10 TV Characters Who Entered Their Redemption Era

The following article contains spoilers.There is a question that we have been pondering for months: What makes a great redemption story? It’s a question that has been particularly vexing since our research began many months ago, and the answer was clearly right in front of us. A great redemption arc on television sticks the landing, where that character is totally redeemed from their past, deeply flawed era.

So, using this as a metric, we set out to find TV characters who entered their redemption era and came out better on the other side. These are the characters who recognized that they had huge red flags attached to them, and they made the changes needed to become better. These are the ones that we root for, and once you reach the end, dear reader, you will root for these characters as well.

10

Loki

‘Loki’ (2021–2023)

When we were first introduced to Loki (Tom Hiddleston), he was a powerful villain with a thirst for power, with a narcissistic sense of self to match. But when Loki made the transition to the small screen, he transformed from the villain that we originally saw him as, and into a character that showed a profound transformation that largely worked.

Loki was a character who was ripe for a redemption arc. He had all the qualities needed to make it happen in Loki. All that was needed was a writing staff who saw the potential in this transformation, and the end result was a character who went from being a narcissistic, unlikable villain to a powerful being that showed remorse and cared for others. When he destroyed the Temporal Loom, which he wanted to desperately control, he completed his arc from villain to hero, and we all stood and congratulated him for it.

9

Petra Solano

‘Jane the Virgin’ (2014–2019)

In the early seasons of The CW’s criminally underrated comedy-drama Jane the Virgin, no one could reasonably believe that Petra Solano (Yael Grobglas) could have a redemption arc that people actually believed in. She was the scheming, cheating wife of Rafael Solano (Justin Baldoni), and she was a character that audiences were meant to hate with a searing passion.

Then, something amazing happened. After the birth of her twin girls, Petra slowly shed her villainous persona and became a complex individual who was, dare we say it, more likable. This was thanks to her growth into motherhood, and Petra finding real love with JR (Rosario Dawson), which allowed Petra to finally open up and be more vulnerable, with her coming to the satisfying realization that, deep down, she actually is a good person.

8

Nathan Scott

‘One Tree Hill’ (2003–2012)

There are traditional redemption arcs, and then there’s the redemption of One Tree Hill‘s Nathan Scott (James Lafferty). His transformation was so astounding that, toward the end of the series’ run, one could swear that they were watching an entirely different character. We were first introduced to Scott, who was the arrogant, cruel star of the Tree Hill Ravens’ basketball team.

There was really nothing to like about Scott early on, but in Season 1, he starts dating Haley James Scott (Bethany Joy Lenz), which softens Scott’s aggressive and selfish demeanor and begins his remarkable transformation. Along the way, we find out that Scott desperately wanted to be a better man than his father, and in the latter seasons, he successfully achieved this. He was a better father, a better husband, and, above all, a more mature, responsible person who developed empathy toward others rather than let apathy run his life. Nathan Scott was a redemption story that should be admired.

7

Theon Greyjoy

‘Game of Thrones’ (2011–2019)

You had to feel for Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen), even though at the beginning of the acclaimed HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, it may have been hard to do so. Greyjoy’s early arc was full of arrogance, but when he was captured after the seizure of Winterfell and broken to become “Reek,” the seeds of a character-defining redemption were set into motion.

Greyjoy managed to break the submissive “Reek” persona, and he became a character who died in honorable sacrifice. So while he ultimately died, leaving the world behind, trying to protect someone you care about represented a complete 180-degree change from the unlikable persona he once embodied. Viewers were initially not supposed to like or root for Theon, but we felt bad for him when he was relentlessly tortured, and we were able to honor him when he died trying to protect Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright). That reader is a classic tale of redemption, and it made us see his character in a completely different light.

6

Alexis and David Rose

‘Schitt’s Creek’ (2015–2020)

We will admit, it was really fun watching Schitt’s Creek‘s David (Daniel Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) Rose in their shallow, entitled phase. After all, they grew up as socialites, unable to connect to the wider world that didn’t have nearly the same things nor were afforded the same lifestyle that they enjoyed. But it was also fun and quite rewarding to see David and Alexis grow out of that superficial persona and become more empathetic and independent of their parents.

For Alexis, this character-defining redemption arc meant overcoming toxic relationships and a lack of direction to find purpose and learn how to become her own person. For her brother, that meant getting past dramatic, guarded tendencies and embracing the fact that vulnerability can be a good thing. By embracing change, Alexis and David Rose became better people, completing a redemption arc that fans of Schitt’s Creek didn’t have much hope for in the beginning.

