History RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap / LiveActionTv

** Dawn: her very existence was a CosmicRetcon, and many felt that she was a whiny DamselScrappy. In the last season she loses some of her angst issues and becomes a sort of junior Watcher, helping the rest of the team in research.

* ''Series/{{Jericho}}'': Emily became TheScrappy very quickly, and remained so for all of Season One. Although she was now in a relationship with the hero, Season Two still made a good effort to rectify this, by giving her approximately two minutes of screentime an episode.

* ''Series/RobinHood'' and ''Series/DowntonAbbey'': An interesting meta-example happened across these two shows. In ''Series/Downton Abbey'', Joanne Froggatt plays the {{plucky|Girl}} and down-to-earth Anna, a character that is immensely popular within the fanbase. This is in stark contrast to her stint as the infinitely irritating [[CreatorsPet Kate]] on ''Series/RobinHood'', (which directly preceded her role in ''Downton'') where she was completely and utterly '''loathed''' by viewers. It just goes to show how much an actor's likability depends on good writing. Even Jo herself seems to be aware of it, considering ''Series/RobinHood'' doesn't appear on her resume.

* ''Series/RobinHood'' and ''Series/DowntonAbbey'': An interesting meta-example happened across these two shows. In ''Downton Abbey'', Joanne Froggatt plays the {{plucky|Girl}} and down-to-earth Anna, a character that is immensely popular within the fanbase. This is in stark contrast to her stint as the infinitely irritating [[CreatorsPet Kate]] on ''Series/RobinHood'', (which directly preceded her role in ''Downton'') where she was completely and utterly '''loathed''' by viewers. It just goes to show how much an actor's likability depends on good writing. Even Jo herself seems to be aware of it, considering ''Series/RobinHood'' doesn't appear on her resume.

* ''Series/RavensHome'': Tess, though never technically an official Scrappy, was definitely a BaseBreakingCharacter: Half the fans hated her, the other half related to her and liked her. However, as the series progresses, Tess starts to go through some CharacterDepth and [[CharacterDevelopment Development]], and she especially has some much more good qualities when compared to the likes of characters such as Curtis and the Guntz, Sierra, and Ramon.

*** Mel has been updated into a funny BadassBookworm with occasional moments of both ActionGirl and DeadpanSnarker, often given her actor, Bonnie Langford, a chance to play on her experience in {{Pantomime}}. And she doesn't {{scream|ingWoman}} as often either.

* ''Series/RavensHome'': Tess O'Malley, while being somewhat praised like all the other kid actors, received complaints about her contributing little to nothing and being annoying, not to mention her personality greatly resembling ''Series/FullHouse'''s Kimmy Gibbler. Fans even went as far as to make unfavorable comparisons to Sam Puckett from ''Series/ICarly'' due to her character trying so hard to act cool and coming off in the same like as if she's trying too hard. However, as the series progresses, Tess starts to go through some CharacterDepth and [[CharacterDevelopment Development]], and she especially has some much more good qualities when compared to the likes of characters such as Curtis and the Guntz, Sierra, and Ramon.

* ''Series/RavensHome'': Tess O'Malley, while being somewhat praised like all the other kid actors, received complaints about her contributing little to nothing and being annoying, not to mention her personality greatly resembling ''Series/FullHouse'''s Kimmy Gibbler. Fans even went as far as to make unfavorable comparisons to Sam Puckett from ''Series/ICarly'' due to her character trying so hard to act cool and coming off in the same like as if she's trying too hard. However, as the series progresses, Tess starts to go through some CharacterDepth and [[CharacterDevelopment Development]], and has some much more good qualities when compared to the likes of characters such as Curtis and the Guntz, Sierra, and Ramon.

** Connor, after the Wolfram Hart DealWithTheDevil that Angel made, came out a much nicer, sane, laid-back fellow after having [[spoiler: new memories and a new upbringing put in]]. Even after he [[spoiler:got his memories back]], he still was much improved. However, his case is very much DownPlayed. Unlike Wesley and Tara and even Dawn (who never quite managed to go above BaseBreakingCharacter status herself), he got hardly any more appearances after he stopped being a Scrappy. After a full season of being an extremely unlikeable main character, he only appeared as his more kind and laidback self as a GuestStar in ''two'' episodes of the next and final season. He is certainly not a Scrappy in either of those appearances, but he never really went above being an average character in them either, and so most fans still look back on him negatively because of the 20+ episodes as a Scrappy far outweighing the two episodes that he wasn’t. By comparison, the other characters who got Rescued from the Scrappy Heap were given the time to organically improve onscreen, and demonstrate their better qualities to the audience far more often.

** ** To a lesser extent, Chris Traeger. Fans generally felt that he was a bit [[FlatCharacter flat]] and his overwhelming positivity and propensity for being InnocentlyInsensitive to be grating. In Seasons 4 and 5, opinions began to turn more favorably for him with the show deconstructing his [[ThePollyanna Pollyann-ish]] traits into a load of personal problems that made him a more RoundedCharacter, and his going to therapy further solidified his rescuing.

