When it comes to television shows, there's not often a clear cut line between heroes and villains. For those who are genuinely good writers, character development means that the majority of leading faces can toe the line between 'good' and 'evil'. Still, it takes a truly special performance from a talented actor to cement a place in the hearts of those watching at home.
Here, we've decided to take a look at some of the best characters to have started off their on-screen relationship with audiences in their bad books, before turning over a new leaf and eventually winning them over...
7. Mike Ehrmantraut - Breaking Bad
We're not sure there's ever been a show quite like Breaking Bad, where the leading characters flit between being rooted for and utterly despised from one episode to the next. An unlikely fan-favourite came in the form of Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks). As a former police officer, Mike had gone rogue as a private investigator, unafraid to get his hands dirty and carry out a hit if the cheque is big enough. His death in the show is without a doubt one of the most emotional moments from the entire series, so audiences were excited to see him return as a part of prequel series, Better Call Saul.
6. The Hound - Game of Thrones
He was on Arya Stark's (Maisie Williams) kill list for some time, and that of audiences who wanted to see him brought to justice following his rocky start. Sandor Clegane, aka The Hound (Rory McCann), didn't make the best first impression after he slayed Arya's friend Mycah (Rhodri Hosking), on the order of Prince Joffrey. His initial alliance with the Lannisters, that helped purge the Starks from their level of power and bring Sansa (Sophie Turner) under their wing as a political prisoner, meant that there was no love lost for fans.
Eventually though, The Hound would turn things around. As early as Season 1, he showed glimmers of a softer side, giving his advice to Sansa on how she would best behave if she wanted to avoid pain at the hands of her captors. By the time the series came to an end, The Hound would be remembered as a hero, battling his sadistic, Frankenstein-esque brother to the death in King's Landing. Redemption was all his, and his story came full circle.
5. Eric Northman - True Blood
When True Blood first hit the small screen, it seemed like one of the most progressive and exciting shows of our generation. Whilst the final season didn't live up to the hype, it's still managed to secure a spot in history as the go-to vampire-centric series for anyone looking to get their blood fix.
Alexander Skarsgård took on the role of Eric Northman in True Blood; an uncaring, selfish and powerful vampire, who looked set to become the main antagonist for Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Bill (Stephen Moyer), as well as the rest of the residents in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Whilst he did serve in that role for a short while, he would quickly become closer than any of us could have imagined with Sookie, and we found ourselves rooting for them to get together.
4. Spike - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Though Spike (James Marsters) was always said to be a nasty piece of work, thanks to Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her gang, he was always something a little more complicated for audiences. Hard on the surface, as is the case with most of our entries on this list, he quickly softened when shown a glimmer of respect and emotional vulnerability.
He did his all to prove he wasn't the "evil" stereotype that others had labelled him, but always came up against adversity and prejudice. Still, he did manage to save the planet alongside Buffy in the series' final episode; how could anybody hate him after that?
3. Ben Linus - Lost
Upon his first appearance in Lost Season 2, Ben (Michael Emerson) immediately struck us as an untrustworthy figure. His actions, and a look into his past, quickly proved us right, as he did his all to bamboozle the characters we'd learned to love over a number of seasons. When he discovered the life he had been living had all been for naught, however, he decided to make a major change.
Suddenly, we found ourselves willing Ben on to succeed, and in the show's final moments when he reveals he's not willing to move on from the island with the rest of the group, we couldn't help but let the tears flow. We hope he managed to work out whatever he was sticking around for.
2. Steve Harrington - Stranger Things
Stranger Things' first season presented Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) as a stereotypical jock. He was a bully, uncaring of the wellbeing of others, and an all-round D-bag who we would have loved to have quickly seen the back of. When he was bumped from a recurring role to a main position in Season 2 however, we quickly began to realise that there was a lot more to unearth when scratching beneath the surface.
Redeeming himself in the eyes of his peers, he pulled himself away from his usual group of lugheads to form a bond with those who really needed him on-side. Now, he serves as an older brother figure to the main group of characters, and is especially impressionable to young Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). Seeing their friendship go from strength to strength has been one of the major highlights of recent episodes, and something many of us are excited to see progress when the show makes its return.
1. Villanelle - Killing Eve
Jodie Comer is one of the best actors of our time. Whether you know her as the posh 'other woman' in Doctor Foster, or were first introduced to her skills in front of a camera thanks to award-winning series Killing Eve, she's able to capture the imaginations of everybody watching in mere moments.
Even in the earliest stages of the show's very first season, Villanelle - an assassin who was being hunted by Eve (Sandra Oh) and her team - showcased an infectious sense of humour and strangely had us hoping she would evade prosecution. The love for her has only grown as she and Eve have become entangled in a strange love/hate relationship, with many of us actually willing for them to become an official couple and sail off into the sunset.
Of course, this story isn't that simple, and for those who have binged all of Season 2 now that it's available in full on BBC iPlayer, there's the question of exactly where the two will go from here...
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