13 Characters Who Are Perpetually in Crisis Mode

These days, who isn’t perpetually in Crisis Mode?

It’s such a relatable place that it’s not uncommon to see many of our favorite characters endure similar states of being.

Whether they’re the first person you call when there’s a crisis, or they’re constantly flitting from one personal crisis or issue to the next, these characters are the very definition of “crisis mode.”

([Emerson Miller/Paramount+], [Sarkis/Showtime], [Courtesy of Netflix], [Ken Kwok/CBS], [Steve Swisher/NBC], [Sergei Bachlakov/CBS])

So, check out our list of TV characters perpetually in Crisis Mode!

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Fiona Gallagher – Shameless

She was ALWAYS running from one crisis to another on Shameless.

(Chuck Hodes/SHOWTIME)

We loved (and were jealous of) how she’d pull up her gorgeous, long, wavy hair, secure it with an elastic of some sort, throw on some random clothes, and run out of the house looking FABULOUS.

She’d come back with either a bunch of money, a new boyfriend, or both.

Even though she made it look charmed and effortless, Fiona was running all the time to take care of her bazillion and a half siblings apart from their terrible parents.

Did we mention her hair was fantastic?

Colton Shaw – Tracker

(Ed Araquel/CBS)

In Tracker, Colton Shaw’s life is a constant high-stakes game of cat and mouse, where the stakes are life and death.

With every case he takes on, he dives headfirst into the murky depths of danger, never quite knowing if he’ll resurface.

Related: How Tracker Can Avoid Common Procedural Pitfalls

His keen instincts and survival skills are put to the test at every turn, making “crisis mode” his default setting.

Yet, despite the chaos, Shaw’s unwavering sense of justice propels him forward, one crisis at a time.

Miranda Bailey – Grey’s Anatomy

Listen, Miranda Bailey is the backbone of Grey Sloan Memorial, and if you disagree, you can argue with the wall.

(ABC/Liliane Lathan)

It’s near impossible to be a Grey’s Anatomy character who doesn’t weather many storms, as something is ALWAYS happening.

But Bailey has been at this for almost 21 seasons now, juggling patients, all the calamity that inflicts Grey Sloan Memorial, her own family, colleagues, and, of course, molding the minds of future doctors.

Whether she has the rank of “chief” or not, she’s often at the center of every crisis and conflict, slightly annoyed but constantly navigating everyone through.

Melanie Pearson – Neighbours

Ever since Freevee revived Neighbours, it has been one thing after another with her.

Melanie and Krista must face past mistakes at their police interview on Neighbours during the week of 1-01-24. (Amazon Freevee (Screenshot))

She returned after having disappeared for two years because she was in hiding from thinking she killed someone.

After spending a lot of time pining after her ex, she nearly got somewhere with him after being held hostage and needing someone to stay with her.

Related: Prequel Problems: Why are TV Execs So Fixated on the Past?

Soon after, she got caught up in a protest, and someone accidentally knocked her down a flight of steps. More recently, she met another random guy she brought to town, who was stalking the late David Tanaka and trying to get with his husband.

There is always something with her, and it’s ridiculous that she continues to be so naive and trusting when literally every new person she meets causes her trouble.

Mike McLusky – Mayor of Kingstown

(Dennis P. Mong Jr./Paramount +)

In Mayor of Kingstown, Mike McLusky’s life in Kingstown is a never-ending tightrope walk over a pit of seething vipers.

As the power broker in a town riddled with corruption and violence, he’s constantly navigating between warring factions, trying to maintain a precarious balance.

His own moral compass is under siege, as every decision he makes pulls him deeper into the abyss.

In a world where crisis is the status quo, Mike’s resilience is the only thing keeping the entire city from imploding.

Jack Sheridan – Virgin River

(Netflix)

If we’re honest, Mel and Jack probably deserve to be on this list.

Those two go through it all the time, and one of the many reasons they’re great for each other is that they can relate to being in crisis mode 1000% of the time.

That said, Jack is the reliable guy everyone in Virgin River turns to in their time of need.

He’s the port in the storm, with his restaurant even serving as a safe harbor for their entire community.

Related: Is Ryan Gosling Hollywood’s Last True Leading Man?

But while he pours his all into problem-solving for everyone else, behind that smile, there’s a profound sadness and cavern of unresolved trauma and grief that simmers beneath the surface.

Jack struggles most when he has to self-reflect and face PTSD, Grief, and trauma head-on without any place to hide.

