Summary
TV shows go on for a long time, meaning that theshowrunners have all the screen time they need to show a character switch from being completely terrifying to sweet and cuddly.Yet some of these switches happen very fast, even within the first episode, when the point of a character is that they maintain a facade of terror but have a heart after all. This works better in some cases than others — for instance,The Walking Deadreally wants everyone to forget Negan’s villainy, spending years on this arc and ignoring a lot of his past.
The scary-to-sweet character type overlaps with bothTV characters with the best redemption arcsand themost undeserved redemption arcs in TV shows.It takes work to convince an audience of a multi-faceted characterwho represents realistic people because humans are not defined by one character trait. Hopefully, the show goes on long enough that the writers can show a character’s dual nature through many subtle moments that add up to a fully developed individual arc.
10 TV Characters With The Best Development Of All Time
The best TV character arcs of all time showcase organic character development through relationships, career changes, and impactful life experiences.
10Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan)
The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017) & The Originals (2013-2018)
The sophomore season, which is widely considered to be one of thebest seasons ofThe Vampire Diaries,sees a tense buildup to Klaus’ arrival in Mystic Falls. Elijah is the first Original to appear, and his apparent indestructibility and the promise that Klaus is worse sets up the latter as the ultimate threat.When he arrives, Klaus proves to be a formidable enemy who always escapesthe heroes’ plans to kill him. He is also very impulsive, which makes him more terrifying when he is so powerful.
Klaus is inThe Vampire Diarieslong enough to demand more nuance than just being the big bad; his softer side is best illustrated through his feelings for Caroline. However,Klaus’ sweetest moments are in the spinoff series about his family,The Originals,in which his daughter Hope is born. Klaus may have once been the most terrifying character inThe Vampire Diaries, but he is always a doting father and in awe of his daughter.
The Vampire Diaries
Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another’s affection.
The Originals
Spinning off from the popular CW seriesThe Vampire Diaries, The Originals is a supernatural drama series that follows three vampiric siblings of the first vampire family known to exist. With the eldest sibling, Klaus being a hybrid of werewolf, witch, and now vampire, the three find themselves attempting to help with the delicate balance of powers in the New Orleans French Quarter as they deal with their own family troubles.
9Regina Mills (Lana Parrilla)
Once Upon A Time (2011-2018)
Regina’s early episodes inOnce Upon a Timeare spent on her over-the-top dramatics as the classic Evil Queen,complete with elaborate costuming and direct dialogue. Most of her scheming against Emma in the first season is ire-provoking, even when her backstory episode depicting the murder of her fiancé comes to pass. The beginning of season 2 suddenly establishes genuine affection between her and Henry, while more episodes gradually show her being deeply conflicted and trying to be better for her son.
At some point during season 2,it becomes impossible not to root for Regina.Because Regina is aTV character who can’t seem to catch a break, it becomes more difficult to watch one thing after another go wrong for her. From the third season onward, she is fully on the side of the heroes, which allows her to have plenty of friendly and heartwarming moments with her friends, her new boyfriend, and some of their children.
Once Upon A Time
Once Upon a Time is an adventure fantasy-drama series created for ABC that features fairy tale characters and their Disney incarnations in a modern setting. When Emma Swan and her son Henry accidentally drive into the town of Storybrooke, they soon discover the inhabitants are those from fairy tales, and they have no knowledge of the modern world inhabited by Emma and Henry. Robbed of their pasts and given new identities by the Evil Queen known as Regina, the hope of the town’s residents lie solely in the hands of Emma, who has stronger connections to the town than she knows.
8Negan Smith (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)
Negan’s first appearance inThe Walking Deadis horrific, and his actions really should be treated as unforgivable. Negan is wrapped up with thecontroversialWalking Deadseason 6 cliffhanger, leaving fans waiting for months to find out who had been killed. The show then uses Negan as a terrible villain for a few seasons, before committing to one of the most difficult redemption arcs in TV history.Rick spares Negan because of a desperate wish for peace, after which Negan spends several years in prison,before accomplishing a lot of heroic acts to counteract what he did before.
Negan then gets a lot of cute moments with all the kids in service of painting him as a changed man with a soft side.
