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The original was posted on /r/television by /u/Altruistic_Yam1283 on 2024-11-02 23:21:27+00:00.

One pattern I’ve noticed in many shows is characters who start off being respected by others then gradually get more hate and become the butt of the joke. In Family Guy, Meg was just a normal member of the cast but over time she became the butt of all the jokes and it became common for everyone to hate on her.

The same happens with Britta from Community, Klaus from American Dad, Zoidberg in Futurama, Dee from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Many shows also have the premise that the group needs a scapegoat to direct their hatred otherwise the group would fall apart.

How common is this and is there a name for this? Are there any other examples?