History TheLoad / LiveActionTV

** DependingOnTheWriter, Guinevere. On one hand, her quick mind has proven useful on several occasions, on the other, she's still a relatively small and untrained peasant girl who often winds up being a DistressedDamsel.

* ''Series/RobinHood'': [[TheSmurfettePrinciple For mysterious reasons]], the outlaws let village girl Kate join the gang instead of shipping her off to Kirkless Abbey like they do to all the other people they rescue. They pay dearly for their foolishness, considering they spend the greater part of the rest of the series [[DistressedDamsel rescuing her when she gets kidnapped]], caring for her when she gets injured, and having to put up with her endless moaning, nagging, whining, and criticism (all done in a delightful high-pitched screech). Throughout the course of the series she never achieves anything important or interesting. [[FauxActionGirl She's useless as a fighter]], [[InformedAttribute has no helpful skills]], [[TooDumbToLive lacks the most basic degree of common sense]], and [[{{Jerkass}} isn't even a very nice person.]] Honestly, if a team member is so useless that she needs to be '''spoon-fed''', then you need to seriously reconsider your recruiting standards.

** The Doctor even pre-judged certain characters as The Load like Mickey and Amy's fiancé, Rory. Until Mickey [[spoiler:spent the second half of Season 2 in a parallel earth as a resistance fighter]], and Rory [[spoiler:spent two thousand years as an immortal auton guarding [[SealedGoodInACan Amy in stasis inside the Pandorica]].]] The Doctor is surprised and proud of them both for having [[TookALevelInBadass proved him wrong]].

* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E20WhatIsAndWhatShouldNeverBe "What Is And What Should Never Be" (S02, Ep20)]], Sam in the Wishverse is pretty useless at the warehouse. At one point he gasps in disgust when he sees the djinn drinking the blood of its victim despite Dean's admonishment to keep his mouth shut and almost reveals their location to the djinn. This is one of the contrasts between Wishverse!Sam and real Sam.

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'': In the TV series version, Carl Grimes and Sophia Peletier are about as much help as you'd expect a pair of gradeschool kids with a fondness for wandering off to be in the middle of a ZombieApocalypse -- and that's in Season 1. In Season 2, they actually take a level in being the load; Sophia panics when she gets attacked by a pair of [[NotUsingTheZedWord walkers]] in the first episode, which is understandable, but then she leaves the safe place that Rick tells her to hide in and runs off while he's busy drawing away and killing them -- [[spoiler:this results in her death when a walker in the woods gets her,]] and directly leads to every bad thing that happens in the season. Carl gets shot while out looking for Sophia; this prompts the guilty shooter, Otis, to make a dangerous run to an infested high school with Shane and wind up being shot to serve as live bait for the walkers. Then, after he finally gets better, he steals a gun and wanders off in a tantrum for [[spoiler:telling Sophia's grieving mother that there is no heaven]] -- when he finds a walker stuck in the mud, he taunts the thing, and then panics when it manages to escape, running back to the farm. Not only does this lead the undead monster there, he refuses to admit he saw a walker in close proximity and that it may have followed him because he's afraid of getting in trouble. This makes him the indirect cause of [[spoiler:the death of Dale, the CoolOldGuy TeamDad]] -- and earned a lot of bile from the watchers.

** In many ways, Deanna Troi filled this role too. She was always being possessed by aliens, abused by aliens in crashed shuttles, abducted by aliens for political gambits, being nearly forced to marry an alien, having her psychic powers robbed by aliens, suffering nightmares at the hands of aliens, forced to listen to a virtual music box in her head for days by an alien, the list goes on. Her only real use on the show was to counsel the [[RedShirt random crew member of the week]] and to tell Picard when she sensed weird things happening while on the bridge. Maybe this makes her closer to ButtMonkey. Troi did manage to TakeALevelInBadass during an episode where she was sent to spy on the Romulans... but [[PlotInducedStupidity left that level somewhere]] for the rest of the series, never to be seen again. Those episodes are the reason ADayInTheLimelight used to be named "Good Troi Episode".

* ''Series/RobinOfSherwood'': Much, the TagalongKid from this series, never accomplishes anything, fails as a lookout, and occasionally lets prisoners go. Any fight scene he's in always involves someone rescuing him, even when he gets a MagicSword. He's quite a liability for a tiny group of constantly hunted outlaws. Of course, he's also the hero's brother... at first. After Robert Huntingdon comes in, they don't even have that excuse. He eventually [[TookALevelInBadass gets (somewhat) better]]. At the beginning of the episode "Adam Bell" an entire troop of fully armed and armoured soldiers has a hard time capturing Much, who has only a staff and none of his friends to help. They eventually get him, but he gives them a good run for their money. It says a lot about his Load status that "not getting captured right away" is a point in his favour.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': River Tam's "wanted" status generates conflict between the crewmembers by forcing them to avoid lucrative jobs that would involve too much oversight and poses a risk of arrest whenever they come into contact with government agents. That is, until she TookALevelInBadass for the movie. Of course, her brother and protector, Simon, acts as The Counterwieght by being a ''very'' useful doctor and occasional heist planner for the crew, of a talent the crew would not otherwise have access to, if not for the fact that he and River are on the run. Justified in that even without Simon, the crew (with the exception of Jayne) would never have the heart to dump a cripplingly insane girl with the Alliance, especially since they made her that way. It should also be noted that River's telepathy has saved the crew's ass more than once, both in the series and the movie. And, of course, she almost certainly would have continued to be progressively more helpful [[ScrewedByTheNetwork had the series gone on for more than one season.]]

