History RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap / LiveActionTv

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* ''Series/{{Survivor}}'': Jerri Manthey. Everyone hated "[[MemeticMolester Man-Eater Manthey]]" after her appearance in ''Survivor: Australia'' back when Survivor was new and it was the next greatest thing. She received similar treatment after appearing on ''Survivor: All Stars'', when she was booed out of the reunion by the audience. Her third time on the show in ''Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains'', she toned her self down, and was put next to larger than life characters like Coach and Russell Hantz who many fans did not like. She turned into the PluckyGirl and became a fan favorite near the end before being voted off at the final four. She received a loud applause at the reunion, in contrast to her reception several years prior. Her [[NiceHat lovely black Army hat]] didn't hurt, either.
** In the same season (heroes vs. villains), Coach actually became this. In Tocantins he was a CloudCuckoolander who was a CreatorsPet hands down. However, in ''Heroes vs. Villains'', he seemed to focus more on the game itself, begun to perform well at challenges and pull his weight in the game.
*** Hilariously enough, Coach and Jerri were actually allies during that season.

** Melisandre was always [[BaseBreakingCharacter a polarizing character]] and, to many, she crossed the MoralEventHorizon after burning Shireen Baratheon alive in a HumanSacrifice. But her turn in her final episode as a Gandalf-esque wizard who arrives just in time -- lighting up the Dothraki's arakhs with fire and directing Arya Stark to the Night King, revealed to have been her TricksterMentor all along -- won many over. Melisandre's arrival being the accidental remedy to the detested poor lighting during the battle in said episode also helps.

// William Clayton, Oliver's illegitimate son. Sure as a child, he got a lot of screentime even though he barely contributed to the plot, he served as reason to cause unnecessary conflict between Oliver and Felicity and to distract Oliver from his duties as the Green Arrow. Not helped by the fact he was confirmed to never take up his father's mantle as the Green Arrow. However, the flashforwards to 2040 show William as an adult with a chill, likeable personality, with hacking skills on par with Felicity and a humorous SiblingYinYang relationship with his half-sister, Mia.

*** And unfortunately double-[[PerfectlyCromulentWord Invertsubverted]] in Season-6 where Felicity fell even harder back into Scrappy territory where the relationship drama returned in full-force and Felicity ended [[Series/CrisisOnEarthX the yearly crossover]] by interrupting [[SuperCouple Barry and Iris']] wedding to tack on her own ceremony with Oliver. This earned her the hate of not just the Arrow fanbase, but the ''entire'' Arrowverse fandom with [[Series/TheFlash2014 the Flash]] fanbase in particular pissed that their heroes special moment was stolen right under their nose. However, some warmed up to her because she is [[GoodParents a good mother]] to William.

** Also Stefan himself was considered rescued when went through a [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn]]. Now [[spoiler: he's good again]] but still shows signs of being a MagnificentBastard.

** Sansa Stark was unpopular in early seasons because she had many intentionally unsympathetic character traits (quite simply: she's a well-meaning but a naive and pretty shallow teenager). When she becomes more compassionate and tolerant, and at the same time, more proactive and manipulative in the King's Landing court, she starts to garner more appreciation from the audience. Upon becoming a victim of torment and DomesticAbuse during her time in King's Landing, Sansa begins to receive viewer sympathy for her plight. Later, being tormented and abused by Ramsay Bolton; escaping to reunite with Jon; doing whatever she can to take back their home; her revenge on Ramsay; and receiving a non-emotional reaction from Bran (who is 'no longer' himself having become the three-eyed raven), and a NoSympathy reaction from Arya (who became very cynical in her six years away and is incredibly suspicious of Sansa for much of Season 7) garnered Sansa's character more sympathy from some viewers (while recognizing Arya and Bran have gone through a lot themselves). In her teased conflict storyline with her sister Arya, who is usually a fan favorite, even some viewers who are not big fans of Sansa's character found themselves siding with Sansa against Arya.

** Some viewers disliked Shae in the beginning and considered her a SatelliteLoveInterest to Tyrion Lannister. After witnessing her newfound badassery in Season 2 and taking on a protective role for Sansa, many critics began to like her. [[spoiler:Sadly, she begins to slide back into it with Season 4 by becoming a ClingyJealousGirl once Tyrion is forced to marry Sansa and betraying both of them later on before dying at Tyrion's hand because she tries to kill him.]]
** Theon Greyjoy pissed a lot of fans in Season 2 by betraying the Starks to side with his father and his people who, save for his sister, blatantly do not give two shits about him. His horrific tortures at the hands of Ramsay Bolton in Seasons 3 and 4 earned him sympathy. Helping Sansa escape Ramsay in Season 5 also earned him back the love of fans. [[spoiler:A lot of fans were saddened when he finally dies midway through the final season.]]

