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8* ''Series/TwentyFour'': Had two of its most prominent characters like this. Tony spent the first season often disagreeing with Jack on just about everything but at the same time did show some genuine sympathy to his plight. Chloe started out as a complete pain in the ass who eventually evolved into one of the very rare people Jack could ''always'' count on. Additionally, on the long line of [[ObstructiveBureaucrat obstructive bureaucrats]] throughout the series, 90% of them usually wind up developing or showing a good side that reveals that they aren't so bad, although there are [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk a few exceptions]].
9* ''Series/OneHundredDeedsForEddieMcdowd'': The titular character goes from antagonizing Justin while he's a dog to helping him when he's in trouble. The Drifter also counts.
10* Mr. Crabby Tree from ''Series/TheAdventuresOfDudleyTheDragon''. He's not a bad guy, just [[InsistentTerminology crabby]]. His snark and bad moods asides, he's still a good-hearted guy who's fond of his friends and is a bit of a TeamDad to them.
11* Let's be sincere, in the Spanish Sitcom ''Aída'' everyone acted like a total jerk at least one time, even the most innocent ones like Soraya, Chema, or Fidel. However, the most prominent ones are:
12** Luisma does a lot of idiocies and makes fun of others, but most of his jerkassery is due to his stupidity, and he definitely has a huge heart of gold inside him.
13** Jonathan is the typical delinquent son who bullies most people (mostly his CampGay friend Fidel), but he definitely loves and cares about his family and friends.
14** The same goes to the matriach of the Garcia family, [[BigEater Eugenia]].
15** Perhaps the most prominent one is the owner of the Reinols' Bar, Mauricio Colmenero. Usually, he's a narcissistic, pervert, racist, homophobe and unpleasant [[JerkAss Jerkass]]; who mistreats his employees (particularly Oswaldo "Machupichu") and treats '''EVERYONE''' (no exaggeration) like total crap. However, during the show, he had a lot of PetTheDog moments who make him onto this trope: He loves his mother dearly, is protective with his [[CampGay homosexual]] little brother, acts like a surrogate father to his niece "Macu", has a strong friendship with the Garcia and the Martinez families, and even shows a soft spot to Machupichu (As seen in the ChristmasEpisode). In fact, he's a huge jerk with an equally huge heart of gold.
16* ''Series/AllInTheFamily''[='=]s Archie Bunker is one of the most famous personable jerks on American TV, who gradually developed a heart of gold as the years went by. While he was a bigot, his attitudes came about more due to the society he grew up in, rather than genuine malice or racism -- notably his treatment of Lionel Jefferson, ignorant and insensitive as it was, was well-intentioned and the two shared a genuine mutual friendship in spite of it. Once he actually got to know other cultures and peoples better, he was able to accept them at least a little more easily. What set Archie apart the most was that he while had initial dislike of certain groups, he also wasn't a violent man, and was appalled at groups who did use violence and fear: one of the most famous episodes culminated in Archie not only denouncing the Klan but actually preventing a cross-burning.
17* ''Series/TheAmazingRace'': In the sixth season of this reality series, Jonathan was usually unmercifully mean to his wife Victoria (his race partner) and even other teams, but in the episodes taking place in African countries he was shown embracing the culture, mingling with the locals, and giving candy to children.
18* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':
19** Quentin Lance may be gruff and antagonistic, but there's no doubt he cares for his daughter and wants her to be happy.
20** Oliver acts this way at times.
21** Roy was initially this in the early seasons before upgrading to a genuine NiceGuy.
22* ''Series/AshitaMamaGaInai'': Sasaki has many KickTheDog moments, but there are also scenes that show that his harsh treatment of the kids is because he believes they must be prepared for the ordeal they'll face in the real world.
23* ''Series/TheBarrier'': Iván is an immature hard-drinking partier who seems to spend more nights outside his home than inside it and is prone to OpenMouthInsertFoot when drunk or hungover. However, he is by no means malicious, is quick to ask what's wrong if he sees his family members genuinely distressed and attempts to be NiceToTheWaiter.
24* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'': Dr. Cottle is a grumpy, sarcastic, chain-smoking, cantankerous, uncompromising doctor who's downright feared by many of the fleet because of his gruff, unsympathetic attitude and willingness to amputate. He's also the first to not discriminate against the Cylons, treating Athena and her pregnancy with concern as he would anyone else and is visibly furious when Athena is almost raped by Lt. Thorne, occasionally shows signs of warmth for his patients, and is truly moved when Laura Roslin thanks him for never giving up on her when she should've died years ago, but she tells him to cut it out, go grumble, and light a cigarette, lest he ruin his image. He fondly bids her farewell anyway.
25** Donnelly Rhodes's delivery of Cottle's line: "I don't know what to say," wavered a little. This and the way Cottle departed suggested that the Doc was a little choked up.
26** Kara Thrace, a little. Despite her bad habits and occasional rudeness, she truly is a very caring person. [[spoiler: With Kacey, Zak, Athena...]]
27** Gaius Baltar. Despite being [[ItsAllAboutMe self-centered]], he is actually quite compassionate and emotional, and becomes less selfish as the series goes on.
28* ''Series/{{Becker}}'':
29** As much of a jerk as Becker is to Linda and (at times) Margaret, he truly seems to care for most of his patients. That is, the ones that aren't stupid.
30** He even has a surprising amount of patience with some of his stupid patients, such as Mrs. Recinos, who asks -- after being told to only drink clear liquids until she gets better -- whether orange juice and milk would be okay. And then asks if vodka would be good for her, also being a clear fluid.
31** One episode states that Becker's office is in such a bad location because he wants to help people that otherwise wouldn't have access to medical help.
32** Becker also frequently accepts gifts such as baked goods and sports tickets instead of money as many of his patients are broke.
33** At times, Becker uses his own pocket money to finance treatments for patients who are otherwise unable to afford it, such as the HIV-positive child from the pilot episode. It's the major reason why he keeps [[TheAllegedCar his beaten down car]].
34** "Subway Story" has his patience tested when he guides an old lady to where she wants to go, before he starts to realize that she was going to Ground Zero. When she explains the reason why she can't go up and look at the site, the realization hits Becker hard. He stays with her as she talks about her son who died on September 11th.
35* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'':
36** Chuck [=McGill=] would appear to be one of these, since he held back Jimmy's career as a lawyer in order keep his brother from abusing the law -- something we know from ''Series/BreakingBad'' is a totally legitimate concern. But as he becomes more obsessed with foiling Jimmy, it becomes clear that there is a [[TheUnfavorite deeper]] [[GreenEyedMonster animosity]] at work. Chuck also becomes just as manipulative as (and even more petty than) Jimmy in order to bring him down, getting to a point where he becomes a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk by Season 3.
37** Howard Hamlin is a hot shot lawyer who has an arrogant streak a mile wide and often acts as a yes man to Chuck, but ultimately proves to be a straighter example. There are moments where he is courteous towards Jimmy, he agrees to pay off Kim's law school debt, and eventually he gets fed up with Chuck's antics when they threaten his law firm and the livelihoods of the people working there. He eliminates Chuck's financial leverage over the firm by buying his share out of his own pocket, putting himself into debt but saving the jobs of the people below him.
38* ''Series/BetterThings'': Frankie often acts very rude and callous to her mother or sisters. At heart though she does love them, but takes out all her teenage issues on them this way. When pressed or something's wrong, she immediately drops this façade to help them. Max to a lesser extent can also be a rude teenager with her mom. Both confess their love to her when she complains of this and they stage a mock funeral in her honor though, even crying while saying how she's the best mother either could hope for.
39* ''Series/{{Blackadder}} Goes Forth'': Captain Edmund Blackadder, who definitely has the meanness streak present in his ancestors, but is at least willing to acknowledge the talents of his subordinates and showed compassion and sympathy for all of them when [[spoiler: they're about to go over the top.]] It's also good to note that despite being a soldier, he is the only Blackadder not to commit murder. Unless you count the pigeon Speckled Jim, but considering one ancestor killed his uncle (who happened to be ''the king'') and another directly or indirectly caused the deaths of seven people, a pigeon is a step down. Another thing to note is that his ancestors' {{Zany Scheme}}s were all to try to gain something for themselves: the throne, prestige, money. He just wants to get out of the war alive. [[spoiler: He fails.]]
40* ''Series/TheBoys2019'': Billy. He's foul-mouthed and manipulative, but fundamentally a good man who's trying to expose the Supes' crimes for what they are. He's also a FriendToAllChildren and frequently has PetTheDog moments.
41* ''Series/BramAndAlice'': SubvertedTrope: There was one episode of this short-lived sitcom which has Bram having the "jerk" who beat him in poker earlier taking Alice out to a jazz concert. After a brief talk between Bram and Alice's roommate, Alice is storming back in and calling the guy the biggest jerk she ever met (or words to that effect).
42* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
43** Walter White's brother-in-law, Hank Schrader, is a DEA agent and a bit of a jerk to Walt. He's brash, overbearing, and loves to talk about himself. As the show goes on, though, it's made clear that he cares deeply about his family, and never fails to help them when he has a chance to do so. In truth, his self-asserting nature is implied to be a cover for his fear of showing any vulnerability. He also has one of the strongest moral compasses on the show, refusing to compromise his principles, even when it will cost him greatly.
44** Jesse Pinkman in the early seasons of the show. He's crass, impulsive, and a meth dealer on top of it all. The first sign that there was more to him was his affection and protectiveness of his little brother. [[FriendToAllChildren His love of a children is a constant throughout]] and the best way to get him into a homicidal rage is by [[BerserkButton hurting children.]] As the series went on, the jerk part began fading and the heart of gold became more prominent, with Jesse showing real guilt and self-loathing for the work that he does and the lives that he has hurt, [[TragicVillain while also feeling trapped in that life]].
45** Marie makes some uncalled for remarks, and her shoplifting is indefensible, but she turns for the better after Hank gets shot. Bedridden, helpless, and bitter, he is extremely mean to her, but she tirelessly does everything for him, including helping him go to the bathroom (with a bedpan, that is). She's also responsible for convincing him to come home from the hospital, and later back into working on his big case.
46* Rosa Diaz from ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' is surley, blunt, extremely short tempered and standoffish to the point of parody (at one point moving house after people stayed over). She's also a deeply loyal friend who truly cares about helping the community [[spoiler: and ultimately quits the police force when unable to square [[PoliceBrutality the police's increasingly immoral actions]] with her moral code]]
47* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' & ''{{Series/Angel}}'':
48** Spike after his HeelFaceTurn. He's typically seen as a [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic]], insensitive, and uncaring jerk but underneath he deeply values loyalty and love and can show a soft side, particularly towards Buffy and Dawn.
49** Faith before and after her FaceHeelTurn. She tends to play things off nonchalantly and can be a JerkAss, though usually genuinely wants to help. She becomes nicer after her HeelFaceTurn, holds a lot of loyalty towards certain people and feels guilt for her terrible crimes, but is still an example of GoodIsNotNice and ChaoticGood.
50** Cordelia had her moments. She started out a a classic IceQueen and AlphaBitch, picking on nerds and being an all around bully. After Buffy saves her, she starts to hang out with them and even help them with demons, but was even then mostly a complete bitch. Eventually, on the ''Series/{{Angel}}'', Cordelia gets a severe dose of character development and leaves this trope behind in favor of being all nice rather than a JerkAss.
51* ''Series/CallTheMidwife'': Sister Evangelina is hard-nosed and snarky…and completely devoted to God and her patients' welfare.
52* ''Series/{{Carrusel}}'': Pablo Guerra. He may be the class prankster, may get into trouble often, and may inadvertently cross the line at times. But he is not malicious or cruel. In fact, he was the first one to befriend Mario the new boy.
53* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': Creator/AdamBaldwin as Casey. While Chuck's other handler quickly becomes a viable LoveInterest, Casey continues to emphasize how little he thinks of Chuck, generally insulting him, not caring about him, and always following orders above all else. But by the end of the second seasons, he has quite a large amount of hidden fondness for both of his partners, even if he would never admit it. He does. He tells General Beckman that Sarah is the "best partner I ever had". Mind you, he is saving her job at the time....
54* ''Series/TheCleanerUK'': While Terance (from "The Writer") at first comes off as an absolute Jerkass who hates everyone and clearly has SkewedPriorities of writing a novel, he slowly opens up emotionally to Wicky, and tells him that the reason for why he's so focused on writing is because grieving gets rid of his emotions, and he'd rather put that to paper.
55* Johnny Lawrence from ''Series/CobraKai'' is this through and through, being a good and even noble man in spite of some serious demons, some dated views, a nasty habit of not thinking things through, and some issues with alcohol. Even as early as the first episode, when his main reason for intervening to defend Miguel from bullies was one of them touching his car, he ''still'' called them out for picking on the guy and told them to back off.
56** Amanda is clearly the disciplinarian of the [=LaRusso=] household, and can snark hard enough to strip paint. She also reaches out to Tory and tries to get her help in spite of the fact that she broke into Amanda's house and attacked and hospitalized her daughter.
57* ''Series/{{Community}}'': Jeff Winger is an unapologetic {{Jerkass}}, and yet -- although he'd loudly complain about it -- would do absolutely anything for the people he loves.
58** Most of the characters could be considered as this:
59*** Britta Perry tends towards being obnoxious, self-righteous and inept, but her heart is in the right place and she'd jump through fire for her friends.
60*** Pierce Hawthorne is a racist, obnoxious, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment racist]], arrogant, [[RuleOfThree racist]], insensitive, [[SubvertedTrope homophobic]] asshole and TheFriendNobodyLikes within the study group. However, there are glimpses of someone more likable and sympathetic within Pierce, but he's buried very, ''very'' deep.
61*** Abed Nadir is often rather insensitive and tends to say what he thinks regardless [[LackOfEmpathy of how it will affect other people]]. However, he does care about his friends, and he will never go out of his way to hurt someone.
62*** Shirley can act like a self-righteous dick to people, but she does insist on being kind and is genuinely happy when something "nice" happens to them.
63*** Annie Edison can come off as overly competitive, nagging, and judgmental, but it's mostly a front for her own neuroses, and she's a very nice and caring person underneath it all.
64*** Troy Barnes in S1 was a vain, stuck-up, dumb jock, but a good person at heart and a loyal friend to Abed. In later seasons he's more of an outright nice guy.
65* ''Series/ConversationsWithFriends'': Bobbi can be a bit rude and judgmental at times, annoying Frances. At heart though she means well, apologizing over this.
66* Calder Michaels in ''Series/CovertAffairs'' comes off as a careerist asshole who cares about credit and politics of the agency more than people and the truth. In fact, everyone, from Annie and Augie to Joan and Henry, assume he is this way. It takes a ''lot'' of convincing to show that he does, in fact, care more about the truth and his operatives than he lets on. Augie's expression when he finds out that Calder did not make the flash drive compromising Henry disappear is priceless, as he was 100% sure that Calder was in Henry's pocket. By the end of Season 4, Calder proves invaluable in stopping Henry, partly by keeping his JerkAss mask in front of Henry and claiming to be his supporter. But he's also willing to put his career and life in danger to get to the truth and protect the people who rely on him.
67* ''Series/CriminalMinds'': David Rossi comes off as this on several occasions. A prime example is in the episode "Penelope", where he's basically a complete jerk to Penelope Garcia - but only because he wants to catch the guy that shot her. He becomes a bit more subdued in this trope as he gets closer to the team, but he still has his moments.
68* ''Series/{{Daredevil 2015}}'':
69** Early on in the series, Foggy Nelson seems more interested in money than in helping people, even willingly taking James Wesley's check when he drops by to solicit them on a murder defense. Of course, he immediately is uncomfortable the moment he realizes the guy Wesley hired them to defend is a complete sociopath. He goes out of his way to help others who are being pushed around by shady people, even outside of work. He even spends an episode working on Mrs. Cardenas' plumbing.
70** Stick broke off training with Matt when Matt gave him a bracelet he made, showing that Matt was growing too attached. When he turned up 20 years later, he and Matt got into a fight and trashed Matt's apartment. [[spoiler: After Stick left, Matt found the bracelet in the wreckage, showing that Stick had carried the bracelet around for all those years and that the feeling was mutual after all. He also seemed to sound impressed with the whole fight before leaving.]] Season 2 reveals that Stick had a similar bond with Elektra.
71* ''{{Series/Dates}}'': Callum is a pretty obnoxious guy, ordering for Erica before she can even speak up, insulting Chinese people (apparently unaware she's British Chinese) and overall coming off as a huge arrogant prick. However, he doesn't actually seem to ''intend'' this, being more oblivious than anything, and encourages Erica to stand up and be herself when he learns she's lesbian, which isn't acceptable to her family. Overall, he seems like a well-meaning guy with [[NoSocialSkills very poor social skills]].
72* Commissioner Selwyn Patterson in ''Series/DeathInParadise''. For all of standoffishness and ObstructiveBureaucrat tendencies, he genuinely cares for the officers under his command. When Florence is shot, he stays out the hospital with her until she is out of surgery, and then leaves as she is regaining consciousness, so it is doubtful she even knows he was there.
73* ''Series/DefyingGravity'': Steve Wassenfelder, especially in regard to Paula, both the Jerk and the Heart of Gold parts.
74* ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'': Every antagonist turned protagonist has a period of this. The longest being Holly J's which starts toward the end of Season 7 and ends... around the end of Season 9. But Paige, Spinner, Jay, Alex, Peter, Jonny, Declan, Drew, Owen, and Bianca also had there time as primarily Jerk, minor heart of gold period.
75* ''Series/{{Dexter}}''
76** [[Characters/DexterDexterMorgan Dexter Morgan]]
77*** Ruthless serial killer by night. Loving, affable man by morning who has a deep fondness towards children.
78*** [[spoiler:As New Blood progresses, moves into [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk more bastardly]] territory; he starts to regularly compromise the Code of Harry and Harrison's well-being as he's driven more by his addiction to killing.]]
79* ''Series/DocMartin'': While the Doc has a habit of being extraordinarily rude to people, it's clear that he ''does'' care about their well-being, but is frustrated by the fact that they never follow directions. He also clearly loves his Aunt, Louisa, and even Pauline. This is most obviously expressed in the episode where he and Louisa become engaged, as he tells off Pauline's mum for accusing Pauline of being a criminal when really she just has a gambling addiction, and where he tells Louisa that he can't bear to live without her.
80* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Most of the incarnations of The Doctor would touch on this trope at some point, but in many ways the Sixth Doctor matches it most of all; for the most part he's a pompous, arrogant, blustering jackass filled with a monumental sense of his own self-importance... who, every so often, does something that reveals him to be more than capable of acts of astonishing compassion and generosity.
81** Shows up especially in the AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho audios and ''especially'' with companion Evelyn Smythe, simply because she refuses to let him get away with being a jerk.
82** Nine had a penchant for being more brash and brazen than his other incarnations thanks to his recent trauma in the Time War and subsequent SurvivorsGuilt, but ultimately he's still the Doctor.
83** Adric is sort of a lesser version of this, as he doesn't really develop jerk tendencies until Season 19, but he still shows he cares. For instance, at the beginning of "Kinda" when he and Nyssa are discussing her recent fainting spells and he calls her "hopeless in her present state of mind." But when she starts having another attack, he goes over and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.
84** The First Doctor started out as a jerk, but he clearly loves his granddaughter Susan. He goes through CharacterDevelopment.
85** Especially in his first season (Series 8) the Twelfth Doctor can be very callous, capable of disdaining and insulting everyone (even his companions, particularly Nardole in Series 10). Much of this is due to being a PragmaticHero who doesn't see himself as having time for niceties when lives are at stake, but he does soften significantly as he interacts with others and comes to understand himself better. Well before the end of his MythArc, he's established as perhaps the most ''empathetic'' of the Doctors, especially with regard to his adversaries. In his FinalSpeech, aimed at his next incarnation, he notes that they should [[GoodIsNotNice "Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind."]]
86* ''Series/{{Dog With A Blog}}'': Tyler and Avery. Stan as well.
87* ''Series/DontTrustTheBInApartment23'': Chloe is this in just the first episode. She's a complete bitch and steals rent money from her roommate, June, but she exposes June's cheating fiance by seducing him. June then thanks Chloe saying she probably would have found out it 10 years later and be divorced with 2 kids.
88* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'': Has the Dowager Countess, Violet Crawley. She is extremely stuffy, and imperious and snobby, but has shown on several occasions that she is a good, caring person. A prime example of this is the protectiveness she displays towards her son's second footman, William Mason. Her reason: His mother just died, so if he died, his father would be left alone. When [[spoiler: William is mortally wounded in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and wants to marry Daisy]], the vicar refuses, but she convinces him to do it, and later she counsels Daisy who is feeling guilty about marrying William when she didn't love him as much, telling her that marrying him to keep up his spirits was in fact a loving thing to do.
89* ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'': Drake Parker has his moments, contrasting to his JerkWithAHeartOfJerk sister, Megan. Megan has her (incredibly rare) moments, too....
90* ''Series/DueSouth'': Ray Vecchio, who doesn't always make the best first impression, but dearly loves his mother, his sister, the rest of his family and his best friend Fraser, and has demonstrated that he's a caring person at times to others.
91* ''Series/{{Entourage}}'': Ari Gold, a foul-mouthed, ambitious Hollywood agent who loves to berate people's social status, sexual orientation, appearance, age, and just about any weakness he perceives others to have. He actually cares deeply about everyone around him and would go great lengths to help them, proving his loyalty, compassion, and kindness under his "aloof jerkass act".
92%% * ''Series/{{ER}}'': Dr. Morris starts off as a DrJerk, but matures into a JerkWithAHeartOfGold by the end of the series.
93* ''Series/TheExpanse'': Amos starts out the series as the brute of the crew and a borderline TokenEvilTeammate due to his pugnaciousness, irreverence to authority and unapologetic pragmatism, but as the series goes on, it becomes clear that he has a strong sense of honor and loyalty to his friends that he will put ahead of his own interests.
94* ''Series/ExtraordinaryAttorneyWoo'': Myung-seok is stand-offish at first toward Young-woo, as he doesn't want the trouble of dealing with someone who's neurodivergent. However, he starts warming up to Young-woo and even goes so far as to give up lucrative billables if it means dropping her from cases. In episode 6, he even takes responsibility for costing the firm a major client when Young-woo makes one of its executives out himself as a bigot in the courtroom.
95* ''{{Series/Extras}}'': Andy Milman is a variant of this: he is a very grumpy, selfish, self-centered, and sarcastic guy, and he has contempt for people like Derrin who are idiotic, pathetic, or incompetent (in his eyes at least). He does genuinely like and care about Maggie, however, and he truly wants to be a great actor. The world just seems to conspire to make him look like significantly more of an asshole than he actually is, putting him in situations where he accidentally appears racist, homophobic, anti-religious (which he is, but not in an asshole way), intolerant of the mentally handicapped, etc. However, unlike Maggie, who similarly gets into such situations, it's usually at least partly his fault for being an ass.
96* ''Series/FamilyTies'': Alex P. Keaton dreams of reaching the top of the corporate ladder and being rich -- and he often acts pompous about his intelligence. His views also sometimes appear sexist and he often appears to hold a certain contempt for people who lack intelligence (particularly his sister Mallory) or wealth. However, he has shown many times that he truly is a lovable and compassionate person -- and his good buddy is Skippy Handelman.
97* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': In the later seasons, Dominar Rygel XVI. He was showing some of these traits as far back as Season 1.
98* Riven from ''Series/FateTheWinxSaga'', genuinely sees no problem making homophobic comments towards Dane, bodyshaming Terra and generally acting like a complete prick, however he is not a bad person as he genuinely cares about of his friendship with Dane and Sky and is willing to apologize to the people that he hurts when he realizes he has gone too far. Also, although he detests Stella and strongly disapproves of her and Sky's relationship, he is right in saying that Sky isn't acting like the best of boyfriends with her.
99* ''Series/FeelGood'':
100** Linda, who does love Mae although she finds her exasperating, and expresses her annoyance with her child quite vocally when they talk.
101** George's friends, especially Binky and her fiancé Hugh, initially seem like a bunch of obnoxious rich snobs, but when George has her accident they rush her to the hospital, and Binky in particular becomes warmer and less selfish as the show goes on.
102* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'':
103** Jayne Cobb starts the series as a ruthless thug who joins the crew purely through opportunism, but he's occasionally revealed to have a moral center. Some examples include sending a chunk of his pay to his mom to help take care of his ailing sister, and wearing a truly hideous hat because his mother made it for him. In [[Film/{{Serenity}} the movie]], this gets further developed when he's the first person to volunteer for the suicide mission.
104** Mal goes out of his way to be rude, offensive, or outright antagonistic to people, particularly Simon, Book, and especially Inara, but he will not allow any of them to get hurt.
105* ''Series/TheFlash2014'': The Earth-2 version of Harrison Wells is highly intelligent, arrogant and condescending, and doesn't hesitate to let Barry and Team Flash know that. He even goes so far as to tell them that he will turn on them if it gives him a chance to rescue his daughter from Zoom. Team Flash's willingness to help him despite this causes him to soften somewhat, and while he's still overprotective of Jesse and not a fan of H.R., he genuinely respects the others and even warns Barry against killing Grodd and going down the same dark path he took.
106* The titular character in ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' is an elitist, smug and egotistical InsufferableGenius who constantly makes trouble for him and the people he knows through boneheaded lies and decisions, but he also genuinely cares about the people in his life and will often go to great lengths to help them, even when it screws him over in the process.
107* ''Series/{{Freaks and Geeks}}'': Kim Kelly. Ken Miller as well.
108* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Phoebe after she TookALevelInJerkass (she was more of a NiceGirl in early seasons). She does redeem herself in the end when she willingly drives Ross to the airport to catch Rachel, and genuinely feels bad for Ross when Rachel at first gets back on the plane.
109* ''Series/{{Fringe}}'': Peter Bishop. He could very well be an all-around good guy if not for the fact that his father is what keeps his {{Jerkass}} side intact.
110* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
111** The Greatjon is loud and aggressive but also truly loyal to House Stark.
112** Jaime Lannister is consistently arrogant, and has a knack for causing the audience to want to see him killed. At least until his HiddenDepths start coming to light, and we see in his interactions with Tyrion and Brienne that he truly is a good person deep down, but it's complicated with his love for Cersei, ConflictingLoyalty and disillusionment with the world.
113** Tyrion Lannister is cynical, sarcastic, crude, drunk, and a lover of whores, but he is also one of the kindest characters in the series. Witness his interactions with his niece Myrcella and nephew Tommen, Jon Snow, Bran Stark, and Sansa Stark.
114--->'''Tyrion:''' I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things.
115*** In his own ticked off way, he even seems to be trying to help Joffrey to become a better ruler for a while (yes, the "help" does involve a lot of smacking, but at least the smacking comes with advice that is actually useful, and that Joffrey actually seems to listen to every now and then). Eventually, however, he (and everyone else, for that matter) gives up on him as a lost cause.
116** Daario's taunts can be nasty but he does treat people respectfully when the situation is serious as shown when he sees Jorah is affected with greyscale -- he drops the taunt about him being old and is visibly worried.
117** Stannis has zero social skills and comes across as a cold and harsh man who worships a god that demands human sacrifice via burning people alive. Despite that, Stannis's respect for Ned Stark, his regrets over Renly's death, his interactions with both Davos and Shireen, and his lack of religious fanaticism show that despite all that, deep down Stannis is a good man with good intentions. At least at first...
118** Renly may be an UngratefulBastard towards his older brothers but it's easy to see why he is the most popular candidate despite his claim being the weakest of all. Renly is the only man who has treated Brienne with kindness and respect, and he's probably the only king who has accepted a woman into his Kingsguard. He does this despite knowing full well that it would shock his bannermen, annoy his wife, and piss off his lover. He himself understands how painful it is to be frequently mocked for not adhering to rigid gender roles (Robert and Stannis have bullied Renly for his lack of combat experience), so his empathy towards Brienne's situation allows him to be accepting of her masculinity. Renly praises Brienne's martial skills and her devotion when Loras confronts him about it. Margaery describes her late husband as "brave and gentle" in "Dark Wings, Dark Words" (though he seemed gentle he never does anything particularly brave).
119** Sandor is a rough, callous brute, but he disdains the petty cruelty of Joffrey, becomes very protective of Sansa Stark, and teaches Arya some harsh lessons to show her what it means to survive in Westeros.
120** Between her moral boundaries and the loyalty and relative affection she shows for her family, Yara shows enough heart throughout the series to set herself apart from the rest of the Ironborn, despite being a hard and ruthless raider herself.
121* GameShows:
122** ''Series/FamilyFeud'': Probably the Richard Dawson-hosted version is the most prominent example. Dawson many times has been accused of being downright mean and egotistical to the production staff (particularly producer Howard Felsher), and would cut mean jokes about people he didn't like, particularly about Richard Nixon (a man that, according to one history of the series, Dawson claimed tried to "destroy" democracy). He once refused to participate in a ''Magazine/TVGuide'' feature on game show hosts (because he wanted to be ''the only'' host pictured on the cover), and fellow game show hosts –- including Monty Hall –- had rather unkind words to say about Dawson (his personality, hosting style and so forth) in said feature.
123*** However, Dawson's remarks about obviously dumb answers given by contestants were meant to be taken in jest. He also tried to put the contestant and the game first whenever possible — debating with the judge to rule over "close" answers, allowing more time if they didn't hear the final question in Fast Money, rewarding contestants with lollipops, etc. During the original syndicated series, Dawson gave losing families $250 in consolation just for playing (if they failed to reach that amount). Finally, countless families gave him gifts over the years, so he couldn't have been that bad a guy.
124** ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'': Much has been said about Bob Barker's off-screen relationships with the classic Barker's Beauties and other production staff with whom he had fallouts. On-screen, Barker -– especially in his last few years on the show –- began acting more cantankerous toward particularly dumb contestants, particularly if they were playing the game too slowly or didn't seem to understand a given pricing game despite a clear explanation. However, like Dawson, Barker always tried to put the contestant first and debated with the judge on close answers (almost always deferring to the contestant if he acted as judge himself).
125** ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'': Alex Trebek has often been criticized for his thorough enforcement of a game's rules, particularly with this show. This was a point brought up by ''USA Today'' writer Jefferson Graham in "The Game Show Book," where Trebek would often snap at contestants who forget to phrase their responses in the form of a question ("Remember to preface your response with 'What is ... ?'"); Trebek has defended his strictness by saying those are the rules and that Standards and Practices will enforce them if he doesn't. Yet, Trebek has shown many times he loves to have fun with the games and, like Barker and Dawson, will always do his best to side with the contestant.
126* ''Series/{{Garo}}'': Saejima Kouga can be a jerk towards people and have nasty anger problems (well that's only because his BerserkButton has been switched on) but the Heart of Gold thing really shows later in the first season, in ''Makai Senki'' it's shown with how much he cares about people close to him (especially [[BerserkButton Kaoru]])
127* ''Series/GeneralHospital'': Tracy Quartermaine appears to be extremely unpleasant. She is mean-spirited, petty, caustic and was even branded the "Step-monster" by her stepdaughter [[BrattyTeenageDaughter Lulu]]. However, underneath all that is someone who cares very much about her family. A nice example of this is when Lulu gave her speech at Luke and Tracy's wedding
128-->'''Lulu:''' As I slowly got to know you, I realized how deep you are and how special and how remarkable you are. And how lucky I am the day that you stomped into my life. And I'm very happy that you married my dad, and I'm honoured to call you my stepmother.
129* ''Series/GirlMeetsWorld'' : Ava qualifies as this
130%%* ''Series/TheGlades'': Jim Longworth.
131%%* ''Series/{{Glee}}'': Santana, Rachel, Sue, Puck and Quinn.
132* ''Series/GomerPyleUSMC'': Sergeant Carter tries to act as nasty to his troops as possible. After all, [[DrillSergeantNasty it is his job.]] But Gomer keeps his cheerful attitude and even tells the sergeant how much he likes him, making Carter's job even harder. In one episode, another trooper's baby won't stop crying unless Sergeant Carter is holding the baby. Another episode shows Gomer catching a cold, but due to a mix-up of information from the doctor's office, Carter thinks that Gomer is dying. This causes him to show complete kindness to Gomer.
133* Eleanor turns out to be this in ''Series/TheGoodPlace''. She's selfish, short-tempered, impatient, lazy and hedonistic, but she's also capable of selflessness and compassion: cleaning up the Good Place to get rid of the guilt from slacking off on cleaning up the garbage, providing both sincere comfort and "tough love" to other characters as needed, and even [[spoiler:turning herself in to ease the stress she's been putting on Chidi]]. [[spoiler:Later in the series, when the characters are undergoing tests to see their worthiness of entering the proper Good Place, she's the only one who passes.]]
134* ''Series/GossipGirl'': Chuck Bass. He's a jerk, and proud of it, but he loves Blair with all his heart and would do anything for her.
135** Blair is this too. She's a ruthless and elitist RichBitch yet very much a loving friend and girlfriend.
136* ''Series/TheGreatBritishBakeOff'': Paul insists his grumpy onscreen manner with the contestants is very much at odds with his off-camera one, and that in fact he frequently drops a private word of encouragement when they're stressed (usually by using the same swear-loudly-to-make-it-unfilmable tactic as Mel and Sue).
137* ''Series/GreenWing'': In the first season, [[HandsomeLech Guy]] is annoying and insensitive, with very few redeemable features. In the second series, he starts to [[spoiler: grow fond of Caroline, and even proposes to her]]. Though still something of a jerk, he clearly ''does'' have a soft side.
138* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'': Alex. He's gruff, quick-tempered, rude, sleeps around, but he cares deeply for his friends and is an excellent pediatric surgeon because he cares about kids.
139* ''Series/HaltAndCatchFire'': Although the ManipulativeBastard Joe spends most of the first season as a JerkAss, by Season 3 he develops outspoken compassion for Gordon, Cameron and Ryan, especially after [[spoiler:Ryan commits suicide]].
140* ''[[Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys Hercules]]'' and ''[[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess Xena]]'': Aphrodite started out as a petty, materialistic bitch who cared more about her temples and used mortals' feelings to get what she wanted. Over time, however, the character evolved into one who did care about some mortals (at least the ones devoted to her), built a friendship with Gabrielle and was one of the few gods who refused to join Athena's war against Xena and her daughter Eve.
141** You can't forget that lovable rogue, Autolycus! He's proven time and time again that despite claiming that his main interest is himself... and riches, he's put his own life on the line to save his friends on multiple occasions. Gabrielle even says that he has a heart of gold after he defends her bad plan to Xena even though he himself had been criticizing her for it shortly before the warrior princess' arrival.
142* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': Nathan Petrelli, when running for congressman, is a good example of this trope. He cultivates some bad connections and habits but genuinely loves his family and does what he can to help them. Given that Nathan Petrelli's worst connections of all are ''within his own family'', this seems like a subversion of the trope or an inversion or something. If left to his own devices, Nathan would be a great guy, but throw in all the bad influences from his environment and....
143** Matt Parkman is this, but sort of downplayed, with his good side predominating more than most. He's prone to scolding and nagging people, starting arguments, and so on, but only because he cares about them. If he didn't care, he'd probably get off their jock once in a while. But he cares, and so, he nags. Particularly shown with his LoveInterest Daphne, whom he nags to stop using her powers in two different timelines.
144%%* ''Series/HeyDude'': Ted [=McGriff=].
145* ''Series/{{Highlander}}'': Methos has stayed alive for centuries by not giving a shit about other people and only looking out for himself. But every few hundred years he slips up and forms attachments to people whom he will begrudgingly risk his life to protect. Afterward, he laments his inability to mind his own business.
146* ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'': Frank Pembleton. He's an egotistical, cold, and abrasive InsufferableGenius, but beneath that he's genuinely compassionate and cares deeply about his wife Mary and his best friend Bayliss.
147%%* ''Series/TheHoneymooners'': Ralph Kramden.
148* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'':
149** William Bush is a bit of one, although he's less an outright jerk than a stern disciplinarian who (as a SixthRanger in this adaptation) is skeptical of his new comrades Hornblower and Kennedy. Near the end of "Mutiny," however, he begins to show his kinder side, noting that young Wellard is shaking and asking if he's all right, and offering to take the watch so that Kennedy can get some rest.
150** Hornblower himself, in the later films, due to CharacterDevelopment. In line with his book characterization he becomes a fairly cold and calculating character who had great difficulty relating to other people. This is particularly shown with his wife Maria. Towards the end of "Duty", when Hornblower follows his orders to force Betsy to return to America without her husband, they have a discussion concerning how one must weigh their duty against their sense of humanity. When Hornblower stands by his orders, Betsy sharply tells him that she pities his wife. He replies that he pities her too, but that [[WhatYouAreInTheDark he is the man she married.]] He is all too aware of how unfair he is to poor Maria, who has no idea how one-sided the love in their relationship is.
151* ''Series/{{House}}'': Dr. Gregory House threatens to get into this during his PetTheDog moments, particularly when he was diagnosed with cancer and still insisted on focusing on the patient. As always, it turned out he was just a [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk Jerk With The Heart Of An Even Bigger Jerk]] than we had assumed -- [[spoiler:he faked having cancer so he could get his hands on the prescription drugs, although to be fair, his team only "found out" he was sick by snooping around behind his back]].
152** As often as not it's played straight with House. Case in point: he hires Foreman's ex-con brother over Foreman's wishes and delights in setting the two against each other. This ultimately leads to him "going too far", which leads to the two brothers uniting against him, just as he planned.
153** Doctor Chase is a lesser example, he is a self-serving jerk and semi-antagonist for the first season but proves his loyalty by Season 3. It's also assumed by everyone that he will break Cameron's heart when they begin their friends with benefits relationship, when in fact she's the one who breaks his.
154* ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'': Jerome Clarke. Greedy and manipulative, with a love of pranking others, and has worked for the BigBad at least once. But when the chips are down, he has proven his loyalty to the other students time and time again, and where Mara and Joy are concerned, has proven to be a very deep and sensitive guy under his uncaring shell; The best examples, however, are whenever he was with his family in the second season.
155* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'':
156** Barney. Though he frequently comes across as selfish and narcissistic, he's willing to go to extraordinary lengths for his friends and family. For example, him spontaneously flying to San Francisco, convincing [[spoiler: Lily]] that she and [[spoiler: Marshall]] need to get back together, and paying her airfare home. He also pays for their honeymoon. There's a catch though - this is only to his friends and family. To other people, especially his one-night stands, he's just a plain JerkAss.
157** Robin is extremely tactless, insensitive, sarcastic, blunt, emotionally stunted, and prone to ruthlessly mocking everyone around her, but cares deeply for her friends and has a secret soft side that she usually keeps hidden.
158* ''Series/ICarly'' :Sam. She might start as an aggressive bully, she shows her heart so many times whenever Carly, Spencer or even Freddie need her. Later almost exclusively using her strength to fight bullies, not bully herself
159* ''Interny'': Andrey Bykov in this Russian medical sitcom is a sarcastic and rude head of the therapy department. He has four interns under his charge, and he constantly gives them degrading assignments. His most preferred method of punishment is to leave them on-call at night, even if it's not their turn. His best friend is the head of the venerology department, whom he also constantly insults. He occasionally sleeps with the attractive hospital administrator, whom, you guessed it, he also insults. However, his desire is to make good doctors out of those interns. Bonus points for being played by a priest.
160* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' has Charlie Kelly, the TokenGoodTeammate of the group. While he can be bad like the rest of the gang, he is the only one to regularly show a higher moral standard. Mac also has his moments.
161%% * ''Series/{{JAG}}'': Clayton Webb, the recurring [[UsefulNotes/{{CIA}} spook]].
162%% * ''Series/TheJeffersons'': Archie Bunker's black counterpart, George Jefferson.
163* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'': Jessica may be acerbic, abrasive, and short-tempered, but at her core, Jessica is a good person. She pushes people away for multiple reasons: as a survival instinct, because her worldview has been horribly soured, and because she [[ShooTheDog doesn't want people to get close to her because Kilgrave might target them to hurt her]].
164-->'''Malcolm:''' Jessica's got it in her, y'know. She may well never find it, but it is in there.\
165'''Claire:''' An alcoholic?\
166'''Malcolm:''' A hero.
167* One of the character archetypes in ''Franchise/KamenRider''. There is at least one most years.
168** ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'': Ren Akiyama, Kamen Rider Knight comes off as a cold loner, who seldom speaks and doesn't get along with people much. Later, he turns out to be a gentle person, who genuinely loves his girlfriend and is determined to save her. Ren also has an unspoken affection for [[DamselInDistress Yui]] and his Rider sidekick [[TheHero Shinji]].
169** ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'': Hajime Aikawa is cold and oftentimes outrightly hostile to humans. As Chalice, he fights mercilessly and with little consideration for anyone caught in the crossfire. Unless they are his FamilyOfChoice, who he is devoted to, a fact several [[MonsterOfTheWeek Undead]] has (successfully) used against him. He also has slowly warmed up to [[TheHeart Kenzaki]] thanks to the latter's patient use of PowerOfFriendship.
170** ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'': Momotaros, the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Imagin]] of [[JackOfAllStats Sword Form]], is obnoxiously loud BoisterousBruiser who originally helped [[TheHero Ryotaro]] only because he couldn't let him die and continued fighting with him just because he enjoyed punching out other Imagin. He constantly demeans the other Taros, such as calling Urataros "turtle bastard" or Ryutaros "a brat" and got Ryotaro in trouble way over his head more times than anyone could count. He gets very [[AngerBornOfWorry distressed]] when it seems he lost them and genuinely cares about everyone regardless of what his words would suggest, making him more of an annoying older brother to them.
171** ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'': Tsukasa Kadoya is a flippant, cynical jerk, who always takes the hard way through everything and acts high and mighty above everyone else. He is also quite fond of his MoralityPet[=s=], might dial back his behavior for them and tries to make the best of his part as the dirty job man of the multiverse. If there is a need for someone to play a villain or deliver needed [[CruelToBeKind kick]], he is there to do it.
172** ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'': Ankh is justifiedly considered the TokenEvilTeammate of the story's good guy's team. He is angry, tactless PuppeteerParasite trying his best to use [[GoodIsNotDumb Eiji]] as a tool for his own ends. It's clear he despises both him and Hina just for existing and thus making him develop a ThisIsMyHuman sort of attachment to them. Also, they know how to tame his moods by bribing him with [[TrademarkFavoriteFood ice pops]].
173** ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'': Most members of [[TrueCompanions Kamen Rider Club]] have shades of this. [[AllLovingHero Gentaro]] picked them up when they were messed up jerks and led them to being their better selves. [[MissionControl Kengo]] and [[SixthRanger Ryusei]] stand out as best examples. The former is a cold, snobbish honors student who looks down on everyone, especially the IdiotHero Gentaro. The latter is a morose loner, who puts on a mask of meek coward. They make the most effort to fight Gentaro's [[PowerOfFriendship influence]] but eventually come to care about their team, even if they keep their grumpy attitudes.
174** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'': TheRival Kaito Kumon (Armored Rider Baron) is harsh and abrasive, but it all really boils down to his highly unusual version of [[SocialDarwinist Social Darwinism]] (detailed on that trope's page). This is well demonstrated in his debut episode, where a child is stuck in a tree and rather than climbing up himself, Kaito encourages the boy to get himself down and then praises him for finding the strength to take care of himself.
175** ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'' gives us Hiiro Kagami (Kamen Rider Brave), who has a very smug, condescending attitude, especially towards amateurs like protagonist Emu Hojo. However, he still fights to save peoples' lives, both as a genius surgeon with a perfect record ''and'' a KnightInShiningArmor HenshinHero. His rude behavior is eventually explained to be tied to the death of his girlfriend Saki, with Hiiro pushing himself as hard as possible to honor her LastWords: "Become the best doctor in the world." The time spent with Emu eventually lead to him (mostly) losing the jerkishness and just becoming a straight-up hero.
176*** The same series gives us Taiga Hanaya (Kamen Rider Snipe), an unlicensed doctor and the first Kamen Rider (in this series, anyway), who was stripped of both his license and his powers when the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Bugsters]] emerged; after getting a new set of powers, he began attacking the other Riders' and trying to claim their {{Transformation Trinket}}s, saying that he's the only Kamen Rider the world needs. Being stuck with a MoralityPet in the form of Nico Saiba allows him to evolve into this from his original state of NominalHero.[[spoiler:Eventually it's revealed that he feels guilty for being unable to stop the Bugsters or save Saki's life, and believes that he's the only one who should fight because unlike the others, he's got nothing left to lose.]]
177*** [[ManicPixieDreamGirl Nico]] grows up from a reckless, selfish PintSizedPowerhouse with a massive attitude problem into a sort of chaotic good hero. Still as rude, brash and disasterous, but also kind, caring and helpful in any way she can as long as noone can [[ThinkNothingOfIt embarass her]] by pointing her good behavior out.
178** ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'': Ryuga Banjou can be abrassive (sometimes even [[HotBlooded explosive]]) jerk towards Sento and Misora. He argues with Sento all the time and regularly brushes Misora off. On the inside, he cares about Sento so deeply that he decides to become a weapon in an ongoing civil war to end it as soon as possible and ease Sento's suffering. He told Misora that he wants Sento to be happy again and told Sento to be careful because Misora can't lose her family. There is no way he would admit it to their respective faces.
179*** Sento can come across as a narcisstic sociopath to strangers, which is a justified (and self admitted) first impression. Even though his first meeting with Ryuga was far from good, he still saved him from being used a fodder for experimentation and took him, an escaped convict, in regardless of any problem that might cause. He will fight to save all lives he can and forever blame himself for failing that even if he didn't have a chance in the first place. One of his catchphrases is ''narcissisic, conceited hero of justice'' for a reason.
180** ''Series/KamenRiderZiO'': Geiz Myokoin tends to go from cold and withdrawn to self destructive bull in a china shop ''very'' quickly. The whole reason why he came in the past is to kill Sougo before he can become an [[EvilOverlord Oma Zi-O]]. On the other hand, he has enough affection for Tsukuyomi to go along her plan to prevent their bad future by making sure that Sougo grows up to be a better person. He has a hard time ignoring people in need and as it turns out, this involves [[WhyCantIHateYou Sougo]] too.
