The Worst-Dressed Characters In TV History

As William Shakespeare wrote in "Hamlet," "The apparel oft proclaims the man." This is true in TV shows, which use that idea to help viewers instantly understand who a character is just by looking at them. Wardrobe departments work hand in hand with show creators, writers, and directors to find just the right outfits for characters. Some characters are defined by their fashion sense, with their styles influencing the real world. Fans of "Peaky Blinders" want to dress like Cillian Murphy, and they also want his haircut, which confounds the star. The clothes Sarah Jessica Parker wore as Carrie Bradshaw on "Sex and the City" are still setting trends. But not every fashion-focused character is remembered for having good taste. 

With outfits that often hurt the eye, these characters became infamous for their lack of style. The shirts, slacks, and dresses the actors were forced into were over-the-top gaudy or, perhaps even worse, painfully dull, making fans at home pity them, or, in some cases, want to dress just like them. And while these looks were usually done for laughs, that doesn't stop them from being crimes against fashion. 

When actor Kathy Kinney was cast as Mimi Bobeck on "The Drew Carey Show," it's unlikely that she realized the character, who was only supposed to be in one episode, would define her career. But, with her bright blue eyeshadow, painted on eyebrows, and shockingly loud clothes, Mimi became an instant hit with fans. Kinney's wardrobe was key in helping make the series a ratings juggernaut and even getting her own doll. She has even become an inspiration for drag queens like Dot DeVille and is a judge at the annual Best in Drag Show. 

Throughout much of pop culture history, the quintessential nerd look was a thick pair of glasses (often with tape holding them together), a white dress shirt with a pocket protector, pimples, and high-water pants. But that all changed when Dustin Diamond first appeared as Screech in "Saved by the Bell."  With a closet full of patterned shirts and pants  that could cause eyestrain if one looked at them for too long, Screech gave the world a new type of nerd. This new type would be followed by the likes of Steve Urkel and Howard from "The Big Bang Theory."

While there was plenty of behind-the-scenes drama on the set of "Three's Company," the most outrageous thing about the classic sitcom was Mrs. Roper's overly busy caftans. Mixed with her bright orange clown wig and chunky jewelry, Helen Roper (Audra Lindley) stood out from the crowd, especially when she was standing next to her more conservative husband, Stanley. 

While Mrs. Roper's wardrobe of choice was already going out of style when "Three's Company" began, her look has influenced a generation of men and women who grew up watching her, leading to annual Mrs. Roper pub crawls around the country.

The not very heroic lead of "Breaking Bad," Bryan Cranston's Walter White, became New Mexico's biggest drug dealer and wanted to look the part. But, being a high school chemistry teacher living in the suburbs, Walter didn't really know how to dress the part and ended up looking like a cartoon version of a tough guy.

With a thick goatee and pork pie hat — and going by the name Heisenberg — Walter may have thought he looked cool, but the reality was that he looked out of place in the dangerous world he had entered. 

Larry David's greatest nemesis on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" was undoubtedly Susie Greene (Susie Essman), the constantly aggravated wife of Larry's best pal, Jeff (Jeff Garlin). And while Susie was usually right to be angry at the two men, that doesn't excuse her sense of style.

With a love for faux fur and leather, big hats, bigger earrings, and her Bedazzler, Susie's outfits made her the perfect opposite of Larry's more relaxed style. And the only thing louder than Susie's sweaters was her voice when she was yelling at Larry and Jeff. 

As the sales manager for the titular radio station on "WKRP in Cincinnati," Herb Tarlek's suits were so outrageous that it wasn't surprising that the station was always on the brink of shutting down. After all, who would buy advertising time from someone dressed in the tackiest polyester suits ever stitched together?

Played by Frank Bonner, Herb's unforgettably horrible wardrobe consisted of ugly plaid suits, bright dress shirts, impossibly large ties that clashed with his jackets, and, bringing it all together, a white belt. The whole ensemble made used car salesmen look dignified in comparison.

Played by America Ferrera whose transformation since the series has been significant, the titular Betty Suarez in "Ugly Betty" never seemed to get any better at choosing her own clothes despite working for a fashion magazine. But while Betty's style wasn't the best, it was always authentically her, which was the point of it all. 

Still, Betty's authenticity may have needed some help. Her tendency to wear ill-fitting outfits with mixed patterns and more colorful layers than a rainbow made it look like she got dressed in the dark and was maybe taking clothes from other people's closets. 

With a heavy reliance on colorful dress shirts tucked into his khakis, Jon Cryer's Alan on "Two and a Half Men" sometimes looked more like a child than the actual kid on the show. While the outfits weren't obnoxious, they made the character look like a small boy whose mom dressed them up for Easter mass and less like an actual adult. This was all in service to making Cryer look like the clean-cut "good guy" next to Charlie Sheen's "bad boy" character, but that doesn't make Alan's style any better. 

When the minds behind "Smallville" implemented the famous "no tights, no flights" rule, there was no way they could have known that the series, which debuted in 2001, would last 10 seasons. But by the time it was clear that people wanted superheroes in costumes, "Smallville" was too far down the road to turn back.

This meant that when the series introduced other superheroes, they couldn't have costumes, leading to a Justice League that was represented by tight-fitting jackets. The five heroes couldn't even look cool walking away from an explosion in slow motion.