There are few things more satisfying for TV fans than watching a villainous character go from bad to good. The long-form nature of television means that the medium is better than any other at delivering a redemption arc, as the sheer amount of time viewers spend with the character in question makes their evolution all the more impactful. If done well, even someone who started out as thoroughly unlikable can end up becoming a firm fan-favorite that audiences can’t get enough of.
From fantasy to sitcoms to animation, TV is home to countless incredible redemption arcs, with everything from supervillains to school bullies to actual demons proving they are capable of change and eventually joining the side of the angels. As based on how significant the character’s evolution was, plus how effective and complete their transformation came across, here are the 10 best redemption arcs in TV history, ranked.
10
Negan Went From Amoral Murderer to Main Character
The Walking Dead
When Negan strolled into The Walking Dead at the end of Season 6, and proceeded to brutally murder two beloved characters, nobody could have expected him to end up where he is now. After being defeated by the survivors, a time-jump in Season 9 demonstrated how a long stint in a jail cell had forced Negan to reflect on his own sins. By the show’s conclusion in Season 11, Negan was fighting alongside the survivors against new threats and exhibiting real remorse for his actions.
In spin-off series The Walking Dead: Dead City, Negan even becomes a protagonist and teams up with Maggie — the widow of his most notorious victim, Glenn. The reason Negan is so low on this list is because whether he can ever be truly redeemed for his monstrous crimes or not is such a controversial issue among fans. Still, whatever your opinions on Negan, it can’t be denied that he has experienced one of the fullest and most surprising arcs in the TWD universe.
9
Steve Harrington Grew Into an All-Time Fan-Favorite
Stranger Things
Nobody could’ve expected Steve Harrington to become one of Stranger Things‘ breakout characters. In Season 1, while not exactly a villain, Steve is an antagonistic force and treats Nancy, Jonathan and others terribly. Starting with Season 2, however, his experience of witnessing the weird side of Hawkins changes him fundamentally and Steve goes from mean jock to devoted den mother to The Party, even becoming best buds with Dustin.
Steve’s arc arguably peaks in the second and third seasons, as Seasons 4 and 5 waste too much time on him pining for Nancy, which is why he can’t come any higher on this list. Even so, Steve’s journey from bad boyfriend to one of the most beloved figures in Stranger Things‘ ensemble cast ensures that he ranks among the most notable redeemed characters of the streaming era.
8
Theon Greyjoy Literally Became a Different Person
Game of Thrones
For a while there, Jaime Lannister looked set to be the definitive Westeros redemption story, until Season 8 came along and undid all his growth. That leaves Theon Greyjoy to take the crown as Game of Thrones‘ most significant redeemed character. When first introduced, Theon is desperate to prove himself to both his adoptive family, the Starks, and his biological family at all costs, even if that cost is murdering children.
Once he is brutally tortured and mutilated by Ramsay Bolton, however, Theon is reborn. Forced to adopt the persona of “Reek,” his psyche is completely broken down and when he pieces himself back together again, it is as someone far more heroic. Someone willing to protect Sansa and, ultimately, die battling the Night King to save the life of Bran. “You are a good man,” Bran tells him before his sacrifice, and against all the odds, it’s the truth.
7
Johnny Lawrence Joined Forces With His Nemesis
Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai is a masterclass in the right way to reboot a beloved franchise, as it doesn’t just reheat the original Karate Kid storyline but turns it on its head. Johnny Lawrence, the villain from the first movie, is the protagonist this time around and the show follows him as he tries to turn his fortunes around, after living in the shadow of his high school rival, Daniel LaRusso, his whole life.
The series’ brilliance is its commitment to taking the arguably two-dimensional characterizations from the original films and digging deeper under the surface. Just as Daniel isn’t perfect, Johnny isn’t all bad and over Cobra Kai‘s six seasons he becomes a better man before our eyes. He begins as Cobra Kai’s biggest defender and most brainwashed student and ends up allying with his own nemesis in order to take them down. In an inversion of the dojo’s brutal doctrine, Johnny learns the long way round not to strike first and the importance of showing mercy.
6
Root’s Worldview Was Changed by the Machine
Person of Interest
In the aspirational alternate universe of Person of Interest, exposure to AI actually makes you a better person. Originally introduced as a nemesis for Team Machine, Samantha Grove — known by her hacker alias “Root” — is a computer genius and contract killer with a total lack of empathy for other human beings. The only thing she cares about is the Machine, Harold Finch’s super-advanced surveillance system, which she essentially worships as a god.