181* Hyacinth Bucket ([[PretentiousPronunciation It's]] ''[[PretentiousPronunciation Bouquet,]]'' dear!) of ''Series/KeepingUpAppearances'', may be an obnoxious social-climbing snob who's aggressive and constant attempts at convincing others she is a high-standing and wealthy upper-class celebrity has the entire neighborhood fearing and despising her, but she'll run to the aid of a friend or family member in need without a moments hesitation. It helps that she's largely InnocentlyInsensitive, and that she fails to actually realize how shabbily she tends to treat others due to her own vanity.
182* ''Series/TheKicks''
183** Mirabelle has a bad attitude most of the time, but there is a heart in there, way deep down. She eases up on the "Jerk" part after "Breakaway."
184** Devin herself can have some jerkish moments, but she is a fundamentally nice person.
185* ''Series/KingdomAdventure'': It's implied [[TheDragon Pitts]] is capable of becoming this in an episode where purity of heart was the core focus; the very last shot of the episode shows Pitts holding a flower that can only bloom in the presence of a pure heart, and it ceases to wilt as the other characters look on in awe.
186* ''Series/KirbyBuckets'': Dawn is a self-centered {{Jerkass}} most of the time, but there have been a handful of times ("Kick the Buckets", "Send in the Clowns", most of the ''Warped'' season) that she was there for Kirby when he needed help.
187* ''Series/LasVegas'': Sam Marquez had enough genuinely nice and selfless moments, where she did something kind even though there was nothing in it for her, to keep her from being a pure {{Jerkass}} or IceQueen. It's also gradually revealed that she had a rough childhood and secretly values her friendships with her colleagues, making her bitchy public personality just a façade to seem tough and unscrupulous. She ends up receiving the most CharacterDevelopment of anyone on the show.
188* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'': Elliot Stabler. He can be quite an ass at times, but when the chips are down, he'll do whatever he can to come through for his friends and the case.
189** Arguments could also be made for the original ''Series/LawAndOrder'''s Jack [=McCoy=] and Mike Cutter, who can both appear unsympathetic, over-zealous, and cut-throat at times, but their intentions are almost always noble.
190* ''Series/TheLetterPeople'': Miss O's sound is "Obstinate", and she can be a prima donna at times, but she ultimately means well.
191* ''Series/{{Life On Mars|2006}}'' and ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'': Gene Hunt. He might be a rude, ''[[NobleBigotWithABadge extremely]]'' [[NobleBigotWithABadge politically incorrect by modern standards]], bad cop who's not afraid to resort to [[TortureForFunAndInformation beating up]] and framing suspects, but he still looks out for his colleagues and wants to keep the streets safe.
192* ''Series/LifeWithDerek'': Derek Venturi can be a complete ass most of the time, but there have been a number of occasions where his "heart of gold" has shone through. Especially around his little sister, Marti.
193* ''Series/{{Lost}}'': Sawyer starts as a {{Jerkass}} and evolves into this.
194** [[JerkassWoobie Ben]] also ends up becoming one, due to his [[WouldNotHurtAChild refusal to hurt children]] and his desire to [[TheAtoner atone for his sins]]. In the [[spoiler: flash sideways]], he's actually a genuine nice guy.
195* ''Series/LostInAusten'': Casts both Wickham and Darcy in this role.
196* ''Series/{{Married with Children}}'': While occasionally played straight, one episode makes this a SubvertedTrope. Al enters himself in an athletic competition for senior citizens (despite not being a senior citizen himself) and his last remaining competitor tells him how much it would mean to him to win this. Al considers for some time to let him win but in the last seconds decide to take the cup for himself. Then we see Al on first place on the podium and the narrator telling us that if we really expected anything else, we probably haven't paid attention all these years. ''All the while the old man on second place is sobbing''.
197* ''Series/{{MANTIS}}'' had its main character, Dr. Miles Hawkins. While he does want to help people, he is also smarter than most everyone around him and still angry over the shooting that cost him the use of his legs, so he's prone to snapping at people at times.
198* ''Series/{{MASH}}'':
199** Major Charles Emerson Winchester, making him more than just a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for [[{{Jerkass}} Maj. Burns]]. Self-centered, elitist and, [[RichBitch despite being rich already]], often greedy and self-promoting, he is saved from pure {{Jerkass}}dom by a strong core of personal integrity and occasional moments of genuine kindness and sympathy. Plus he's also actually just about as good as he thinks he is in the operating room.
200** The most triumphant example of this occurs during one of the Christmas episodes. When the camp decides to throw a Christmas party for a group of Korean orphans, Winchester's contribution to the pot luck is a measly tin of oysters. Of course the rest of the camp calls him out on his stinginess. What they don't know is that he also secretly gave to the orphanage a large amount of fine chocolate bars. However once the bars show up on the black market, he [[PapaBear comes close to beating up the orphanage director]] until the man explains he sold the chocolate to provide a month's worth of staple foods. This mollifies and humbles Winchester.
201** In the early years, the main characters Hawkeye and Trapper John were like this -- they're cocky, insubordinate pranksters and hellraisers who irritate others constantly, and two of the best and most caring doctors you could hope for. And most of their pranks were directed toward the mostly unlikeable [[JerkAss Frank Burns]] and [[IceQueen Margaret Houlihan]], anyway. In the novels and the JerkWithAHeartOfGold/{{Film}}, the "jerk" aspects of Hawkeye and Trapper are far more pronounced, fitting this trope much better.
202** Margaret herself becomes an example of this once [[CharacterDevelopment her character starts to expand a bit]]. She's still demanding and something of a hard-ass, but more and more througout the series you start to see her softer side show through
203*** "Carry On, Hawkeye": As the only two officers not down with the flu, Margaret and Hawkeye have been at each other's throats for the entire episode, but as soon as Hawkeye tells her he's sick too (and since all the other doctors are even worse off, he has no choice but to work anyway), she immediately forgets about the fight and begins supporting him completely.
204*** "Mad Dogs and Servicemen": She takes care of Radar as he suffers through the effects of rabies vaccinations.
205*** "Kim": Margaret takes on a surrogate mother role for the titular Korean orphan. (She would do much the same for an even younger child in "Yessir, That's Our Baby", six seasons later.)
206*** "They Call The Wind Korea": Margaret orders her nurses to help prepare the camp for a storm, but she feels horribly guilty when one of them is injured in the process.
207* ''Series/{{Merlin 2008}}'': Arthur. Arrogant and self-centered yes, but with a genuine sense of justice and near unshakeable loyalty to his friends, his people and his king. In fact he might not be a jerk at all, if it wasn't for this sense of duty towards his father, who is a ''true'' {{Jerkass}}.
208* ''Series/TheMiddle'': Axl. Underneath the [[BrattyTeenageDaughter Bratty Teenage Son]] exterior, he's twice helped his sister out in ways she'd never be aware of, despite the many times he's called her a dork and similar things to her face (although once he did call her a "[[{{Determinator}} dork optimist]]" as a compliment. He's also been shown as very willing to help out Brick, his younger brother, with schoolwork. In "[[HalloweenEpisode Halloween II]]", Axl persuaded his friends to abandon their original plan to steal candy when they encountered some little kids who'd had their candy stolen, and instead they got the kids their candy back. When a college football recruiter visited, we saw that he could be very polite and charming.
209* ''Series/MillionYenWomen'': Minami, the rudest of the women, is also quite protective towards the other members of the household.
210* ''Series/{{Misfits}}'': Nathan Young is a pretty extreme example of this. He is indisputably selfish, immature, insensitive, petulant and obnoxious, and while his Jerkass personality may be a facade to some extent, the fact remains that he often goes out of his way to upset others and seems pretty oblivious to his companions' dislike of him. However, as his CharacterDevelopment continues, his own [[JerkassWoobie vulnerability is made clearly apparent]], and he does (occasionally) start to show concern for other people and even [[PetTheDog expresses remorse]] for some of the things he's done. Plus, his [[TookALevelInBadass surprisingly heroic actions]] during the series finale prove beyond a doubt that there ''is'' a half-decent person in there somewhere, no matter how well he hides it most of the time.
211* ''Series/MonarchLegacyOfMonsters'': [[Characters/MonsterVerseMonarch Lee Shaw]], particularly in his younger years in the show's [[TheFifties 1950s]] segments. He was surlier, more sardonic and more aggressive than his friends Keiko and Randa, and even as a 90-something year old man in the present he prefers to solve certain problems with violence. However, he dearly cared for his two friends and for his [[HonoraryUncle honorary nephew]] Hiroshi, who he saw as a [[LikeASonToMe son]]. His chronologically earliest scene in the series thus far introduced him in 1952, sporting bruises and in trouble with a superior officer in the Army, because he beat up two other soldiers in a bar in disgust that they were drunkenly "bullying" (meaning sexually molesting) an unwilling Filipino barmaid.
212* ''Series/MortalKombatConquest'': Siro may act like an asshole most of the time, but he is always loyal and protective for those he cares about.
213* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': Even though they always maintain a military decorum and can act quite abrasive to their coven, M genuinely misses their unit after its disbandment. They're also on the verge of tears when requesting a new assignment from Anacostia. When talking with Tally later of how difficult they found it having to choose between serving with the men or women in the Army, their softer, vulnerable side also shows. M displays warm gratitude when Tally expresses her instant sympathy for this.
214* ''Series/TheMrPotatoHeadShow'': Mr. Potato Head acts like either this or JerkWithAHeartOfJerk, depending on the episode or even the situation. For instance, in one episode spoofing reality shows, he deliberately tricked his friends into getting mad at each other to create drama, but in the end apologized.
215* ''Series/TheMuppetShow'': JustForFun/StatlerAndWaldorf. They have a couple of moments that show that they aren't total jerks. Like when they sing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ArFSoYHSxs this]] song for example.
216** Or their heartfelt praise of Creator/DannyKaye upon realising that the guest had been him and not Manny Kaye, a tuned clam player.
217** Or when they enthusiastically join in with Harry Belafonte and the others on "Turn The World Around".
218** In ''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson'' they make only silent respectful nods as the others read letters paying their condolences about Henson's death.
219* ''Series/MurphyBrown'': Almost every character displays these traits at some point, but Murphy especially exemplifies it.
220* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'':
221** Both Tony [=DiNozzo=] and Jethro Gibbs stray into this on occasion.
222** Leon Vance also, though for he and Gibbs, the [[Jerkass jerkassery]] is an act.
223* ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'': Deeks in the start of the fifth season, which it ends on a somewhat happy note.
224* ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' naturally has a lot of these characters, especially the teachers. Given the show’s emphasis on realism in its portrayal of schools, teachers are naturally going to be a lot more complex than the stereotypical SadistTeacher.
225** Mr. Sweeney, the science teacher, was cranky and harsh which resulted in his students seeing him as a SadistTeacher, but over the course of the series it's shown that he [[CoolOldGuy genuinely cared for his students]] and [[ToughLove was hard on them because he wanted to see them succeed]]. On one occasion he catches Ned stealing baby powder from his lab to treat his "embarrassing itch" and diagnoses him on the spot, giving him tips to cure it.
226** Crubbs, the vice principal, is very authoritative and a big egomaniac, but he has explained he has a genuine desire to see his students succeed.
227** Coach Dirga, the gym teacher, may seem like a DrillSergeantNasty teacher whose classes are rigorous and demanding.
228* ''Series/NeverHaveIEver'':
229** While Ben has a rather extremely snobby and rude front, when it comes down to it and he sees someone (usually Devi) genuinely upset, he drops his unkind attitude immediately and consistently tries to help instead. His soft side is also noticeable when one realizes how lonely he is in the episode from his perspective, with culminates with him breaking down in tears at Nalini's office after she mentions the Vishwakumars eat dinner together every night, something Ben has not done with his family in a very long time.