Negan’s most redeeming moments include saving some of the children of the main characters, which earns him some goodwill where they are concerned. Negan then gets a lot of cute moments with all the kids in service of painting him as a changed man with a soft side. However,it is still sometimes difficult to buy into Negan’s friendly characterizationwhen his first episode includes one of the most brutal and memorable moments of the show.
The Walking Dead
Cast
The Walking Dead is a television series that premiered on June 06, 2025. It follows Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. He embarks on a journey to locate his family, encountering various survivors amidst the chaos.
7Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021)
Rosa is arguably the toughest character inBrooklyn Nine-Nineand her main gimmick is that no one messes with her because they are all afraid of her. When this is how her character is immediately advertised, other aspects of her will come later. Rosa’s past is also shrouded in mystery, allowing her harsh exterior to dominate every scene. However, predictably, the more screen time Rosa has, the more chances she gets for a random soft or funny moment, or a time when she reveals something about herself.
Rosa’s character evolves so that the meanest and goofiest parts of her persona exist side by side. However, even in the pilot, her interactions with Charles demonstrate that she is not completely stone-cold.Rosa will always be known for being the tough one,but she doubtlessly becomes a softer character in the context of more scenes where she is silly or protective and more details about her past.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
From the creative minds of Dan Goor and Michael Schur comes Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a police comedy series set in the NYPD’s fictional 99th precinct. Headed by the comedically serious Captain Raymond Holt and protagonist Jake Peralta, the detectives of the 99 deal with burglaries, drug deals, and oddities in New York City, occasionally steering into real-world issues surrounding police perception and social concerns in the 2010s and earlier. Each detective has their own unique personality that makes them stand out, creating endearing dynamics that helped the show thrive for eight seasons.
6Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson)
Grey’s Anatomy (2005-Present)
Bailey is introduced as the supervising resident of the main intern group who they should rightfully be afraid of.The early episodes ofGrey’s Anatomyshow them all running to keep up with Bailey’s ordersand plenty of hilarious moments stemming from her no-nonsense attitude. Bailey’s slow shift from being one of the meanest characters on the show to one of the nicest is easy to miss. There are plenty of points of overlap, where Bailey is sharp one minute and comforting the next.
Partially because the main characters complete their residency, and it is no longer Bailey’s job to intimidate them, she starts interacting with characters like Meredith in a friendly, casual manner.Bailey can still lay down the law if necessary at the hospital,which is especially needed when she is chief of surgery. However, people also remember her for her romance with Ben and her storylines with Joey and Pru, two children she adopted in addition to her son from her first marriage.
Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama series revolving around surgical interns, residents, and attendings at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. The show features the professional and personal lives of these medical professionals, led initially by Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo. Created by Shonda Rhimes, the series highlights the complexities of medical cases while delving into the interpersonal relationships among the hospital staff.
Grey’s Anatomy: 15 Main Characters' Arcs, Ranked Worst To Best
For 18 seasons, fans of Grey’s Anatomy have seen many doctors walk in and out of the show. Here are how their stories compared, from worst to best.
5Galina “Red” Reznikov (Kate Mulgrew)
Orange Is The New Black (2013-2019)
Red holds a position of power within the prison hierarchy at the beginning ofOrange Is the New Blackas the head cook who controls the kitchen, using it for a smuggling operation. She is ferocious and certainly scary, dictating how she wants things to be run. However, she is shown to have a code and be generally fair during the first season: While she is intimidating, she refuses to smuggle drugs into the prison and has helped other inmates with addictions.Red is also decent to Piperuntil Piper complains about her cooking.
Red losing the kitchen is the first part of her series-long character arc,which reveals more of her vulnerability. Piper feels the need to protect Red’s feelings when she finds out that her market has closed, and lies to her. No one inOrange Is the New Blackis completely innocent, but Red, like the other characters, exhibits moments of sympathy and comradery that show her capacity for affection.
Orange is The New Black
Based on the memoir by Piper Kerman, Orange Is the New Black follows Piper Champman (Taylor Schilling) after she turns herself in for a 15-month sentence in a minimum-security women’s prison for aiding in a drug-smuggling operation run by her ex-girlfriend Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). One of Netflix’s most popular original series, the show explores the corruption inherent in the US prison system through the lens of Piper’s experiences.