** The page quote above comes from the end of the episode, ''Prince of Space''. Most of the movie's action involves a group of hapless, middle-aged scientists having to be constantly rescued from Evil Alien Chicken people by the title character. Furthermore, the movie demonstrated a particular peculiarity Japanese children seem to constantly exhibit in movies like this; namely, the need to be within close proximity of the hero at all times, even or especially when he's busy fighting the Monster of the Week, and even or especially when this would put both them and the hero in incredible danger. Maybe it's the Japanese's way of trying to weed out the weak and stupid and keep the population down.
** In episode 803, ''The Mole People'', the heroes have to drag a middle-aged French scientist with them everywhere they go. He's such a liability, that [[TropeNamer Mike and the bots quickly nickname him "The Load".]] He mercifully keels over early in the film, but still manages to cause problems for the heroes later on when his body is discovered by the eponymous Mole People. (Up to that point, [[GodGuise they believed the visiting heroes were immortal gods]].)

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** The Doctor even pre-judged certain characters as The Load like Mickey and Amy's fiancé, Rory. Until Mickey [[spoiler:spent the second half of season 2 in a parallel earth as a resistance fighter]], and Rory [[spoiler:spent two thousand years as an immortal auton guarding [[SealedGoodInACan Amy in stasis inside the Pandorica]].]] The Doctor is surprised and proud of them both for having [[TookALevelInBadass proved him wrong]].

** Pod tries hard, but more often than not, he's less than helpful in his attempts to assist Brienne in their travels together. She's completely shocked to hear he's actually managed to kill a man— and a Kingsguard, at that. He does get better though.

** Charlie was The Load for the first two seasons, but came through in a big way at the end of season 3.
** A few ''characters'' have occasionally treated Hurley like The Load, but he's likable enough (and ''also'' comes through at the end of season 3) that the characterization doesn't stick.
** Daniel spent some time as The Load when he was first introduced in season 4 before he gained confidence and moved more towards a leadership role amoung the Frieghties, until midway through season 5 where he suffered a HeroicBSOD after [[spoiler:Charlotte died.]]

* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': In [[Recap/RevolutionS1E6SexAndDrugs episode 6]], Aaron sees ''himself'' as such which is why he [[spoiler: abandoned his wife--he felt he was only hindering her chances for survival post-blackout.]] [[TookALevelInBadass He got better.]]

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'': In the TV series version, Carl Grimes and Sophia Peletier are about as much help as you'd expect a pair of gradeschool kids with a fondness for wandering off to be in the middle of a ZombieApocalypse -- and that's in season 1. In season 2, they actually take a level in being the load; Sophia panics when she gets attacked by a pair of [[NotUsingTheZedWord walkers]] in the first episode, which is understandable, but then she leaves the safe place that Rick tells her to hide in and runs off while he's busy drawing away and killing them -- [[spoiler:this results in her death when a walker in the woods gets her,]] and directly leads to every bad thing that happens in the season. Carl gets shot while out looking for Sophia; this prompts the guilty shooter, Otis, to make a dangerous run to an infested highschool with Shane and wind up being shot to serve as live bait for the walkers. Then, after he finally gets better, he steals a gun and wanders off in a tantrum for [[spoiler:telling Sophia's grieving mother that there is no heaven]] -- when he finds a walker stuck in the mud, he taunts the thing, and then panics when it manages to escape, running back to the farm. Not only does this lead the undead monster there, he refuses to admit he saw a walker in close proximity and that it may have followed him because he's afraid of getting in trouble. This makes him the indirect cause of [[spoiler:the death of Dale, the CoolOldGuy TeamDad]] -- and earned a lot of bile from the watchers.
** Season 3 averts this by showing that the months spent trying to survive have turned the group into a precision zombie killing machine. Everyone pulls their weight and Carl becomes a coldly proficient zombie killer. In season 4 Carol teaches the children how to kill zombies so they can protect themselves without the the help of the adults. The group also makes sure to interrogate any new survivors they encounter to make sure that they can pull their weight if they are invited to join the group.
* ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'': Harry Solomon. Although all the aliens are often TooDumbToLive, Harry is the worst. At first he seems to have no official role in the unit, until it's revealed that [[spoiler:he has a massive transmission device in his head, and to make space for it they gave him only half a brain.]] An unusual case because although he's generally useless, he's one of the most beloved and endearing characters in the show. It was never directly stated, but there are multiple hints that his real role in the mission was TeamPet.
* ''Series/StepByStep'' : J.T. is the load often- being very book-dumb as well as not particularly having social skills or common sense. But at least he does not endanger his family as much as Karen does.

