Three characters Netflix refuses to let grow up
Growth is beautiful. Growth is important. However, it seems growth is also apparently not in the contracts of these Netflix characters.
The OTT giant has given us some of the most iconic characters of the last decade. They fall in love. They fight monsters. They go to therapy. They cry dramatically under fairy lights. And yet, somehow, some of them stay the exact same. Not emotionally or behaviourally, and especially not in the haircut department. It is like time moves forward, but their internal development is stuck buffering.
And we are not talking about one-off choices or temporary regressions. We are talking about full-on personality stagnation. Characters who start Season 1 in chaos, enter Season 2 with potential, and end the final season… in chaos again. The kind of characters who get a hundred-second chances and still forget to grow up.
To be fair, some of this is on purpose. Chaos is fun, and flaws make things interesting. And no one wants to watch perfect people. But at some point, you have to wonder, are they actually growing? Or are they just walking in a stylish little emotional circle for four seasons straight?
Here are three Netflix characters who have been through heartbreak, loss, supernatural events, and career changes and still refuse to level up. Not because they cannot. But because the plot will not let them.
Three characters Netflix refuses to let grow up
Devi Vishwakumar (Never Have I Ever)
Through all four seasons, Devi has somehow grown up and not grown at all. She keeps making the same impulsive mistakes. She sabotages herself, then dramatically apologises, then somehow ends up in a love triangle again. Getting stuck is kind of her whole vibe now. The plot moves forward. Her GPA probably does too. But as a person? She is still that girl who throws a tantrum, says sorry, and then does it all again next week.
And yes, some of that chaos is necessary for the show to work. But imagine what Season 4 Devi could have been if she had just chilled for five minutes. Imagine if therapy had kicked in a little earlier. Imagine if we saw growth that actually stuck. But no. Netflix said, Keep her chaotic. Keep her dramatic. Keep her 15 forever.
Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)
The kids of Hawkins have changed. Dustin is still a nerd, but now a confident one. Lucas went full jock mode. Will is quietly trying to move on and figure himself out. And then there is Mike. Mike is just… there. He has no interests. No personality arc. His whole storyline is basically “boy who dates Eleven.” That is it.
To be fair, it is hard to grow when everyone else around you is dealing with mind-flaying monsters and alternate dimensions. But even in the small moments, Mike is just kind of lost. He does not evolve. He does not adapt. He exists to be worried about Eleven and occasionally yell in a basement. Netflix gave everyone else a character glow-up. Mike got stuck in Season 1 energy and never left.
Emily Cooper (Emily in Paris)
Devi and Mike get a little grace and pass. They are teenagers. But Emily? Emily is a grown woman with a job, rent, and an Instagram following. And yet, she makes decisions like someone who just woke up in a rom-com and never adjusted. She switches jobs like she changes outfits. She dates men like she is ordering dessert. And she causes chaos in every professional meeting, then charms her way out with some French and a power blazer.
She has lived in Paris for three seasons and still acts like it is her first week. She does not grow, she accessorises. Every problem is handled with a pun and a pout. Growth is possible. Emily just refuses to participate.