** Within two episodes of Season 7, Euron Greyjoy was able to overcome a great deal of the criticism of his weak appearance at the Kingsmoot, no doubt due to his audacious sense of humor and punk-rock getup and Asbaek's genuine screen presence. Then in the next episode, he proved himself to be badass and ferocious by ambushing his niece Yara's fleet and killing two of the Sand Snakes, who are two of the most hated characters on the show.
** Melisandre was always [[BaseBreakingCharacter a polarizing character]] and, to many, she crossed the MoralEventHorizon after burning Shireen Baratheon. But her turn in her final episode as a Gandalf-esque wizard who arrives just in time -- lighting up the Dothraki's arakhs with fire and directing Arya Stark to the Night King, revealed to have been her TricksterMentor all along -- won many over. Melisandre's arrival being the accidental remedy to the detested poor lighting during the battle in said episode also helps.

** Dinah Drake was initially received very lukewarm due to [[AssPull coming out of nowhere]] and [[ReplacementScrappy replacing]] both Laurel Lance, as well as Black Siren. In Season 6, she was disliked even more due to becoming extremely self-righteous and outright cruel towards her friends in pursuit of a selfish revenge-quest. However, as of Season 7, she was received much more positively due to realizing the error of her ways, acting as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure as the new captain of the GCPD and even forming an unlikely bond with the aforementioned Black Siren.

** When first introduced Eddie Thawne wasn't viewed too highly, being a smug [[PrettyBoy Pretty]] CowboyCop, known for keeping track of his arrest record and his role as romantic rival to Barry. He even hated the Flash [[GreenEyedMonster mostly due to Iris' fascination with him]]. It seemed his only role was to be [[HateSink the asshole that Iris would eventually leave for Barry.]] Thankfully he TookALevelInKindness very shortly after, became a friend and mentor to Barry, eventually coming around and recognizing The Flash as a hero, [[FriendOnTheForce assisting him]] in any way he could. This support doubled [[SecretKeeper when Barry eventually let him in on the secret]]. By the time he was fully redeemed in the eyes of the fans, [[spoiler: and, while generally consensus in the fandom was that while Eddie was part of TheTeam, [[OneTruePairing Barry and Iris were meant to be together]], and those who initially wanted [[DieForOurShip him out of the picture]] unfortunately got their wish, as in the finale, [[HeroicSacrifice he killed himself to save everyone from the Reverse Flash]], which solidified his departure from being the show's [[TheScrappy Scrappy]]. So much so, that his death [[ILetGwenStacyDie was one of the reasons Barry questioned his role as Central City's hero.]]]]

** H.R. Wells was initially disliked for being a false scientist and being just a gimmick to keep Tom Cavanagh on the series, but people warmed to him when he could show he was a creative, intelligent strategist and that he was very good-hearted. Outsmarting Savitar at the ending [[spoiler:by swithcing his appearance with Iris]] skyrocketed his popularity with fans and some even prefer him over Eobard Thawne or Harry Wells.

** Craig when first introduced in Season 6 as the [[SixthRanger new member of the Parks and Rec staff]], was an annoying, constantly screaming, always antagonistic drama queen. This came to a front when he selfishly became angry that Ben and Leslie were having triplets, taking away from the fact that he successfully ran the auction without them, which angered many of the fans. By Season 7, he was much more tolerable, likely due to him calming down immensely after undergoing therapy during the TimeSkip, or compared to the rest of the office, was [[OutOfFocus hardly seen at all]], or maybe a mixture of both, whatever way they did it, his reception was generally better received during this season.

* ''Series/{{Cheers}}'': Frasier Crane was hated in his debut due to being the hypotenuse in a LoveTriangle with the shows' FanPreferredCouple Sam and Diane. Kelsey Grammer claims that people would come up to him in the street and curse him out for coming between them. He not only managed to become an integral part of the main cast, but also the star of [[Series/{{Frasier}} arguably the most successful spinoff in TV history]].

** As part of Season 1's EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, Andy Dwyer was written as an [[ManChild immature]] and [[TheDitz idiotic]] HateSink, serving as Ann's lazy, deadbeat boyfriend whom she [[RomanticFalseLead needed to drop]] so she can be with Mark. In the second season, after Ann broke up with him, he was reworked into a more sympathetic character with social problems, became more mature and self-sufficient and got some ShipTease with [[TheSnarkKnight April]]. He quickly became one of the show's most popular characters.