230** Devi, the series protagonist has a HairTriggerTemper, bouts of ItsAllAboutMe, and has her moments where she can be hurtful to her relatives and friends but she enjoyed a very close relationship with her father when he was alive, helps her friend Eleanor get back from her [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness beige colored funk]] after her mother abandoned her, helps her cousin hide her secret boyfriend from the family, she's decent and engaging enough for her crush Paxton's younger sister Rebecca (who has Down Syndrome) to approve of for her brother, and opens up to Ben when she finds out about his familial neglect and he being catfished by a pedophile (later sending him some money over text).
231* ''Series/NewGirl'': Nick may qualify. He's incredibly cynical and likes to watch his friends' insanity unfold around him but doesn't really do anything jerkish. He considers Jess one of his closest friends and appears to really like her quirks. Overall it is made quite clear throughout the series that Nick is a really good guy who has simply endured a lot of misfortune and unhappiness. He's also very ''aware'' of this, and genuinely wants to become a better person (even though he gets in his own way a lot.)
232** Schmidt is probably a more pure example. Even at his most vain and status-obsessed self, he'll always stand up for his friends, especially Nick. His CharacterDevelopment comes when we learn that he's so driven because he was an overweight, unpopular kid and he doesn't want to become that again. He finds more balance and learns to appreciate the things he does have, and he's genuinely a better person when he and [=CeCe=] get back together.
233* ''Series/NewsRadio'': Bill [=McNeal=] is a subversion of this. He's always on the verge of doing the right thing, but always falls back on his selfishness.
234** Although even he rises to the occasion from time to time:
235--->'''Bill:''' Jimmy, Dave is quite simply the best news director I have ever worked with.\
236'''Catherine:''' But?\
237'''Bill:''' What? No, I really mean it.\
238'''Catherine:''' Well. Bill [=McNeal=] shows a little compassion and sincerity. Remarkable.\
239'''Bill:''' Those dimensions are there. They're just unexplored.
240* ''Series/TheNewsroom'': Will [=McAvoy=] is an aggressive, headstrong news anchor who frequently screams and swears at his staff, is very forgetful of their names, and has the capabilities to betray their respect & trust for the sake of ratings (though he refuses to), but he's ''very'' loyal and trusting to said staff, and even [[spoiler:paid the ransom of a captured foreign correspondent when the parent company of ACN refused to pay for the correspondent's release. Then there was the time he anonymously paid for the transport costs for a man who couldn't drive to work because he was outed by a newspaper as an illegal immigrant.]]
241* ''Series/NightCourt'': Dan Fielding is one, despite any protests he may make to the contrary. Despite being greedy, power-hungry and sex-crazed, Dan is an honest lawyer who repeatedly sacrifices chances for advancement because of his ethics and risks his life and dignity to help his friends.
242** One great example of this is how he gave up a partnership in a very high-profile law firm despite promises of a private office and an attractive female boss who wanted him after he found out that he was being hired for his reputation as a good lover -- not because of his record as Assistant D.A. Of course Dan slept with the woman offering him the job first THEN quit, excitedly telling a confused janitor as he left her office "You can have your principles and STILL get lucky!"
243** Another shining example was when he found some way to coerce Christine into bed (he saved her life and played the "you owe me" card) -- but he couldn't do it to an unwilling woman that he genuinely cared about. She's as stunned as he is, and basically cites this trope verbatim... only to have him point out that this is only going to make him chase her ''more'' and that someday, somehow, he ''will'' wear her resistance down.
244** Another example of him defending Christine came when she was going to be sweet-talked into bed by a guy who was part of a rich and powerful club who was using the conquest as part of a "sexual scavenger hunt." Dan was a prospective member of the club, but willingly threw his membership away to keep Christine from being used as a plaything.
245** Another sterling example occurred in the episode where Roz is first diagnosed with diabetes. Due to inexperience managing the disease, she ends up in insulin shock, standing on the edge of the roof and crying about how she can never have another chocolate ice cream cone like she shared with her dead father. Dan poses as her father and distracts her and keeps her still long enough to give her a shot of glucose to bring her out of insulin shock...after she punched him in the face several times while he was first trying to talk her down.
246** A really incompetent and sloppy attorney fingers Dan as the father of a boy who's mother he never met. In the end, when the mother comes to confront the recalcitrant Dan, it turns out he was right about not being the father, as the father is someone named STAN Fielding. At the end of the episode, Dan is shown giving the boy some money to pass on to his mother and apparently embarking on a big-brother type relationship with the boy.
247** Dan did TRY to be a heartless, thieving jerk and loot the funds from the Phil Foundation. In the end, he just didn't have what it takes to loot a charity and the guilt drove him insane until he confessed publicly.
248** In another episode, Dan spends a whole minute [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech ranting at a businessman about what an unfeeling bastard he is]], for essentially confiscating toys from orphans on Christmas, coolly finishing off with "And if you knew exactly who was saying this to you, you'd appreciate the full measure of that insult".
249* [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Michael Ragosa]] from ''Series/TheNightShift'', although the "heart of gold" part becomes more apparent in Season 2.
250* ''Series/NoahsArc'': Despite plenty of Jerkass behavior (especially early on), Ricky shows more and more of a heart of gold as the series progresses. [[spoiler:After Noah's gay bashing, Ricky truly starts to show his kindness more visibly]].
251* ''Series/NoReservations'': Anthony Bourdain. On the outside he may seem like a {{Jerkass}}, but really, he's all right and cares about his crew and the people he visits in his travels.
252* ''Series/NowhereBoys'': Jake, and also Phoebe.
253-->'''Jake:''' Wow. You're being nice.
254-->'''Phoebe:''' [[DeadpanSnarker It'll pass.]]
255* ''Series/NUMB3RS'': The recurring character of LAPD Lieutenant Gary Walker. He's a gruff and somewhat jaded man, but he cares more than he lets on; if we couldn't tell in his first two appearances, it becomes ''completely'' clear in "End of Watch", in which Walker must deal with the murder of one of his subordinates.
256** Ian Edgerton too. The man clearly has his own moral code, but at the end of his first episode, he comes running to make sure Charlie is okay. He also covers for Don after the events of "Two Daughters" and is involved in rescuing both Don and Amita when each of them gets into trouble.
257** The entire plot of "Frenemies" is about Marshall Penfield being a Jerk With a Heart of Gold.
258* ''Series/{{The OC}}'': Seth Cohen: while he may be self-absorbed and slightly petty at times, he's otherwise a genuinely NiceGuy who loves Summer more than anything, and most of his selfless and sweet moments occur when he's with her, or when the situation involves her. When he wasn't accepted to his preferred university, and she refused to go without him, he broke up with her and told her didn't love her any more just so she would go. And he clearly did still love her. And how can we forget all the times where he looked after her and his mother while they were drunk?
259** And then there's Luke. He started out as a complete {{Jerkass}}, and eventually became a pretty good friend to the main cast. He genuinely evolves from a JerkJock to a LovableJock.
260** Summer. She started out as a spoiled, slightly rude AlphaBitch, but, like Luke, she evolved into a much more likable, sympathetic character. To be fair that was mostly an act, since despite her vain streak, she still was a good person at heart, but she TookALevelInKindness when she became friends with Ryan and Seth.
261** And finally Taylor. Initially she was annoying, conniving, self-serving, manipulative and Summer's ArchEnemy. Eventually she had a HeelFaceTurn and became a good friend to Summer and the other main characters (as well as Ryan's LoveInterest).
262** Subverted with Ryan. He's a genuinely NiceGuy and is not a natural jerk, but his past turned him into a rather cynical and brooding boy, with a short temper that gets better through CharacterDevelopment.
263** If you think about it, almost everyone in this show could be considered a {{Jerk With A Heart Of Gold}} at one point in the series.
264* ''Series/OddSquad'': Olive is a serious worker whose [[DeadpanSnarker tendency to snark at anything or anyone stupid]], as well as her tendency to be smug and cocky when she feels she has the upper hand in a situation, makes her seem uncaring and cold. However, she's one of the most experienced agents of Precinct 13579, openly cares for her clients, and is shown to have a soft heart when it comes to her new partner Otto in particular. Part of her CharacterDevelopment throughout Season 1 has her loosening up and becoming less of a {{Jerkass}}.
265* ''Series/OnceUponATime'':
266** Emma. She's cynical and snarky, but there's no doubt that she's a good guy.
267** Regina develops from the BigBad into one as the series goes on and her CharacterDevelopment kicks in.
268** Despite his jerkish qualities, Mr. Gold genuinely loves his son and Belle. In season 2, he gave Henry a protective charm to help with the after effects of the slapping curse and didn't ask for anything in return. This was before he knew that Henry was his grandson. In season three, he sacrificed his life to save Henry from Peter Pan. When he was resurrected, he was willing to trade his freedom in an attempt to save Neal and Belle.
269** Robin is a former AlphaBitch and DeadpanSnarker with an arrogant streak as well as her father's thief skills. She can be a bit of a {{Jerkass}}, but she comes through as a good person in the end.
270* ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'': Del Boy is self-centered, boorish, uneducated, a social climber (and a totally incompetent one at that) and a petty criminal, but he does genuinely care for the people he loves and has been shown to be quite sensitive at times.
271* ''Series/ThePaperChase1978'': Professor Kingsfield. For instance, in one episode he apparently blows off both Logan's desperate phone call from jail and Hart's attempt to hand in his extra credit work. However, Kingsfield actually intervenes behind the scenes to get Logan released and turns over an entire class period for Hart to present the research he's done.
272* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': A similarly tailored example: Ron Swanson is a gruff, bitter misanthropist who hates his ex-wives, liberals, and the government, but when it comes down to it he's always there to help his coworkers and dispense sage wisdom. He even fights tooth and nail to protect Leslie Knoppe's job, even offering up his own job as a sacrifice to save hers.
273** Tom counts, too. As Leslie puts it, "Tom Haverford is a selfish, sleazy, self-promoting, good-hearted, secretly kind and wonderful tiny, little person."
274** April's a pretty big jerk. She enjoys mocking Jerry, openly dislikes Ann, has little respect for the rules and claims to hate everyone. However she does have a softer side, particularly towards Ron, Andy and later Leslie.
275** Jean-Ralphio also counts. He's definitely a slimeball and self-centered, and ''incredibly'' obnoxious, but he's not really a bad guy. He actually does care about Tom, and admits his own shortcomings freely. He's just very spoiled, very overconfident, and comes on ''way'' too strong.
276** Ken Hotate is a smarmy opportunist who, in spite of not personally caring about who did what to whom two centuries ago, loves nothing more than triggering WhiteGuilt among Pawnee officials, both as a negotiating tactic and for his private amusement. However, he is a well respected leader among the Wamapoke and is genuinely trying to do right by his people, and is a staunch ally of Leslie's whenever Pawnee is truly threatened.
277* ''Series/PitBoss'': Shorty Rossi. Despite his rougher aspects, he is a genuinely nice guy underneath who tries to do right by people and the dogs.
278* Fletcher in ''Series/{{Porridge}}'' is a morally bankrupt career criminal who's prone to being demanding, manipulative, and rude, and views his own arrest and imprisonment as an occupational hazard in a career of housebreaking, but he takes first-timer Godber under his wing and gives him useful advice to get him through his two-year sentence, and while he does admit to having been unfaithful to his wife at one point, he does seem to care about his family.
279-->'''Fletcher:''' My youngest has just got into grammar school... It's nice, but it costs a lot - you know, books, equipment, all that sort of thing. When my son started there, he didn't want for nothing - rugby boots, blazer, the lot. He wouldn't have had them if his dad was just a clerk. [[CrossesTheLineTwice He had them because his father had just robbed a school outfitter's.]]
280* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' has had it's share:
281** ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder's]]'' Conner starts out as a JerkJock before becoming one of these, which makes it particularly jarring when he becomes the Red Ranger. While this made for some funky team dynamics during the time it took for the group to begin to actually trust each other (since his teammates were a male geek and a [[RebelliousSpirit female loner musician]]), he evolves from a selfish braggart who's focused on soccer stardom into a selfless leader who discovers a passion for helping others.
282*** This could also apply to Cassidy. She's ambitious, vapid and self-centered, but she surprisingly agrees to a date with Ethan after an online dating service unexpectedly matches them. They try to make a go of it for a few episodes and she noticeably softens afterwards, first by defying her boss's order to bash the Rangers on-air when they're missing for most of "Fighting Spirit", then in the finale [[spoiler:giving them the footage Devin shot of them morphing, which would have revealed their identities.]]
283** Dillon of ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' strays into this trope, but there tends to be more emphasis on the "heart" and less on the "jerk". Most notably is in the second episode when he and Ziggy are in prison. Ziggy, as it turns out, is something of a prison bitch and Dillon makes it clear that he has no interest in looking out for him. But after he overhears another prisoner taunting Ziggy for being an outcast, Dillon goes out of his way to defend him. And it is awesome.
284*** Dillon seems to invoke this trope as a defense mechanism more so than actually ''being'' it (he's probably closer to GoodIsNotNice). In the third episode, "Rain", when the three core Rangers are trying to get him to join the team for good, he says, "I'm not that kind of person", "that kind of person" being the noble heroes he imagines Scott, Flynn and Summer as, even though most of his actions up to that point indicate that he's just as much of a "good guy" as they are. To put an even finer point on it, [[spoiler:he joins the Rangers on one condition: that Ziggy be released from prison]].
285** As much as Bulk and Skull from ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' are jerks and bullies, they do have soft spots, showcasing genuine care for a disgusting pig, trying to save a runaway stroller, and when stuck in a dreamscape, they dream of being heroes. They also ''saved the Rangers' lives'' during one episode where the MonsterOfTheWeek gave them LaserGuidedAmnesia. Maybe not full gold, but some lower value precious metal, made shinier as the show went on.
286*** There's no doubt those hearts were pure gold after their IAmSpartacus in [[Series/PowerRangersInSpace "Countdown to Destruction"]].
287** The ultimate in-series example is probably Eric, ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'''s SixthRanger. Having grown up poor, he's [[TheResenter bitterly jealous]] of [[ShelteredAristocrat Wes's privileged upbringing]], and much of his motivation after becoming the Quantum Ranger is to finally have as much (if not more) power than [[TheHero Wes]] does, which he gets by becoming the leader of the Silver Guardians, a private security force created by Wes's father. (This is all amplified by how much of a [[NiceGuy genuinely good guy]] Wes is.) Yet one of his best friends is a young girl who's a neighbor of his at the trailer park he lives in, and he also [[MoralityPet keeps birds as pets]]. As the series goes on, he begins to warm up to the Time Force team, even thwarting one of Wes's father's {{plan}}s that would have inadvertently helped the BigBad. In the finale, he [[spoiler:jumps in front of a mook -- unmorphed -- and takes a shot meant for Wes and his father. He survives and co-leads the Silver Guardians with Wes at the end.]]
288*** Obligatory ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' note: Eric was virtually a carbon copy of his [[Series/MiraiSentaiTimeranger Sentai counterpart]] Naoto, birds and all. The only real difference between them is [[spoiler:Naoto dies at the end.]] Even weirder, Naoto even ''[[CelebrityResemblance looks like]]'' a Japanese version of Eric.
289** And it seems almost impossible to mention Super Sentai without mentioning Gai Yuki from ''[[Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman Jetman]]''.
290** Back on the Power Rangers side of things we have [[MissionControl Kendall]] from Series/PowerRangersDinoCharge. She's a DeadpanSnarker on rather sharp levels, particularly towards [[SitcomArchnemesis Shelby]], but she's also very clearly one of the good guys.
291* ''Series/{{Primeval}}'': Nick Cutter. [[DeadpanSnarker James Lester]] blends this with HiddenHeartOfGold. When another character tells him that he's really a nice guy underneath, he calmly tells her that she better take that back, lest he sue her for defamation.
292* ''Series/PushingDaisies'': Emerson Cod is grumpy, [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] and is always annoyed at having to listen to Ned and Chuck's problems...but he always ''does'' listen to them, and often provides helpful advice. Lily as well. A gun-toting, foul-mouthed, cantankerous old lady who loves her sister more than anything in the world.
293* ''Series/QueerAsFolkUS'': Brian Kinney was a huge jerk to every character on the show at one time or another, but always ended up doing the right thing or saving the day for everyone.
294* ''Series/Reboot2022'': Clay Barber is abrasive, foul-mouthed, and has had plenty of legal troubles, but he's taking his sobriety seriously. He also genuinely cares about his co-stars and does his best to look out for them, such as going out of his way to pick up Bree and making sure she gets home safely when she gets high on mushrooms after attending a retreat.
295* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': Miles Matheson started out as a cynical, unscrupulous jerkass. However, as of episode 6, he takes steps forward in becoming this. However, Charlie has had to make sure he didn't do something really terrible, like in episode 16.
296* Mr. Rose from ''Series/TheRoyal'' is a pompous, no-nonsense InsufferableGenius, but he still cares about the well-being of his patients and sometimes shows a softer side outside of the operating room. Matron counts too, since she is both strict and supportive to her nurses.
297* ''Series/SchittsCreek'': David Rose is a generally selfish, self-involved snob who ''wants'' to think of himself first. However, over the course of the series he goes out of his way to help and support his parents, Stevie, his sister and his boyfriend Patrick. In particular, it's revealed that he always cared for and worried about his little sister during her wild adventures, and he eloquently sticks up for her when Ted isn't sure he can trust her again.
298* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'':
299** Dr. Cox and his wife Jordan are examples. They are both exuberantly acerbic and sarcastic especially to each other, but deep down are caring (albeit emotionally repressed) and loving, although they only express this to each other and their son, Jack -- and, in the case of Cox, very ''very'' occasionally, to J.D.
300** Dr. Kelso is a variant; he actually ''is'' a Jerk, and an unapologetically sadistic and mean-spirited one at that, but occasionally reveals himself to be ultimately more caring and decent than he cares to admit, and and at least partially acts the part of a ruthless, uncaring and egotistical bastard in order to keep the hospital running efficiently. He also knows that when he does something really reprehensible, Dr. Cox will always go behind his back and fix it. In one episode, where Dr. Cox is considering leaving, he acknowledges that he ''depends'' on Cox to be the foil for him.
301** The Janitor, though we see the Jerk aspect 99.9% of the time because of how much he tortures JD and the staff, genuinely likes Elliot and will do his best to help her out. He's also quite fond of and supportive of Ted.
302* ''SCTV'': Johnny [=LaRue=] (played by John Candy). Johnny [=LaRue=] is a rather hefty millionaire celebrity who's a bit of a jerk at times but is often a sweet guy too. He's also one of the resident gentle giants on the show.
303* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': Kramer. Elaine also has her ''very'' rare moments, especially in the earlier seasons.
304* ''Series/SexLife'': Brad grows much nicer (for instance, he's very helpful with trying to find Billie's son) and becomes less of a bad boy by the time [[spoiler:he and Billie marry]], away from his original {{Jerkass}} ways.
305* ''Series/{{Shake It Up}}'': Despite being a total nutjob and always prone to getting in trouble at school, [=CeCe=] is actually very nice and tends to be very helpful and caring to the people around her.
306* ''Series/{{Shark}}'': At the start of the show, Sebastian Stark is almost a complete {{Jerkass}}, but begins to show a softer side as the series progresses thanks to his daughter, his loyalty to his team and his new-found desire for [[TheAtoner redemption]].
307* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': Sherlock definitely, like his [[Literature/SherlockHolmes original counterpart.]] The only way to get him ''pissed'' at you is to either hurt [[TeamMom Mrs. Hudson]] or threaten [[BadassNormal John's]] life in front of him. Bad idea.
308* ''Series/SixFeetUnder'': Claire. While she's rebellious and a little rude, she does genuinely care about her family and usually tries to do the right thing when the going gets tough.
309* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'':
310** Lex Luthor in the early seasons. But come Season 5 following his FaceHeelTurn, he evolves into a flat-out {{Jerkass}}.
311** Jonathan Kent can be stubborn, judgmental (especially toward Lex), and [[HotBlooded hot-tempered]], [[HelicopterParents is extremely overprotective of his super-powered son Clark]], and sometimes takes out his frustrations on other people (even Clark), but is generally a loving and kind father who's largely responsible for Clark being such a NiceGuy and becoming TheParagon.
312** [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Oliver Queen]]. ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} calls him out for it once.
313* ''Series/TheSopranos'': The main character, Tony Soprano, is a mob don, but has many likeable and sympathetic qualities, such as being a family man, an animal lover, having genuine camaraderie with his subordinates, making real efforts to improve his moral character, and is generally [[PragmaticVillainy far more pragmatic]] than the other, far more violent, mobsters. [[SubvertedTrope However]], as the series goes on, [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil he crosses many moral lines]], and it's shown that his sympathetic traits are just a shallow and self-indulgent mask made to convince himself that he's a good person deep down, despite his increasingly horrible acts. In the end, it's clear his sympathetic traits are far outweighed by his selfishness and sociopathy, and he's just as ruthless as any other mobster.
314* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'': Of course this trope just screams for Dr. Rodney [=McKay=], who's an egoistical, self-centered, selfish and cowardly {{Jerkass}}, but brave, selfless and understanding when he feels like it. In particular, there's one moment that pretty much sums him up in a nutshell. [[spoiler:Upon finding out that, in an alternate universe, he spent his last moments unflinchingly trying to save others, he ''brags'' about it]]. There's also Richard Woolsey, who starts out as your typical ObstructiveBureaucrat. He ends up as a series regular and warms up to the rest of the cast, even showing himself to be sort-of like a team dad.
315** A shorter but more significant example of this is Colonel Marshall Sumner, the original military commander of the expedition; he expressed a negative opinion of John Sheppard's reputation for disobeying orders and was uncertain if the Athosians had anything of value to offer them during their first trip through the 'gate in Pegasus. However, when he was part of the group captured by the Wraith, he immediately volunteered to be taken away by the Wraith rather than just allowing an Athosian to be questioned, and stood up to Wraith mental torture even as the Keeper fed on him.
316* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'':
317** Tom Paris. In fact, the going-away speech given by Neelix in "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS2E20Investigations Investigations]]" sums up this trope admirably.
318--->''"Good morning, ''Voyager''. I want to tell you about a friend of mine. I first met this man almost a year ago and, to tell you the truth, I didn't like him much. He seemed a little too cocky, a little too sure of himself. A lot of people had questions about him. He'd proven he'd pretty much sell himself out to the highest bidder, go wherever the wind blew him so people wondered, could you trust this person when things got tough? Would he stand side by side with you or would he let you down when you needed him most? But the fact of the matter is he proved himself right from the beginning. I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for him and the same goes for many of you. It took me a while to realize it. Like a lot of people, I was too caught up in first impressions to see the truth that was right in front of me. I overlooked his bravery because I was focusing on his brashness. I ignored his courage because I saw it as arrogance and I resented his friendliness because I mistook it for licentiousness. So while this man was giving us his best every minute of every day I was busy judging him. And now he's leaving. I'm proud to say that in spite of my narrow-mindedness Thomas Eugene Paris became my friend. I'm going to miss him. No more laughs over a game of pool. No more sitting up into the wee hours swapping stories. No more complaints about my cooking. (chuckling) Goodbye, Tom. I think I speak for more of us than you might imagine when I say you're going to leave an empty space when you go. I hope you find what you're looking for."''