* ''Series/TheRifleman'': Stars a badass ''[[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill rifle slinging]]'' [[PapaWolf rancher]]... and his son Mark. When Mark isn't directly getting into trouble himself (and forcing poor Luke to rescue his worthless ass), or ''getting his father into trouble that he has to bail'' himself ''out of'', he's probably whining about the school teacher being mean to him.

** In many ways, Deanna Troi filled this role too. She was always being possessed by aliens, abused by aliens in crashed shuttles, abducted by aliens for political gambits, being nearly forced to marry an alien, having her psychic powers robbed by aliens, suffering nightmares at the hands of aliens, forced to listen to a virtual music box in her head for days by an alien, the list goes on. Her only real use on the show was to counsel the [[RedShirt random crew member of the week]] and to tell Picard when she sensed weird things happening while on the bridge. Maybe this makes her closer to ButtMonkey. Troi did manage to TakeALevelInBadass during a two-episode arc where she was sent to spy on the Romulans... but [[PlotInducedStupidity left that level somewhere]] for the rest of the series, never to be seen again. Those episodes are the reason ADayInTheLimelight used to be named "Good Troi Episode".

** Hot Pie to Arya's trio. Arya herself is clever and ruthless, Gendry is strong thanks to his blacksmith training and has common sense. Hot Pie... can bake; to his credit he's very good at ''that''. Justified because unlike the other two, Hot Pie has no training in combat or tools, so you can't expect him to fight.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Pod tries hard, but more often than not, he's less than helpful in his attempts to assist Brienne in their travels together. She's completely shocked to hear he's actually managed to kill a man— and a Kingsguard, at that.

* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'': Barbara, most of whose heaviness is the weight of the IdiotBall she's hogging the whole time dragging down every character that comes into even minor contact with her. It doesn't help that she's an unarmed and untrained civilian who nonetheless insists on being involved in Gordon's work as a detective. [[spoiler: Ironically, she actually becomes much more capable in Season 2 after going AxCrazy and making a FaceHeelTurn, becoming a capable villain who outsmarts the heroes multiple times.]]

* ''Series/RobinHood'': This new BBC series also has one. [[TheSmurfettePrinciple For mysterious reasons]], the outlaws let village girl Kate join the gang instead of shipping her off to Kirkless Abbey like they do to all the other people they rescue. They pay dearly for their foolishness, considering they spend the greater part of the rest of the series [[DistressedDamsel rescuing her when she gets kidnapped]], caring for her when she gets injured, and having to put up with her endless moaning, nagging, whining, and criticism (all done in a delightful high-pitched screech). Throughout the course of the series she never achieves anything important or interesting. [[FauxActionGirl She's useless as a fighter]], [[InformedAttribute has no helpful skills]], [[TooDumbToLive lacks the most basic degree of common sense]], and isn't even a very nice person. Honestly, if a team member is so useless that she needs to be '''spoon-fed''', then you need to seriously reconsider your recruiting standards.

** The Tenth Doctor himself became a bit of a Load for Martha during the "Family of Blood" storyline, when he temporarily became human and forgot his real identity, his ability to function well in dangerous situations included.

* ''Series/{{Merlin}}'':

* ''Series/EscapeAtDannemora'': In spite of being a prison bigshot, Matt is truly hopeless when he and Sweat escape. He panics and nearly gets them caught by a homeowner immediately after their escape, gets drunk on stolen booze, gets himself sick on contaminated water, and constantly argues for reckless strategies. In the end, a cop notes that Sweat got just as far in one day without Matt as he had the previous two weeks with him. TruthInTelevision. In real life, Sweat left Matt behind for slowing him down, while in the show he says that it never even occurred to him to just ditch him.

** In "[[{{Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E13TheZeppo}} The Zeppo]]", Xander worries that he is the Load, and the other characters agree and treat him that way. Buffy then excludes him from the group's activities against the threat of the week. He spends the rest of the episode saving the school, and the world, from a completely separate threat, while the rest of the characters deal with what they think is the main threat in the background. Of course, in most episodes Xander was actually very effective at contributing to the group, making his sudden "uselessness" in this episode pretty incongruous.

** In "The Zeppo," Xander worries that he is the Load, and the other characters agree and treat him that way. Buffy then excludes him from the group's activities against the threat of the week. He spends the rest of the episode saving the school, and the world, from a completely separate threat, while the rest of the characters deal with what they think is the main threat in the background. Of course, in most episodes Xander was actually very effective at contributing to the group, making his sudden "uselessness" in this episode pretty incongruous.