4Mai (Cricket Leigh)
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)
Mai shows off an emo aesthetic and personality, serving as a direct foil to Ty Lee’s bright and bubbly persona when Azula recruits them both to help hunt down Zuko. There are some hints about Mai’s longstanding crush on Zuko at this point in the series. However, Ty Lee is the character who seems more likely to betray Azula because she is genuinely kind, whileMai is all ruthlessness and sharp edges, with no reason she should want to fight the Fire Nation.
Mai’s switch to the side of good happens fast, possibly needing more development. She is completely smitten with Zuko when they are together, but just as angry with him for leaving. Her turnaround to declaring her love for Zuko is barely justified; openly saying such cloying things is somewhat out of character for her.Mai’s last scene in the series is also soft and romantic,as she returns to Zuko and reminds him not to anger her again.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Last Airbender, released in 2005, follows a young boy in a war-torn world of elemental magic as he reawakens to embark on a challenging mystical quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar and restore peace to the world.
3Sandor “The Hound” Clegane (Rory McCann
Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)
The Hound is physically dominating, which lends to his characterization at the beginning ofGame of Thronesas being downright terrifying. His murder of Arya’s friend in the second episode upholds this, as do his other interactions with the rest of the cast over the next few seasons. It is whenthe Hound leaves King’s Landing and ends up with Arya in his carethat his softer side begins to show itself. He and Arya come to a kind of understanding, and she chooses to let him die of his injuries rather than ensure his death by killing him herself.
Finally, the Hound and Arya have a touching moment before his death.
The Hound then finds himself helping Jon and Tormund as they prepare to face the Night King. For this arc, he isn’t much more than a gruff but helpful member of Jon’s retinue, all allied against the common threat of the White Walkers.He also has some humorous interactions with Tormundderived from their drastically different personalities. Finally, the Hound and Arya have a touching moment before his death. His showdown with his brother is also a reminder of the tragic past partially responsible for how he became such a terrifying man.
Game Of Thrones
Based on George R. R. Martin’s ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. It follows noble families like the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryen vying for control of the Iron Throne while a rising threat from the undead looms in the North. The series received significant critical success and amassed a loyal fan base due to its high production values, sprawling sets, iconic characters, and shocking twists.
2Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega)
Wednesday (2022-Present)
Wednesday gets friendlier as the first season progresses, with her friends learning their way around her quirks and Wednesday coming to appreciate their more typical teenage personalities.Some people might wish that Wednesday had stayed completely sharp and deadpanand some moments of her showing affection work better than others. She is still fierce at the end of season 1, but is definitely different from the girl who literally set flesh-eating piranhas on the group of boys who bullied her brother.
Wednesday’s kiss with Tyler and hug with Enid are the biggest moments that show the change in her character. The challenge forWednesdayseason 2is now to have Wednesday continue to evolve while maintaining her wit and appropriately dark persona.Jenna Ortega questioned some of the writers’ decisions when it came to seemingly contradicting the known personality of Wednesday Addams,who is remembered more for being scary than cuddly.
Wednesday
Wednesday follows the journey of Wednesday Addams as she attends Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for outcasts. Tasked with mastering her psychic abilities, she confronts a series of town murders and a haunting family mystery from 25 years ago, all while managing new social dynamics.
10 Best Character Arcs In Star Wars, Ranked
There are many Star Wars characters that have changed over time, and their stories are some of the best in all of Star Wars canon.
1Din Djarin/Mando (Pedro Pascal)
The Mandalorian (2019-Present)
The titular Mandalorian, also known as Mando or Din, goes from heartless to protective pretty fast in the first episode ofThe Mandalorian. The show establishes that he is the ultimate bounty hunter, the only one capable of the near-impossible mission of retrieving the Child.Din tells himself that it is just a job and what happens to the Child isn’t his concern,but quickly changes his mind and goes back to rescue him. Yet there is still an arc after this concerning how Din interacts with Grogu.
At first, Din’s approach is mostly to ensure Grogu is fed and still alive;he gradually becomes more affectionate. Midway through the first season, it is apparent to most of the other characters and the audience that he has effectively adopted the Child, even if he hasn’t quite accepted being a parent yet. Several scary to cuddly arcs from TV are like this, sneaking up on the characters when the audience could tell much earlier.
The Mandalorian
Released on July 14, 2025 The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter navigating the galaxy’s outer reaches after the Galactic Empire’s fall. As a skilled bounty hunter, he operates in a lawless universe, undertaking various missions on the fringes of the New Republic’s territories.
