Shows like L.A. Law used to be talked about constantly back in the day since for decades now shows focusing on the law and the many different procedures have been the type that people are really into or have used as background noise if they happen to be daytime shows, kind of like soap operas. In every single one of these shows, there has always been at least one or two people, or more, to take on each and every needed role in the show. In this case, Gwen Taylor, played by Sheila Kelley, was the individual who usually had the worst storylines and was one of the most annoying characters on the cast. Whether this was the way it was supposed to be or if Sheila somehow made the character just a little worse in one way or another didn’t matter since a lot of people were o the same mind that the character was just horrible. Sometimes the worst character on a show is still a great character but is simply marked as the worst since someone has to be.
But in this case, Gwen was simply a tough character since her storylines were just terrible and her development as a character felt almost painful. The fact is that if a character can’t really get any traction on a show that they’ll likely be taken out in some way. The manner in which a character such as this is taken out at times can be kind of satisfying, but when they’re kept on the show for an extended period it’s a bit frustrating but it is kind of necessary. The worst characters on any show are those that tend to add the most conflict and can be entirely necessary no matter how annoying they are. Gwen wasn’t quite that important in the minds of a lot of fans, but some did manage to find it possible to like her.
When all was said and done though she still stood out like a sore thumb to some people since the whole idea that she was anything but annoyance had to do with the fact that she wasn’t the main point of the show. This could be why the show lasted as long as it did and was as successful since characters like Gwen confuse a lot of people when they get kept for so long. As it’s already been mentioned though, horrible characters do manage to create interest since it gives someone for people to rail against, meaning that the audience gets the chance to experience a more complete spectrum of good to bad individuals that move the story forward. Those like Gwen Taylor tend to stall their respective shows every now and then if they’re not well-developed, and this is why they become the worst characters. Sometimes they might actually be decent characters within the show, but they could simply be negative influences on the story that is there to provide the influence that will offset the protagonist. In other words, Gwen was meant to be an annoyance most likely, but thanks to the lackluster storylines it could be that she was even worse than she was meant to be.
That could have fallen on the shoulders of the writers as well since the actors are sometimes bound by the dialogue, the situations, and don’t always have much choice when it comes to how they can play their role. It might sound like an excuse to give Sheila’s character a bit of an excuse, and some would likely take it as such. But the truth is that Gwen is still kind of a horrible character since she never really felt like she had a great storyline that was allowed to play out in a way that might have made her look like a great character. It’s fair to say that the rest of the characters, even those that were socked firmly in the ‘worst character’ designation, managed to overshadow the character’s attempts since the fact that the show was an Emmy winner multiple times makes it clear that Gwen Taylor didn’t drag L.A. Law down in any serious way. It’s easy to say that the others didn’t make her look any better, but they made the show work on multiple levels.
It does sound as though this show is coming back, which makes it easy to hope that there won’t be another appearance by Gwen Taylor or, just maybe, she’ll be written in as a character that has finally developed into someone that has a great storyline and a great amount of purpose. It’s easy to think that her character couldn’t get any worse with a reboot, but it’s also easy to think that tempting fate isn’t a wise thing to do. If Gwen Taylor is a part of the reboot it’s likely that she might come back in a more impressive manner.L.A. Law
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