Once the Machine chooses Root as its analog interface, she undergoes a remarkable transformation. Just as the Machine was taught to have empathy by Harold, so too does it teach empathy to Root. Thanks to her total faith in the Machine, Root joins the team in protecting the innocent and comes to hold the importance of their mission above all else, as evidenced by her heroic sacrifice in the show’s 100th episode. And that’s not even touching on Root’s unlikely yet iconic romance with Shaw.
5
Michael Fought to Make the Good Place Better
The Good Place
The Good Place is famed for featuring one of the best TV twists of all time, when its Season 1 finale reveals that Eleanor and her friends haven’t been spending their afterlife in “the Good Place” this whole time, they’ve actually been in “the Bad Place,” AKA Hell. Their apparently angelic mentor Michael, then, is really a demon, tasked with torturing their immortal souls for eternity.
Over the following three seasons, however, not only does “Team Cockroach” evolve enough as people to get out of the Bad Place, but so does Michael. As he becomes fascinated by their unbreakable spirits and the ethics they cling to, Michael learns to love humanity instead of hate them and ultimately helps devise a way to fix the flawed system that judges human souls after they die. Few characters in sitcom history have been blessed with the whirlwind, Jeremy Bearimy character arc of Michael.
4
Catra Tried to End the World Before She Helped Save It
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Netflix’s She-Ra reboot was far more complex and nuanced than audiences would expect from a series set in the He-Man universe, with many of the show’s character arcs exploring themes of childhood trauma, PTSD, and parental abuse. Nowhere is the series’ commitment to mature themes more apparent than in the evolution of Catra, a character who goes right to the edge of unrepentant apocalyptic villainy and all the way back again.
Catra’s deep-seated abandonment issues and inferiority complex make her an ideal soldier for the Horde, but in Season 3, her trauma leads her to the point of near self-destruction when she activates a dimensional portal that she knows could destroy the planet. From there, Catra slowly realizes how broken she is and begins to heal, ultimately joining forces with She-Ra in Season 5. In the finale, it is Catra’s declaration of her long-held love for Adora that allows the heroine to find the strength to save the world, and Catra the strength to finally let go of the pain of the past.
3
Loki Found Himself a New Glorious Purpose
Loki
In all his movie appearances prior to his self-titled streaming series (except maybe Thor: Ragnarok), Loki was very much the bad guy. In The Avengers, he memorably declares that his glorious purpose is to subjugate humanity. In Loki, however, the God of Mischief is forced into the employ of the Time Variance Authority and in doing so, he ends up finding a new glorious purpose: to protect the Sacred Timeline.
Thanks to his friendship with the straight-laced Mobius and romance with his variant Sylvie, Loki learns that he can be more than the trickster he’s always been. Not only does he find a new home at the TVA, but he starts to regret his own appalling past behavior. The Loki Season 2 finale was an astonishing way to conclude his character arc, as Loki officially graduates from God of Mischief to God of Time, transforming into a benevolent guardian of the multiverse. His teaming up with the heroes in Avengers: Doomsday serves as the perfect coda to his TV storyline.
2
Spike Went From Slayer Killer to Slayer Lover
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Spike is a brilliant example of what happens when a TV character is allowed to evolve organically. Originally intended as a supporting villain to be killed off halfway through Season 2, Spike proved such a hit with fans that he was kept alive. In Season 4, he became a reluctant ally to the Scooby Gang, thanks to a chip in his head that prevented the peroxide-headed vampire from harming anyone.
From Season 5 onwards, however, Spike underwent a major change — not in his head but in his heart. His love for Buffy originally manifested as a selfish, possessive obsession, but over time it matured into a desire to become a better man, leading to him fighting to regain his own soul. By the series finale, it was Spike who sacrificed himself to save the world, and Buffy finally told him the words he’d longed to hear: “I love you.” Whether Buffy truly meant it or not is up for debate, but Spike has certainly earned the love of, at this point, generations of fans.
1
Zuko Earned His Honor by Aiding the Avatar
Avatar: The Last Airbender
For anyone who grew up with Avatar: The Last Airbender, the TV redemption arc that made the biggest impact on them at a formative age is that of Prince Zuko. The banished heir to the Fire Nation throne was originally obsessed with hunting down the Avatar in order to regain his honor and impress his father, Fire Lord Ozai. Thanks to the influence of his wise Uncle Iroh, Zuko came to understand that the truly honorable thing was to rebel against his father and join forces with the Avatar to save the world.
The Last Airbender is famous for its perfectly paced storytelling, and Zuko’s arc exemplifies that, as each of the show’s three seasons send the anti-hero off on a new journey that fundamentally changes him bit by bit. By the time he is officially part of Team Avatar in Season 3, and ultimately ascends to the throne as a pacifist king, he has become the poster boy for redeemed TV characters everywhere.