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Could qualify as a TropeCodifier or {{Trope Maker|s}} with the number of characters that have been rescued from becoming TheScrappy, it's hard to know where to start. We could start with Zach Addy, who started off as an adult CousinOliver but as season one progressed, became a very strong character who lasted for 3 seasons before being PutOnABus. Then there was Dr. Saroyan, who started off as a taskmaster of a boss and a JerkAss, but after nearly getting killed midway through season two, her popularity soared. Then there's Dr. Sweets, who was just like Zach, but with more social skills. Fans didn't really like him until he offered valuable contributions to the Gormagon case. (Incidentally, this was about the same time Zack left.) Some of the Squinterns have become popular after their inauspicious debuts, like Dr. Edison, Vincent Nigel-Murray (who ended up being killed of after 3 seasons) and Arastoo Vaziri. Oh, and lets not forget Caroline Julian, who has made her fair share of fans after her inauspicious debut. In short, no matter where you look, Bones is definitely a TropeCodifier for this.

** Also Stefan himself was considered rescued when went through a [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn]] Now [[spoiler: he's good again]] but still shows signs of being a MagnificentBastard.

* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': Ziva started out as a ReplacementScrappy for Kate. The writers attempted to rescue her by giving her a series of awesome talents and ninja skills and letting her perform a couple of selfless acts and save the day a few times, the most significant of which was when she helped Gibbs recover his memory in the third season finale, and it generally seemed to work. Ziva is now a pretty popular character and half of most of the fandom's [[OneTruePairing OTP]].
** The fact that she's now been in eight seasons and Kate was only in two probably isn't hurting her popularity either.

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Andy Bernard was introduced as a thoroughly dislikable sycophant with rage issues. While he's continued to be portrayed as a comically awkward character, his portrayal became more sympathetic during his engagement to Angela (who cheated on him and was otherwise emotionally abusive) and by the time he ended up a main character in the most recent series he was one of the most likable characters on the show.
** Until the last season, where he suddenly and abruptly morphed back into the villain role again.

** Milah was despised for leaving Rumple for a life of adventure simply because he was a coward who she loved to disparage. Her reappearance in Season 5 did a good deal to humanise her and make her somewhat likable that [[spoiler: her [[FateWorseThanDeath final fate]] is a complete tragedy.]]

** As part of season 1's EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, Andy is written as a HateSink, serving as Ann's lazy, deadbeat boyfriend whom she [[RomanticFalseLead needs to drop]] so she can be with Mark. In the second season, after Ann broke up with him, he was reworked to be a sympathetic and sweet ManChild. He quickly became one of the show's most popular characters.
** Craig when first introduced in season 6 as the new member of the Parks and Rec staff, was an annoying, constantly screaming, always antagonistic drama queen. This came to a front when he selfishly became angry that Ben and Leslie were having triplets, taking away from the fact that he successfully ran the auction without them, which angered many of the fans. By Season 7 he was much more tolerable, maybe it was because they calmed him down immensely, or compared to the rest of the office, was [[OutOfFocus hardly seen at all]], or maybe a mixture of both, whatever way they did it, his reception was generally better received during this season.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': Detective Joss Carter was originally an underdeveloped ByTheBookCop who was concerned with chasing the main characters and brining them to justice. However, over time, she became one of the most beloved and respected characters on the show who in her final two episodes slipped into the role of TheChessmaster so effortlessly, almost all remaining critics and fans who used to find her the weakest aspect on the series were won over. Judging by the reaction to her demise in the Season 3 episode "The Crossing", many consider her TheHeart of the show, the one who humanised the other amoral protagonists and brought the best out of all of them.

** ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'': Carter Grayson was originally considered a bland, uninteresting character. However, over time, he has become a MemeticBadass. The episode "Yesterday Again" showed that SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct. Also in comparison to the past rangers in the "[[MilestoneCelebration Forever Red]]" episode he does come across as too reliant on his weapons, but few other rangers had the same "go in guns ablazing" mentality. So Carter doesn't use the typical strategies other Rangers use but instead just [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shoots at the bad guys]] or tries to [[RammingAlwaysWorks run them over]] with the rescue jeep.

* ''Series/TrueBlood'': Jessica quickly shed her Scrappy status after she started seeing [[spoiler:Hoyt]], a relationship that many fans now consider the most realistic and relatable on the show..