* ''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.

** Eric's vampire sister Nora was partially rescued from the heap halfway through season 5 after she lost her insane religious devotion. Seeing her cry for [[spoiler:a vision of her maker Godric being obliterated by Lilith]] made her downright sympathetic.

** Connor, after the Wolfram Hart DealWithTheDevil that Angel made, came out a much nicer, sane, laid-back fellow after having [[spoiler: new memories and a new upbringing put in]]. Even after he [[spoiler:got his memories back]], he still was much improved. However, his case is very much DownPlayed. Unlike Wesley and Tara and even Dawn (who never quite managed to go above BaseBreakingCharacter status herself), he got hardly any more appearances after he stopped being a Scrappy. After a full season of being an extremely unlikeable main character, he only appeared as his more kind and laidback self as a GuestStar in ''two'' episodes of the next and final season. He is certainly not a Scrappy in either of those appearances, but he never really went above being an average character either, and so most fans still look back on him negatively overall because of his 20+ episodes of being a Scrappy being far more memorable than the two episodes that he wasn’t. By comparison, the other characters who got Rescued from the Scrappy Heap had far more time to show their better qualities.

** Connor, after the Wolfram Hart DealWithTheDevil that Angel made, came out a much nicer, sane, laid-back fellow after having [[spoiler: new memories and a new upbringing put in]]. Even after he [[spoiler:got his memories back]], he still was much improved.

*** To put it simply, he was completely unlikeable until his AlasPoorScrappy sendoff, but that sendoff was so powerful that it makes fans look back on him as a person much more fondly in hindsight.

* Barbara Kean from ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' has to be one of the all-time champs. She was utterly despised throughout much of the first season for being an idiot who did nothing but get Gordon in trouble, and be a complete hypocrite about her anger over him cheating on her despite doing it first. Then the end of the season made clear that this was all completely intentional, and she's actually an AxCrazy psychopath who was just waiting to be unleashed. Suddenly you have Erin Richards gleefully chewing the scenery as a character people very much LoveToHate, and in Season 2 she's being regularly referred to as one of the ''best'' parts of the show.

** Imogen was widely hated upon her introduction in Season 11 for being a StalkerWithACrush who spent much of her screentime doing everything she could to interfere with the OfficialCouple Eli and Clare and the fact that a sizable portion of the fanbase saw her as a cheap imitation of the beloved Ellie character. That she had almost no defining characteristics of her own outside of her infatuation with Eli certainly didn't help. Her later relationship with Fiona, which saw her become noticeably more well-rounded and mature, combined with her genuinely sad backstory and parental situation (her mother walked out on her, her father has Early-Onset Dementia). saw viewer sympathy surge. Today, Imogen is seen as one of the few characters where keeping her on the show after she should have theoretically graduated is seen as having been worth it.
** The ultimate embodiment of this trope on the show belongs to Holly J. Initially introduced in Season 7 as a bitchy, cruel, and spiteful bully who seemed to go out of her way to screw people over, took pride in their misery and her own cruelty, and who never seemed to suffer any actual punishment for any her actions, she quickly garnered hate from every corner of the fanbase. You know a character is hated when they're enemies with Mia and Mia comes off as the sympathetic one. Her arcs in Seasons 8 and 9, which saw her become a FallenPrincess, and developing a relationship with fan favorite Declan, respectively, which in turn resulted in massive amounts of character development, maturity, and compassion for others, caused fan perception of her to do a complete 180. It also helped that the writers kept giving her ''very'' good material to work with and that Charlotte Arnold was repeatedly singled out by reviewers as the show's strongest actress. Holly J basically became the face of the show for Seasons 9-11 and today, Holly J is universally regarded by fans as one of the best characters of the entire franchise. Like Liberty, Holly J was also brought back for the 500th episode special, to the rejoicing of many.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Then there's [[CreatorsPet Wesley Crusher]] himself. During the run, Wesley had his Pet-ness toned down at least somewhat as the show went on. Even Creator/WilWheaton himself relates that he insisted the writers bring the character back down to more realistic levels or he'd quit. This wasn't enough to save him, though, and he ended up being PutOnABus. Nobody missed him.

** The ultimate embodiment of this trope on the show belongs to Holly J. Initially introduced in Season 7 as a bitchy, cruel, and spiteful bully who seemed to go out of her way to screw people over, took pride in their misery and her own cruelty, and who never seemed to suffer any actual punishment for any her actions, she quickly garnered hate from every corner of the fanbase. You know a character is hated when they're enemies with Mia and Mia comes off as the sympathetic one. Her arcs in Seasons 8 and 9, which saw her become a FallenPrincess, and developing a relationship with fan favorite Declan, respectively, which in turn resulted in massive amounts of character development, maturity, and compassion for others, caused fan perception of her to do a complete 180. It also helped that the writers kept giving her ''very'' good material to work with and that Charlotte Arnold was repeatedly singled out as the show's strongest actress. Holly J basically became the face of the show for Seasons 9-11 and today, Holly J is universally regarded by fans as one of the best characters of the entire franchise. Like Liberty, Holly J was also brought back for the 500th episode special, to the rejoicing of many.

