Do People Actually Like Jackie?

You're right, I found her too detestable a character with not enough redeeming qualities to be interesting, and the supporting characters were too dull to hold my attention. I think the problem is that there's nothing appealing about her. An anti-hero has to have some type of magnetism for the audience to have a love-hate relationship with them and therefore keep watching even though they don't like the character as a human being. Take House of Cards for example, Frank Underwood has to be one of the most despicable fictional characters ever written, yet his charisma is incredibly seductive to audiences. People know Frank is an a**hole, but damn is he seductive. So we keep watching to see what antics he might be plotting next. Think about Machiavellian characters in history, they were able to enact their evil ploys because they were able to entice people and intrigue them long enough to ensnare them and bring their agenda to fruition. Jackie doesn't do that; if you ask me she's boring as *beep* The overall show was meh...I stopped watching after she was sleeping with the pharmacist dude. I lost interest.

Here's the thing: I don't have to like the main character of a show to be fascinated by what happens to them. Tony Soprano, Michael Scott, Don Draper, Walter White, the entire cast of "Seinfeld"--people I'm sure I would actively dislike if I met them on the street (though I would want to dress like Don Draper).

That being said, I always thought Jackie wasn't a total villain (although she came close to looking like one in Season 6). Rather, I thought she was a good hearted but maybe flawed human being. Her inner demon/addiction appeared to me to be a separate character, in a battle for her soul and well-being. And I knew during the last season, when she got her nursing license back, and we see her posing for her badge picture--then popping a pill immediately afterward--the addiction won and she was doomed.

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Jackie is a sociopath. I would say that her being an addict is incidental, and a convenient excuse for her mental illness. Some addicts are self-medicating to escape some psychic pain and some simply find their life more enjoyable when they are "high".Jackie certainly believes that she is a better nurse when she is using.
Jackie is narcissistic, charismatic, manipulative, and a pathological liar. Sociopaths are often charming, highly intelligent, and finagle to place themselves in a position of power within their world. They use and abuse others, often capriciously. Ultimately untrustworthy, yet they seduce by playing the victim and blaming others for the negative outcomes that inevitably occur all around them. Psychologists estimate that as many as 1 person in 20 is a sociopath and their effect on our lives and society is disproportionate to their numbers. Many of us have to deal with sociopathic behavior in our workplace, our families, or among our friends. Most psychologists recommend getting and staying away from these people. They are rarely cured and it is heart-breaking to try.
And, we are fascinated by the crazy behavior of sociopaths. Hollywood knows this and many of the shows mentioned in these thread attest to this fascination. I believe there is a little bit of sociopath in all of us and we get a vicarious thrill in watching their machinations play out. Similarly, murder and crime shows appeal to people who imagine behaving the way the characters are portrayed. Our society is largely civilized and yet we still enjoy thinking/imaging mayhem being brought to bear. How many of us would kill someone who has wronged us on some level, if we could get away with it, like Dexter, for instance?
I think the ending was incredibly well written, We generally like karma to result in justice and good prevailing. Yet, good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people, every day. Real life is certainly ambiguous in this regard and the ending left me wondering. Does she make it or not? Part of me rooted for her to wake up and ultimately find redemption and part of me believes that all those around her are better off if she is dead. Delicious.

I don't think liking Jackie is the point of this story, and I disagree with the premise that it is necessary to like any main character.

I do find her endlessly interesting. That was what mattered to me.

"I'm a happy person, but an angry citizen." -- Lewis Black

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My mother is a recluse alcoholic that abandoned her family for a life on the streets when I was younger. My baby sister has no memory of her, and my own teenage son doesn't know she exists.
That being said, I, too, grew up to be an alcoholic (despite my own & others best efforts to help). I can speak as someone who loves an addict & as an addict myself - I loved the Jackie character because it's pretty spot on. Dramatized extreme version of an addict, but at least one thing she did probably brought up some unpleasant memories for those of us that have been addicts & those who love them

Just started the show and I find nothing likeable about her. I hated her even after the pilot. I don't think you necessarily need to root for a main a character, they just need to be interesting and compelling. Falco in a phenomenal actor so there's that but I don't find anything all that interesting about a opportunistic, miserable junkie nurse.

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