5

Chuck Bass

‘Gossip Girl’ (2007–2012)

To this very day, fans of the iconic CW drama Gossip Girl debate the redemption arc of Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick). When we first met Chuck, he was a character that everyone despised. He displayed the persona that made everyone hate rich people. He was manipulative, arrogant, hedonistic, and there was no question once, ever, that Chuck was the main antagonist in Season 1.

But his love for Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), a character with her own set of flaws, became the driving force for Chuck to start evolving into a character that fans could actually feel empathy for instead of resentment. His relationship with Blair forced Chuck to look at himself in the mirror, confronting his toxic behavior and cold demeanor, and begin his maturation. Chuck’s redemption arc is unique in the fact that it isn’t a straight line from arrogant you-know-what to the picture of maturity. His redemption was indeed a “one step forward, three steps back” scenario (remember, this is the guy who traded his girlfriend for a hotel), and this is why his road to sensible character is still debated today. But, in the end, he did become a better person, and it was a process that, while slow, eventually redefined his character (and resulted in one of the best relationships in Gossip Girl).

4

Jin-Soo Kwon

‘Lost’ (2004–2010)

One of ABC’s Lost’s best aspects was its “flashback” moments within its episodes. It was during these flashbacks (and flashforwards) that we were able to get a deeper glimpse into the characters who were marooned on a tropical island inhabited by polar bears (yes, we’re still not getting over this). One of those flashbacks centered on Jin-Soo Kwon (Daniel Dae Kim), who was abusive and controlling to his wife, Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim).

But, being stuck on a remote island with no help coming soon has a way of changing people, and we got to see Jin-Soo Kwon develop from that insecure, possessive husband who isolated his wife from the other survivors, and into a loving, selfless person who tried hard to communicate, helped the other survivors on the island, and, most importantly, worked to change his relationship with his wife, which was showcased in a tragically beautiful moment when he chose to die alongside her in a sunken submarine instead of leave her.

3

April Ludgate

‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009–2015)

Not all character-defining redemption arcs follow the traditional path of a terrible personality who matures into a respectable and well-liked person. Sometimes that redemption can result in the character becoming a “softer” version of themselves. Enter Parks and Recreation’s April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza), who we first met as an intern at the Pawnee Parks and Recreation department.

Ludgate was often described as “aggressively apathetic,” a person who didn’t have a care in the world for anyone, speaking in a deadpan manner, and was proud of the fact that she was difficult to have a relationship with. But that began to change thanks to Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), whose mentorship helped April channel her intensity into meaningful work. And, later, April’s relationship with Andy Dwyer (Chris Pratt) allowed her to finally drop some of the walls she put up emotionally. While April still retained her edge, she became a character who realized that she can be a caring and responsible person without losing her sense of self.

2

Michael

‘The Good Place’ (2016–2020)

At the beginning of the NBC fantasy comedy The Good Place, Michael (Ted Danson) was not the person viewers initially thought he was. Michael was introduced as an angel and “architect” of the “Good Place.” However, toward the end of Season 1, we saw Michael’s true colors; he was a demon that tortured the show’s protagonist in a Bad Place that masqueraded as a Good Place.

Make no mistake, Michael was quite sadistic, a demon who relished torturing the show’s protagonists. We learn that this came about because Michael had a lack of understanding of human empathy, but as he teams up with the humans to protect himself from his boss, he begins to feel empathy and form a friendship with the human protagonists. In the end, Michael learns a lot about human experience, leading him to finally be able to be at peace.

1

Schmidt

‘New Girl’ (2011–2018)

Shallow, selfish, and a perceived “ladies’ man,” there wasn’t a lot to like about New Girl‘s Schmidt (Max Greenfield). He was very obsessed with himself, and was a person who always cared about his status and how he looked. It was toxic, no doubt about it, but over the seasons, we began to see why Schmidt was the way he was, as it was born out of insecurity, and he began to further change when he began a romantic relationship with Cece Parekh (Hannah Simone).

Although fans debated his behavior during Season 3, where he was in a relationship with both Cece and Elizabeth (Merritt Wever), this moment allowed Schmidt to finally confront his toxic personality, and from there, he grew a genuine love for Cece and became a more caring and vulnerable person, one that fans grew to love by the time the show came to a close.