Beth Dutton – Yellowstone

(Emerson Miller / Paramount)

Beth Dutton is like a human tornado, leaving a trail of emotional and physical wreckage in her wake.

She juggles boardroom battles, personal vendettas, and a toxic family dynamic with a devil-may-care attitude on Yellowstone.

Yet, beneath her fierce exterior, a vulnerability peeks out just often enough to remind us she’s perpetually fighting her own inner demons.

Whether taking down corporate sharks or clashing with her own kin, Beth’s life is a relentless storm.

Olivia Pope – Scandal

You can’t talk about a character perpetually in Crisis Mode without mentioning the most complicated (and best-dressed) fixer.

(ABC)

“It’s handled,” is Olivia Pope’s signature catchphrase on Scandal.

She applies this approach to every obstacle and problem she encounters while navigating D.C.’s seedy, duplicitous underbelly.

She takes on any crisis with aplomb and strategy while fumbling her way through a messy romantic life and a constantly in shambles personal life, resulting from parents who are a fixer’s worst nightmare.

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She speaks so rapidly that she can barely catch her breath from one dramatic moment to the next and sustains herself on popcorn and wine.

It tells you everything you need to know about how this wonderfully flawed badass manages.

Kim Burgess – Chicago PD

(NBC/Screenshot)

Seriously, can Kim Burgess EVER catch a break?

One of Chicago PD‘s staples is to put this woman through the wringer at every conceivable moment, as she rarely has a moment of peace.

No other Intelligence Unit character has taken as many beatings as Burgess, quite literally.

Sure, it’s her job to run headfirst into a crisis, and she’s badass enough to face them all, but she flits from one to another, which often trickles into her personal life, too.

From beatdowns, getting shot, being held captive, and even having a miscarriage, it’s no surprise that Kim’s default state is Crisis Mode.

But maybe we can’t expect anything less from a passionate police officer and mother who never meets a crisis she won’t tackle.

Dylan McKay – Beverly Hills 90210

(Fox/Screenshot)

Dylan starts out as a high school kid living in a hotel alone because his parents are divorced and self-centered.

Also, his dad is a crook who later allows his son to witness his “murder” to get into witness protection, thinking nothing of how seeing that would impact Dylan.

For years, Dylan struggled off and on with alcohol, drugs, and a general inability to maintain romantic relationships.

Related: 17 Shows That Achieved Unprecedented Success

Then, a scam artist steals his money, and his wife’s own father — who is also the guy who tried to murder Dylan’s father — murders her.

He is constantly a mess through no fault of his own, even though he tries to project a cool exterior as much as possible.

Gabi Mosely – Found

(Steve Swisher/NBC)

Gabi is the person you call in a crisis and prides herself on being the voice for the voiceless.

Gabi’s own personal experience as a teenager who lived in captivity because of a man with whom she has a complex relationship is at the center of her advocacy on Found.

It’s what contributes to her being one of the most complex entries on this list.

There isn’t a crisis that Gabi won’t hurl herself into, but she does so with reckless abandon.

It’s all a result of her own experience and unresolved issues she’s yet to work through.

Not only has she taken up resolving crises as her cause and a sense of purpose, but she also willingly incorporates her biggest one into her life and world with her own personal monster in the basement.

Harry Vanderspeigle – Resident Alien

(James Dittiger/SYFY)

Harry Vanderspeigle, the alien masquerading as a small-town doctor, lives in a perpetual state of existential crisis on Resident Alien.

Balancing his mission to destroy humanity with the unexpected bonds he’s formed, his life is a comedic clash of otherworldly logic and human emotions.

Related: TV Moments that Give Meaning to the Word Crescendo

Every encounter with the quirky townsfolk pushes him further into the deep end of confusion and moral dilemmas.

For Harry, maintaining his cover is as challenging as understanding human idiocy, making his every moment a cosmic calamity.

Kelly Severide – Chicago Fire

(Adrian S Burrows Sr/NBC)

An ongoing Chicago Fire joke is that Severide is a trouble magnet constantly embroiled in some harrowing experience or drama.

It’s one thing to know that he’s perpetually in the thick of it as a first responder drawn to danger like a moth to a flame.

However, Severide’s personal life also often keeps him in a heightened state.

His personal life is as demanding as his job, from losing friends to navigating family drama, relationship woes, and loss.

Severide is a fighter in all aspects of his life and never finds a moment of rest. He wouldn’t welcome it anyway, though.

Over to you, TV Fanatics. Let’s hear your input in the comments below!

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