* ''Series/{{Shameless}}'': Kelly Ball. Started life off as Kev's annoying sister. After annoying out of everyone in one episode per series (2-4), she was promoted to the main cast as Shane Maguire's boyfriend and has shed her previous image.

* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': Say what you will about the [[JumpingTheShark show in recent years]], but most people agree that Peter Petrelli became ''much'' more likable after [[spoiler:his GodModeSue status was undone as he was BroughtDownToNormal]], which forced him to actually use his brain and drop the IdiotBall.

** Tony during the first season was more or less nothing much more than a typical {{Jerkass}} who generally found any excuse possible to go up against Jack with a lot of it being mere jealousy. To say fans hated him back then is an understatement, with some even wishing he'd been TheMole just as an excuse to kill him off or otherwise get rid of him. Around midway through the season he started transitioning to JerkWithAHeartOfGold status, as he ultimately showed sympathy to Jack's plight in season 1 in spite of their hostility and he proved himself to be one of the few agents that wound up being trustworthy for the whole season with things culminating in a [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome well received]] scene where he [[BigDamnHeroes saved Jack's wife]] from an assassin.

** Jack was RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap in season 6 when he finally embraced the new craze that everyone else on the show was trying: CharacterDevelopment. It was a planned arc for the character: Jack endured five seasons of deliberate BadassDecay that reduced him from StandardizedLeader to TheScrappy (it was truly amazing how he would see CharacterDevelopment coming and ''run as fast as he could'' in the other direction), so that when he was finally Rescued, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome much awesomeness ensued]].

** ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'': Carter Grayson was originally considered a bland, uninteresting character. However, over time, he has become a MemeticBadass. The episode "Yesterday Again" showed that HeReallyCanAct. Also in comparison to the past rangers in the "[[MilestoneCelebration Forever Red]]" episode he does come across as too reliant on his weapons, but few other rangers had the same "go in guns ablazing" mentality. So Carter doesn't use the typical strategies other Rangers use but instead just [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shoots at the bad guys]] or tries to [[RammingAlwaysWorks run them over]] with the rescue jeep.

** Same goes for [[AngryBlackWoman Tara]], who despite Rutina Wesley's strong acting performance was deemed "[[{{Wangst}} too angsty]]" and not relatable enough. In season 5, [[spoiler:she becomes a vampire, with ''[[EnsembleDarkhorse Pam]]'' as her maker]], had several [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome moments]] and of course [[spoiler:TheBigDamnKiss with Pam.]]

** Father Gabriel was a DirtyCoward priest who left his congregation to be eaten alive by walkers. He's very distrusting of Rick's group, and even after they spend weeks defending him from the undead, he refuses to so much as [[UngratefulBastard lift a finger to help them]]. Once they reach Alexandria, he has the audacity to betray the group to Deanna, tries to get them kicked out, and deliberately taunts a grieving Sasha. He was reviled both InUniverse and out, until it was revealed that [[spoiler: he's a DeathSeeker suffering from deep guilt.]] After an intervention with Maggie, he apologizes profusely to Rick, starts holding mass in the town's church, helps Rick and the others fight a horde of walkers, and has [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome his very own CMoA]] when he [[spoiler: shoots a Saviour in cold blood, whilst reciting a passage from the Bible.]] His BadassPreacher status not only won over the fans, it won over Rick, who is more than happy to let Gabriel babysit his infant daughter.

** Laurel Lance began the series as ''the'' Scrappy of the Arrow fandom in the first two seasons often due to her [[{{Hypocrisy hypocritical]] actions and her [[RomanticPlotTumor less then stellar romance with Oliver]] which for many fans caused them to latch on to the [[FanPreferredCouple Olicity pairing instead]]. Comic book fans likewise couldn't stand her due to her being [[AdaptationalWimp significantly less awesome]] then her comic book counterpart ComicBook/BlackCanary. Even when she did finally don her costume in season 3, many fans hated that this came about [[spoiler: due to the [[StuffedIntoTheFridge death of her more beloved sister]] instead]]. However as the season progressed and she gained some much needed CharacterDevelopment and [[TookALevelInBadass Badassness]] a lot of fans started to warm up to her. Come Season 4, a combination of much more closely resembling her main comic counterpart, significantly better acting then when she started, and firmly situating herself as the CoolBigSis of the group won over a lot of fans to her side (it also properly helped that Felicity become a significant BaseBreakingCharacter during this time). [[spoiler: It's pretty telling that a lot of the Arrow fandom seems to have reacted in sadness and anger at her death in season 4 episode 18 rather then the glee she properly would have gotten if she died at the start of the series]].