319** The Doctor fits this as well. He's full of himself and his bedside manner sucks (at least initially), but he loves the crew. At one point he's willing to get reset (which would cost him all his memories and a lot of his personality) rather than risk giving inadequate medical care to them.
320* ''Series/StrangerThings'': Police Chief Jim Hopper; [[TookALevelInKindness and, in Season 2]], [[spoiler: Steve Harrington]] before he transitions into a full-on NiceGuy.
321** Max Mayfield may also qualify, although she isn't nearly as much of a jerk overall.
322* ''Series/{{Suits}}'': Harvey. While he puts a lot of effort into playing the AmoralAttorney professionally and being a {{Jerkass}} for the fun of it, he genuinely cares about Mike and Donna to a familial degree. He is very loyal to his friends in general.
323** Louis Litt as well. Over the first three and a half seasons, he is depicted as being an {{Jerkass}} towards practically everyone and picking on those lower in the hierarchy than himself (especially the paralegals and associates), to the point where most of his subordinates outright fear him. However, it is implied that he is only hard towards others because he wants to push them and test them, so they can become better lawyers and more valuable employees at Pearson Whatever-other-name-is-on-the-wall-at-the-time. In Season 4, Episode 8, when he is forced to quit, he points out in his letter of resignation that the firm is his home, and the people working there his family, and he genuinely feels sad to leave the only firm he has ever worked for and ever wanted to work for.
324* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
325** Dean ''defines'' this trope. His jerk side is easy to see, especially along his contrasting, nicer brother [[ByronicHero Sam]]. He's cocky, impatient, self-righteous, judgmental, and ''always'' [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]]. Yet, underneath it, he cares genuinely for the safety of strangers and has an honest willingness to sacrifice his own happiness for their sake. He's also responsible -- surprisingly so, in fact -- and has such low self-esteem he labelled himself once as "90 percent crap". All his wisecracking and bravado is also just a way to "mask all that nasty pain". Not forgetting that he's also the [[TheChewToy show's favorite bitch]], so you've got to give him some sympathy.
326** Sam really does deserve to be here as well. He's self-absorbed, doesn't seem to think much of Dean, can be incredibly cruel at times ("You were ''four'' when Mom died. How could you possibly know how I feel?", anyone?) and is prone to self-pity by the bucket-load. He uses the whole "Captain Empathy" thing as an act at least half the time, he's incredibly violent when he fights and he knows just how to twist Dean around his little finger. But he tries a hell of a lot harder to make Dean feel better than John ever did, he falls apart trying to save Dean in Season 3, he's using his demonic powers for good, he really did try to make it up to his father after "In My Time Of Dying" by focusing on the hunt and much of the bitchiness is leaning towards the affectionate DeadpanSnarker style and not the unsympathetic {{Jerkass}} type. It's also hinted that his violent streak may not be quite natural in origin.
327** Bobby, anyone? As much as he may snap at the boys, and he may not be very friendly to Castiel at times, it's obvious that behind that gruff exterior, he adores Sam and Dean. Hell, he treats them better than their own father did, and tells them when they're in the wrong -- same with Castiel.
328** Gabriel/[[spoiler:the Trickster]]. He enjoys tormenting people, puts the Winchesters through hell, 'teaches' people lessons, often killing them in the process, but also sides with humans when it matters and goes up against Lucifer.
329** John Winchester. His abusive parenting is largely responsible for the plethora of emotional issues that Sam and Dean have now, in Season 1 he puts his mission for revenge over everything, even including his ''child's'' life at one point, and "Jump the Shark" shows that he subscribed to the typical monster mindset that [[FantasticRacism monsters need to be killed even if they're not hurting anybody]]. But ultimately, all of this comes from his desire to protect his family, and in "In My Time Of Dying" he sees the error of his ways, tries to make peace with his sons,and ultimately [[spoiler:makes a HeroicSacrifice to save Dean]]. As much as Sam initially and Dean later may resent the abuse he heaped on them, a few episodes show that when put in his position, they make the same mistake, for the same reason. Several TimeTravel episodes show he used to be a lot nicer before [[CynicismCatalyst Azazel killed his wife]].
330** Castiel comes off as nearly emotionless and coldly pragmatic (in "It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester", he implies he would've reluctantly destroyed a city to get rid of one witch if ordered), but of all the angels, he's by ''far'' the nicest, and the only one to value human life at all. He also comes to genuinely care about Sam and Dean.
331* ''Series/{{Taxi}}'': Louie [=DePalma=]. He could be the meanest cab dispatcher in New York City but on specific occasions he would help his cabbies. Except for John and Bobby, with Louie getting in JerkWithAHeartOfJerk territory with the latter.
332* ''Series/TeenWolf'': Derek. He may seem like a rival and is a bit of jerk to Scott and particularly Stiles, but he seems to genuinely care for his new BROTHER, Scott and even his sometime-sidekick Stiles. For example, he places himself at serious risk to rather unsuccessfully provide cover for Stiles to escape the Kanima, as well as rescuing Scott from being killed by Victoria Argent.
333** Jackson flipflops between this and JerkAss. He genuinely seems to like Allison, and has a few tender moments with Lydia, but mostly he's a jerk.
334* ''Series/That70sShow'':
335** Hyde is sarcastic, blunt, standoffish and insensitive even towards his friends, but he generally cares for them and even shows his soft side to Kitty and Red.
336** Red is a harsh, abrasive, gruff, and temperamental but he is good, honest family man who even took Hyde in when his parents abandoned him.
337* ''Series/{{Thunderstone}}'' has Sundance, the oldest of the Nomads. He’s slow to trust and doesn’t like strangers, so he drives them away, no matter what his friends think of the idea. When Arushka starts paying attention to Noah, he gets jealous and as a result mistreats Noah long after the others have accepted him. And, due to being very much a loner, he sits and sleeps as far away from the others as he can and occasionally disappears for days at a time. However, he is loyal, strong, brave, fiercely protective of the people he loves, and once he warms up to you he’s as solid and reliable a friend and protector as you could ever hope to have.
338* ''Series/TinMan'': Cain starts as this, but the other three wear him down until he remembers what a good guy he really is, and that (pardon the ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' reference), good deeds don't necessarily go unpunished. Oddly enough, it's a HeroicSacrifice into a frozen lake that did the best job of thawing him out.
339* ''Series/TopChef'': Stefan from Season 5. A very heavy competitor, he comes off as an overconfident ass (which he is, honestly). However, he does have friendships with the other contestants (outside of competition of course) and he tried to comfort Carla when she started to cry during the final judges' session.
340* ''Series/TopGear'': Jeremy Clarkson. He's loud, he's smug, he's brash, and he's insufferable... but when his [[VitriolicBestBuds co-presenter]] Richard Hammond was critically injured in an accident, Clarkson was at his bedside within hours. He also delayed the start of the new season for several months to give Hammond time to recover, and welcomed him back to the show in a lavish spectacle ending with [[FriendshipMoment a hug]] that bordered on AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther.
341* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'': [[DrJerk Dr. Owen Harper]], gaining his heart of gold mainly during series 2. Especially in "Fragments".
342* ''Series/TwinPeaks'': Agent Albert Rosenfield consistently acts as a jerk, insults the locals almost every chance he gets and makes frequent cracks about the rusticness of the place, but later reveals another side to himself:
343-->"You listen to me. While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchet-man in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I'll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely: revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method...is love. I love you, Sheriff Truman."
344* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'': Damon is violent, reckless and impulsive, but (very) slowly, his character progresses and displays traits of protectiveness over his friends and family, namely reserving it for Stefan, Bonnie and Elena.
345* ''Series/VeronicaMars'': Logan Echolls. Described in his first appearance as a psychotic jackass, but god help you if you hurt someone he cares about.
346* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'': Jade West. While aggressive and abusive towards most (even her boyfriend), she does show signs of caring about others. The episode "Wok Star" is a very good representation of how much she has changed compared to some of her earlier deeds.
347* ''Series/TheWalkingDead2010'' has Daryl Dixon, who has no problem saying someone is stupid, but who also shares his stash of medicine and comforts a mother with a missing child. In the Season 2 opener, he saves T-Dog's life. His brother Merle, on the other hand, is undiluted jerk.
348* ''Series/TheWestWing'': Leo is this, but he should be considered more pure gold with a crust of jerk rather than a jerk with a heart of gold, especially as he doesn't really attempt a HiddenHeartOfGold. Toby fits this trope more accurately -- he acts like an asshole, but cares deeply about his friends, is fiercely loyal to the President, and has very deep compassion for people, as shown by the pains he took and emotions he tried to suppress when trying to arrange a military funeral for a homeless veteran. And Toby's heart of gold gets a quick glimpse whenever he really shows the depth of his friendship with CJ (such as at the end of "The Women of Qumar") or his pride in Sam, who he usually yells at all the time.
349* ''Series/TheWilds'':
350** Rachel starts off as an insecure and abrasive athlete, though she is shown to have a good side to her. Part of her character development is realizing that she is more than her athleticism and gradually becomes kinder to her fellow group members.
351** Dot's got a rough side but is shown to have a good heart and has pep talked Shelby in times of crisis, letting her know that she’s not TheFriendNobodyLikes.
352** Toni is surly, abrasive and short-tempered but not a bad person at all and she cares very deeply for Martha and others who get close to her.
353** Henry is in a perpetually downbeat mood and can be a real drag at times but he's a good person overall and does have a strong moral compass that becomes clearer as the show goes on.
354** Kirin starts off as an obnoxious and angry Jerk Jock though can acknowledge the others’ strengths at times but he shows a softer and more sensitive side as time goes on. Additionally, he is instantly protective of Josh when he learns about his sexual assault.
355** Ivan’s abrasive and sometimes holier-than-thou, which can be off-putting to the other group members. Nevertheless, his heart is in the right place, even if he doesn’t always see the consequences of his actions, and he makes a sincere effort to comfort Josh after he is sexually assaulted by Seth.
356* ''Series/TheWire'': Thanks to the shows GreyAndGrayMorality a lot of characters fall into this. Most notable being D'Angelo Barksdale. While he is a drug dealer; he feels terrible when people become collateral of his actions and those of his uncle Avon's organization. [[spoiler: He even went so far as to almost testify against his superiors after Wallace was killed. Only for his mother to talk him out of it.]]
357* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'': Alex. Yes, she's selfish and as close to an out and out anarchist as you're ever going to find in a Disney Channel series, but she does genuinely care about her friends and family and in the end always helps them, even if most of the time what she's helping them out of is something she caused.
358* ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'': Herb Tarlek. Smarmy. A wannabe ladies-man who hits on pretty much anything with a uterus. Always looks out for himself first and is perfectly willing to lie, cheat, and steal to get ahead at work. A brown-noser and butt-kisser of the first water. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Dresses in awful polyester suits]]. Will not put up with corrupt clients, and woe betide you should you ever threaten the safety of anyone at the station in his hearing.
359* ''Series/{{Wonderfalls}}'': Jaye Tyler. She's lazy, whiny and frequently mean-spirited, but she loves her family and is, in her own words, "very susceptible to guilt".
360* ''Literature/TheWorstWitch'': The original books hinted at this with Miss Hardbroom once or twice but the TV series confirms it. While she comes across as a strict SadistTeacher, she's shown to genuinely care for the girls and the welfare of the school.
361* ''Series/YouMeHer'': Nina can be quite rude, is usually [[DeadpanSnarker dripping sarcasm at best]] and practices BrutalHonesty. She's not bad at heart though, mostly just having little patience when other people's bs gets to her, being Izzy's close, quite loyal friend.

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