Which iconic-yet-insufferable TV character are you?

From Serena van der Woodsen’s chaotic glamour to Carrie Bradshaw’s eternal monologues, some characters are simply too iconic—and too unhinged—to forget.

Oct 11, 2025

Sure, Newton gave us gravity, but what these so-called “annoying” characters have done for pop culture is nothing short of that. They cry, overshare, spiral, and somehow make it all look iconic. They’ve turned chaos into charisma, bad decisions into plotlines, and self-absorption into an art form. Love them or hate them, they’re impossible to ignore—mostly because you might just be one of them.

Find out which brand of “beautifully unhinged” energy you embody.

1. You find out your partner is moving to Paris. What do you do?

a. Turn it into a five-page diary entry and make it my “trauma”.

b. Pack my bags and move to Paris with him, duh.

c. Have a public mental breakdown and my friends never hear the end of it.

2. What is your ideal breakfast?

a. Overnight oats with yoghurt and fruits...but I don’t have oats, and I haven’t eaten a fruit in two years.

b. What is breakfast?

c. Two packs of cigarettes.

3. What does your Instagram feed look like?

a. Lengthy captions that show the multitudes of my personality, paired with a selfie, obviously.

b. Dumps of blurry pictures with occasional thirst traps.

c. OOTDs, flat lays of Cosmos, and Manolos, with a side of some good old narcissism.

4. How would your friends describe you?

a. An absolute joy to be around (translation: Self-absorbed).

b. Carefree (aka careless).

c. Life of the party (euphemism for exhausting).

5. What is your biggest delusion?

a. I’m the voice of this generation.

b. Everyone wants to be me.

c. Spending money on expensive shoes = investment.

6. Which philosophical quote do you most relate to?

a. “But how could you live and have no story to tell?” — Fyodor Dostoevsky.

b. “Humanity is OK, but 99% of people are boring idiots.” — Slavoj Žižek.

c. “Do it or don’t do it—you will regret both.” — Søren Kierkegaard.

Mostly As: Hannah Horvath from Girls

You’re the main character of an indie movie no one will ever watch—but a nightmare in everyone else’s life. Everything is always happening to you (but can we blame you?). You probably DNF a single The New Yorker piece, but your diary definitely belongs in it.

Mostly Bs: Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl

One thing about you is that you’re always on the move. You attract drama and it can get a bit exhausting to be your friend, but well, it’s also entertaining. You make sure no one ever has a dull moment when they’re with you. People either want to be you or date you.

Mostly Cs: Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and The City

You’re a misunderstood genius. You live every day like it’s a column in the newspaper (see what we did there?). You’re broke but never not fabulous. Just remember: You’re the blueprint; everyone else is simply jealous of you.

All images: Getty Images and IMDb

This article first appeared in Cosmopolitan India's September-October 2025 print edition.

Also read: Wanna know which app raised you? Take this quiz to find out!

Also read: Find out which Taylor Swift era matches your mood with this fun quiz

Which iconic-yet-insufferable TV character are you?

From Serena van der Woodsen’s chaotic glamour to Carrie Bradshaw’s eternal monologues, some characters are simply too iconic—and too unhinged—to forget.

Related Stories