** Father Gabriel was a DirtyCoward priest who left his congregation to be eaten alive by walkers. He's very distrusting of Rick's group, and even after they spend weeks defending him from the undead, he refuses to so much as [[UngratefulBastard lift a finger to help them]]. Once they reach Alexandria, he has the audacity to betray the group to Deanna, tries to get them kicked out, and deliberately taunts a grieving Sasha. He was reviled both InUniverse and out, until it was revealed that [[spoiler: he's a DeathSeeker suffering from deep guilt.]] After an intervention with Maggie, he apologizes profusely to Rick, starts holding mass in the town's church, helps Rick and the others fight a horde of walkers, and has [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome his very own CMoA]] when he [[spoiler: shoots a Saviour in cold blood, whilst reciting a passage from the bible.]] His BadassPreacher status not only won over the fans, it won over Rick, who is more than happy to let Gabriel babysit his infant daughter.

** Laurel Lance began the series as ''the'' Scrappy of the Arrow fandom in the first two seasons often due to her Hypocritical actions and her [[RomanticPlotTumor less then stellar romance with Oliver]] which for many fans caused them to latch on to the [[FanPreferredCouple Olicity pairing instead]]. Comic book fans likewise couldn't stand her due to her being [[AdaptationalWimp significantly less awesome]] then her comic book counterpart ComicBook/BlackCanary. Even when she did finally done her costume in season 3 many fans hated that this came about [[spoiler: due to the [[StuffedIntoTheFridge death of her more beloved sister]] instead]]. However as the season progressed and she gained some much needed CharacterDevelopment and [[TookALevelInBadass Badassness]] a lot of fans started to warm up to her. Come Season 4 a combination of much more closely resembling her main comic counterpart, significantly better acting then when she started, and firmly situating herself as the CoolBigSis of the group won over a lot of fans to her side (it also properly helped that Felicity become a significant BaseBreakingCharacter during this time). [[spoiler: It's pretty telling that a lot of the Arrow fandom seems to have reacted in sadness and anger at her death in season 4 episode 18 rather then the glee she properly would have gotten if she died at the start of the series]].
*** The Writers have finally seemed to understand, [[spoiler: after lackluster ratings during season 5, with an upward spike, ''admittedly'' helped due to the gigantic crossover event, yet overall praise of her return in a pivotal part of the 100th episode, even if by dream. Come mid-season finale, the internet exploded with the final two words of the episode, "Hi Ollie!"]]

*** And unfortunately double-[[PerfectlyCromulentWord Invertsubverted]] in Season-6 where Felicity fell even harder back into Scrappy territory where the relationship drama returned in full-force and Felicity ended [[Series/CrisisOnEarthX the yearly crossover]] by interrupting [[SuperCouple Barry and Iris']] wedding to tack on her own ceremony with Oliver. This earned her the hate of not just the Arrow fanbase, but the ''entire'' Arrowverse fandom with [[Series/TheFlash2014 the Flash]] fanbase in particular pissed that their heroes special moment was stolen right under their nose.

* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': When first introduced Eddie Thawne wasn't viewed too highly, being a smug [[PrettyBoy Pretty]] CowboyCop, known for keeping track of his arrest record and his role as romantic rival to Barry,. He evenhated the Flash [[GreenEyedMonster mostly due to Iris' fascination with him]]. It seemed his only role was to be [[HateSink the asshole that Iris would eventually leave for Barry.]] Thankfully he TookALevelInKindness very shortly after, became a friend and mentor to Barry, eventually coming around and recognizing The Flash as a hero, [[FriendOnTheForce assisting him]] in any way he could. This support doubled [[SecretKeeper when Barry eventually let him in on the secret]]. By the time he was fully redeemed in the eyes of the fans, [[spoiler: and, while generally consensus in the fandom was that while Eddie was part of TheTeam, [[OneTruePairing Barry and Iris were meant to be together]], and those who initially wanted [[DieForOurShip him out of the picture]] unfortunately got their wish, as in the finale, [[HeroicSacrifice he killed himself to save everyone from the Reverse Flash]], which solidified his departure from being the show's [[TheScrappy Scrappy]]. So much so, that his death [[ILetGwenStacyDie was one of the reasons Barry questioned his role as Central City's hero.]]]]