** The ultimate embodiment of this trope on the show belongs to Holly J. Initially introduced in Season 7 as a bitchy, cruel, and spiteful bully who seemed to go out of her way to screw people over, took pride in their misery and her own cruelty, and who never seemed to suffer any actual punishment for any her actions, she quickly garnered hate from every corner of the fanbase. You know a character is hated when they're enemies with Mia and Mia comes off as the sympathetic one. Her arcs in Seasons 8 and 9, which saw her become a FallenPrincess, and developing a relationship with fan favorite Declan, respectively, which in turn resulted in massive amounts of character development, maturity, and compassion for others, caused fan perception of her to do a complete 180. It also helped that the writers kept giving her ''very'' good material to work with. Holly J basically became the face of the show for Seasons 9-11 and today, Holly J is universally regarded by fans as one of the best characters of the entire franchise. Like Liberty, Holly J was also brought back for the 500th episode special, to the rejoicing of many.

** The ultimate embodiment of this trope on the show belongs to Holly J. Initially introduced in Season 7 as a bitchy, cruel, and spiteful bully who seemed to go out of her way to screw people over, took pride in their misery and her own cruelty, and who never seemed to suffer any actual punishment for any her actions, she quickly garnered hate from every corner of the fanbase. You know a character is hated when they're enemies with Mia and Mia comes off as the sympathetic one. Her arcs in Seasons 8 and 9, which saw her become a FallenPrincess, and developing a relationship with fan favorite Declan, respectively, which in turn resulted in massive amounts of character development, maturity, and compassion for others, caused fan perception of her to do a complete 180. Holly J basically became the face of the show for Seasons 9-11 and today, Holly J is universally regarded by fans as one of the best characters of the entire franchise. Like Liberty, Holly J was also brought back for the 500th episode special, to the rejoicing of many.

** The ultimate embodiment of this trope on the show belongs to Holly J. Initially introduced in Season 7 as a bitchy, cruel, and spiteful bully who seemed to go out of her way to screw people over, took pride in their misery and her own cruelty, and who never seemed to suffer any actual punishment for any her actions, she quickly garnered hate from every corner of the fanbase. You know a character is hated when they're enemies with Mia and Mia comes off as the sympathetic one. Her arcs in Seasons 8 and 9, which saw her become a FallenPrincess, and developing a relationship with fan favorite Declan, respectively, which in turn resulted in massive amounts of character development, maturity, and compassion for others, caused fan perception of her to do a couple 180. Holly J basically became the face of the show for Seasons 9-11 and today, Holly J is universally regarded by fans as one of the best characters of the entire franchise. Like Liberty, Holly J was also brought back for the 500th episode special, to the rejoicing of many.

** The ultimate embodiment of this trope on the show belongs to Holly J. Initially introduced in Season 7 as a bitchy, cruel, and spiteful bully who seemed to go out of her way to screw people over, took pride in their misery and her own cruelty, and who never seemed to suffer any actual punishment for any her actions, she quickly garnered hate from every corner of the fanbase. You know a character is hated when they're enemies with Mia and Mia comes off as the sympathetic one. Her arcs in Season 8 and 9, which saw her become a FallenPrincess, and developing a relationship with fan favorite Declan, respectively, which in turn resulted in massive amounts of character development, maturity, and compassion for others, caused fan perception of her to do a couple 180. Holly J basically became the face of the show for Seasons 9-11 and today, Holly J is universally regarded by fans as one of the best characters of the entire franchise. Like Liberty, Holly J was also brought back for the 500th episode special, to the rejoicing of many.

** The ultimate embodiment of this trope on the show belongs to Holly J. Initially introduced in Season 7 as a bitchy, cruel, and spiteful bully who seemed to go out of her way to screw people over, took pride in their misery and her own cruelty, and who never seemed to suffer any actual punishment for any her actions, she quickly garnered hate from every corner of the fanbase. You know a character is hated when they're enemies with Mia and Mia comes off as the sympathetic one. Her arcs in Season 8 and 9, which saw her become a FallenPrincess, and developing a relationship with fan favorite Declan, respectively, which in turn resulted in massive amounts of character development, maturity, and compassion for others, caused fan perception of her to do a couple 180. Holly J basically became the FaceOfTheShow for Seasons 9-11 and today, Holly J is universally regarded by fans as one of the best characters of the entire franchise. Like Liberty, Holly J was also brought back for the 500th episode special, to the rejoicing of many.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': When first introduced, the character of Dominick "Sonny" Carisi was highly unpopular, coming off largely as TheGenericGuy in comparison to more popular characters. As his time on the show increased, however, he was given an actual personality and backstory, distinguishing traits, and unique relationships with fellow characters, including a ShipTease with Rollins and a VitriolicBestBuds chemistry (or HoYay, depending on who you ask) with Barba, and is now probably one of the more popular main characters in the series (especially after the departure of other fan favorites like Barba and Amaro).

** Creator/BigFinish [[AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audio appearances]] have been responsible for many: