the protagonist of his story. Meaning that by default he's in a position where the audience should be rooting for him to succeed.

No one would ever genuinely WANT someone to kill a bunch of people.

But this movie has a strong cult following, and Patrick Bateman has gone down as one of the most well-known and referenced characters of all time.

Bella from "Twilight" - Intentionally Bland

Although Bella wasn't explicitly made to be unlikeable, people generally aren't fond of her character because she's quite "bland."

Despite this, Twilight was one of the most popular film franchises of the 2010s, and the book series consistently broke sales records.

It may be surprising to know Bella's "blandness" actually is intentional, and beneficial for stories like Twilight where the main focus is romance.

Why is that?

The Good Intention: "Likeable" = "Relatable"

Bella's character is designed to be relatable.

She isn't and doesn't need to be "likeable" -- which is entirely too subjective to ever be practical advice.

When someone says your protagonist isn't likeable, it usually means they're inaccessible.

If your audience can't understand your character's motivations, actions, and/or situation, your character becomes inaccessible, and therefore "unlikeable."

So what is a "relatable" character?

Surely we don't look at Patrick Bateman, Carrie Bradshaw, Michael Scott, or Bella Swan and think "that's so me."

But we relate to, or at the very least understand, their behavior and their world.

Now let's look at these characters again with this in mind.

Bella from "Twilight"

At first glance, nothing about Bella's story is relatable. Her main struggle is having to choose between a vampire or a werewolf as her romantic partner.

But the audience is looking beyond the specifics and connecting with this story on a more basic level.

Bella's story is relatable because it's wish fulfillment.

I'd say basically everyone enjoys the idea of two people fighting to win your heart. It makes you feel validated and worthy just imagining yourself in that scenario.

This wish fulfillment is universally relatable. Everyone wants to be loved, and therefore everyone can picture themselves as Bella in this story.

Her personality being on the blander side helps allow for a broader range of people to be able to connect with her.

A less distinct character means a larger amount of people can insert themselves into that character's perspective.

Further explanation: why "bland" protagonists are common in romance

Romance stories are built on the idea that you, the reader / viewer, can easily put yourself in the main character's shoes and envision YOU being in this scenario.

Does that mean you would act the same way Bella does throughout the Twilight Saga? Probably (and i hope) not.

But her personality is generic enough to where most people can see from her perspective without much struggle, and she as a character doesn't get in the way of the main draw of the series: the romance. the fantasy. the escape.

If Bella were a more distinct character with super unique traits, the majority of the audience would no longer enjoy the series. Because then it becomes about Bella, not about you experiencing the Edward / Jacob love triangle.

There's a reason the "Team Jacob" and "Team Edward" debate is the most well-known aspect of this entire franchise.

Patrick Bateman from "American Psycho"

Patrick Bateman is relatable because he's a victim (ha) of the toxic business world / corporate culture that so many people find themselves in.

His world and motivations are something most people can understand.

All Bateman wants is to be the best, in a world that makes it impossible to be the best.

He's taking an extreme approach to get there, but his reasons for going insane are relatable.

When we see him dealing with a bunch of egotistical jerks who seem to only exist to one-up him, most audience members are thinking "ugh, that's just like Greg from work."

And when he kills Paul Allen, most audience members are like "Serves Greg right -- I mean, Paul Allen."

Michael Scott + any character from "The Office"

Similar to why we relate to Patrick Bateman, we can relate to the world of The Office.

All of these characters have quirks that make them uniquely distinct and annoying, yet universally relatable.

Everyone knows a Dwight. Everyone knows a Phyllis. Everyone knows an Andy. etc.

When we see these characters on screen, we feel like we know them immediately.

This connects the audience to the show on a personal level, which is one of the main reasons the show is so successful even 20 years later.

Times may change, but your annoying coworkers don't.

Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex and the City"

I'd say most people who watch this show don't agree with any of the dating decisions Carrie makes.

But her awful choices actually make her extremely accessible.

Maybe we haven't all slept with our ex who's married to someone else (in their spouse's bed, too!), but still we can relate to being blinded by "love" or "lust" in the same way Carrie is.

We can also definitely relate to how she always seems to find the worst possible partners, or how they always seem to find her.

I will say, this show is saved by the fact it's an ensemble cast and we aren't always having to be in Carrie's perspective.

Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda all approach their dating lives very differently than Carrie, and very differently from each other.

This variety ensures a wider audience appeal, giving everyone who watches someone to identify with. (I'm definitely a Samantha, but I've got some Charlotte in me too)

So tell me... Are you ever going to listen to the advice "your protagonist must be likeable" again?

If not, reread this post until it sinks in 💅

"Likability" is an oversimplified metric for a protagonist's effectiveness.

What really matters is creating a character whose motivations, actions, and/or world are relatable and accessible to the audience.

So instead of chasing "likeability," focus on building a character whose story connects with your audience on a human level.

Who are some other "unlikeable" protagonists, and what makes their stories work despite this?

Leave your answer in the comments!