*** Some however have pointed that while they hate the toxic nature of "Olicitiy" they still have a fondness for Felicity, and her wit and brains, and wish her to still be a part of the show, just without the troubling dysfunctional romantic aspects she shares with Oliver.

** While he best described as a BaseBreaker, Henry received far more praise from his critics after "Operation Mongoose". Here he is repeatedly given moments of awesome, his actor demonstrates that he can act and the ending paves the way for future plotlines involving him.
** Another BaseBreaker that got more love is Zelena. Seen as a large VillainSue for much of her appearances, Season 5 morphed her into a gleeful troll whose snark was considered to be ActuallyPrettyFunny. The second half rescued her even further by giving her a redemption arc that made her a well developed and somewhat sympathetic character like the rest of the main cast.

** When Donna Noble made her first appearance in the 2006 Christmas Special, many fans were put off by the shrill, abrasive nature of the character (Given that she was played by comedian Catherine Tate, at least the British fans knew what to expect). The announcement that she would be a regular member of the cast during the 2008 season was met with mixed reaction at best. A few episodes into the season, however, she had undergone deliberate CharacterDevelopment, and about half of the fandom had warmed up to her and even praised the "shrill, abrasive nature" that earned Donna so much hate in her debut. As of the end of Series 4, certain fans even considered her if not the Best Companion Ever, then at least the best modern companion.

** Although Jenna Coleman's performance was praised by most people, a fandom drained with ArcFatigue for Creator/StevenMoffat's LivingMacGuffin female characters found "Impossible Girl" Clara Oswald to be a "generic companion" FlatCharacter, dressed in a melodramatic mystery arc we'd already seen several times before in this era. Due to the nature of the arc she was introduced in (her first two appearances were as different characters who died helping the Doctor -- but implied to all be the same woman) as well as the main Smith-era arc still not having been resolved ''and'' the 50th anniversary special WhamEpisode being set up, she was stuck doing nothing or having her character reset to zero for most of Series 7B, and conflicting production instructions meant different writers interpreted her in very different ways. The nature of her relationship with the Doctor (who didn't trust her, but was obsessed with her anyway) also meant he ended up acting like a creepy old man -- but with this presented as a romantic ideal, and when her actions in the SeasonFinale and the follow-up specials easily made her one of the most powerful companions ''ever'', she garnered MarySue accusations. However, Series 8 completely overhauled her character, giving her a different job, a genuinely dramatic PartTimeHero plotline and a complicated, {{Hubris}}tic relationship with time travel, making her much more flawed, unique and interesting. The elements of her relationship with the Doctor that came across as unintentionally creepy were brought to the forefront and handled more deftly, without sacrificing the heartwarming qualities of their friendship. The recasting of the Doctor with a much older man moved their relationship away from the standard 'two young hot people in love' idea towards a more complex portrayal of the potentially devastating consequences of the traditional Doctor-Companion UndyingLoyalty. This continued into the well-received Series 9, in which she became his DistaffCounterpart for better and for worse; although her ultimate fate ([[spoiler: she was Killed Off For Real, but due to the Doctor's mad attempt to rescue her she can have infinite adventures in the last moment of her life, complete with her own TARDIS and companion]]) caused a BrokenBase, it was a ''loooooong'' way from where she started as a character in more ways than one.

* ''Series/PowerRangersLightspeedRescue'': Carter Grayson was originally considered a bland, uninteresting character. However, over time, he has become a MemeticBadass. The episode "Yesterday Again" showed that HeReallyCanAct. Also in comparison to the past rangers in the "[[MilestoneCelebration Forever Red]]" episode he does come across as too reliant on his weapons, but few other rangers had the same "go in guns ablazing" mentality. So Carter doesn't use the typical strategies other Rangers use but instead just [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shoots at the bad guys]] or tries to [[RammingAlwaysWorks run them over]] with the rescue jeep.

** All of Wesley's reappearances were better than almost any episode he had a major role in during the first four seasons. One of them ("The First Duty") is generally considered to be one of the show's best episodes.
*** "The Game" is another decent example. A popular episode, Wesley manages to serve as a non-irritating protagonist (aided by Ashley Judd) and isn't even the one to [[BigDamnHeroes save the day]].

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'': Carl was introduced as a BrattyHalfPint who was always whining about how he wasn't allowed to use a gun, constantly disobeyed his parents, and indirectly caused the death of [[spoiler: Dale.]] After a bit of growing up, he mellowed out considerably, maturing enough for his father to trust him on the field. His transition from TantrumThrowing to responsible adult won over many fans who initially disliked him.