The ER Character Fans Think Is The Absolute Worst
"ER" was one of the most well-known medical dramas of its time. It's still famous to this day. The show helped launch the careers of now-ubiquitous acting talents, including George Clooney, Noah Wyle, and Julianna Margulies, to name a few. But declining ratings and the departures of fan-favorite actors led to a precipitous ratings decline which the show couldn't recover from.
Regardless of how "ER" ended, in its heyday, it was one of the most revered medical dramas on TV. At one point, it was so popular that it had an estimated regular viewing audience of over 21 million people and towered over such TV giants as "Seinfeld," "Friends," and even "Monday Night Football" (via ClassicTVHits.com). As popular as the show and its characters were, not everybody was a fan of every actor that appeared onscreen. And, according to social media, there's one character in particular that fans could have done entirely without.
Fans seem to have the biggest beef with Abby Lockhart
There seems to be very little love lost between Abby Lockhart (played by Maura Tierney) and diehard fans of the show. This Reddit thread from original poster u/ViolettheJerseyNun contains a laundry list of grievances against the character. Of particular interest are her selfish actions, which include causing a scene at her boyfriend Carter's grandmother's funeral, refusing beneficial drugs when she went into early labor because they didn't fit into her birthing plan, and driving drunk.
Aside from a few exceptions, most of the other "ER" fans in the thread also disapproved of Abby. u/MyReallyCoolUserName didn't love the overall depiction of Abby's character, and disliked when the show was too focused on her (or other singular characters) at times. u/bellestarxo went even further than that, declaring, "Abby is the main reason I lost interest in the series."
As unpopular as Abby was among fans in this particular discussion, some were willing to give her a little leeway. u/Ocelot_Amazing was particularly sympathetic, noting that her character's struggles are what make her so compelling. "Some people are good people who aren't very good at making the right decisions," they summarized of the character. Regardless of the negativity from fans, Abby ended up going the distance with the franchise; her character's final appearance happened in Season 15, Episode 20, just two episodes from the series finale.