Whenever a newTV seriesbegins, its future is never certain. That means, whatever plans the writers and creators had can change for many different reasons. A character who starts out as a villainous figure can become so popular with viewers that they are slowly but surely rewritten to be the hero. This poses the issue of how to address all the terrible deeds they have done in the past. Very often, these are either worded out or swept under the rug completely.
Someshowswere envisaged as a one-season event, with a storyline that’s fully wrapped up at the end. All the people the main antagonist has hurt were never meant to get justice, and no consequences were supposed to happen. Yet if the viewing figures are high enough, a second season gets commissioned and there is suddenly a need to absolve these crimes in some way. There aremany more instances of characters committing atrocities, only to be forgivenby other characters or viewers, when their actions are unforgivable.
10Joe For Killing Beck
You (2018-2025)
Joe Goldberg was never meant to be seen as a hero. He is a stalker, kidnapper, and murderer, whose actions are always led by his own wants and desires. In the first season ofYou, the audience thinks they’re meeting a shy yet charming bookstore employee who develops a crush on a nice customer. But, of course, all is not as it seems.
When the show got a lot of new viewers on Netflix and was commissioned for more seasons, the convoluted process of making him more likable had to begin.
As Joe pursues his latest prey, it becomes apparent he’ll stop at nothingto ensure they get together. He kidnaps her ex, attacks her friend, and creepily surveys her every move online and in person. The plot of that first batch of episodes is thrilling and initially lived as one complete story.
You
Cast
You is a psychological thriller that follows a dangerously charming and intensely obsessive young man who manipulates his way into the lives of those he fixates upon, using extreme measures to pursue his unsettling aims.
Youwas not a hit when it aired on network television, so whenit ended with Joe killing Beck, and seemingly getting away with it, that was that. But, when the show got a lot of new viewers on Netflix and was commissioned for more seasons, the convoluted process of making him more likable had to begin.
9Faith For Killing The Deputy Mayor
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
From the time of her introduction as the new Slayer, Faith is a clear contrast to Buffy. With a much wilder character, untamed fighting style, and edgier persona, Faith is a loose cannon from the moment she sets foot in Sunnydale. As she grows closer to Buffy and the Scoobies, she lets her guard down a bit but still remains unpredictable. Then, she kills a human.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a television series created by Joss Whedon, focusing on Buffy Summers, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar, a young woman chosen to battle against vampires, demons, and other supernatural forces while navigating the complexities of teenage life.
Though the initial killing was accidental, it unlocked something primal in the Slayer. Her unresolved trauma and tough upbringing all contributed to her becoming a villain. But she had enough support on offer from her fellow chosen one, as well as Giles and the rest of the gang, that she could have been brought back from the brink if she had tried. That’s whyher descent into villainy was completely her choice, and Faith should have to live with the consequences of the choices she made.
8Damon For Killing Lexi
The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)
As per the books, the Salvatore brothers are introduced as having opposing personalities and moral compasses. Stefan is much more sensitive, constantly trying to suppress his murderous instincts. Damon is the wild, unpredictable one of the two. He fully embraces his killer instincts and relishes the destruction he causes.
10 TV Shows Where The Villain Deserved More
Whether they should’ve gotten more screen time, better character development, or more just motivations, these TV show villains were lacking.
In the myriad of terrible things that he did, including turning Caroline, and killing many other innocent humans, one action was particularly malicious. Whenhe kills his brother’s best friend, it seems like one step too far. The other killings, while evil, weren’t that much of a personal attack on his flesh and eternal blood.
The Vampire Diaries
Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another’s affection.
He shows little remorse for this, and it should have been a much bigger deal in the series than it was. WhetherStefan ultimately forgives himbecause he himself thinks he deserves to be tormented, or if it was just to solidify Damon as the main romantic lead, there should have been many more consequences explored.
7Joffrey Baratheon For Ordering Ned Stark’s Execution
Game Of Thrones (2011-2019)
Joffrey is an unlikable character from the very start. The audience never rooted for him, and his crimes were atrocious and plentiful. However, the first colossal act of evil he imparts on a hugely important character is when he orders Ned Stark to be beheaded.It’s the event that sets the whole ensuing saga into motion, but his comeuppance does not come soon enough.
Game Of Thrones
Based on George R. R. Martin’s ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. It follows noble families like the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryen vying for control of the Iron Throne while a rising threat from the undead looms in the North. The series received significant critical success and amassed a loyal fan base due to its high production values, sprawling sets, iconic characters, and shocking twists.
While he isn’t “forgiven” by anyone per se, he is certainly allowed to roam free and commit more horrid acts for three more seasons. The amount of people he is able to torture and kill along the way is immense, and the fact that Sansa has to endure him for so long after watching her father die at his hands is a tragedy.Thankfully, he got what he deserved in the end, but that Purple Wedding was a long time coming.
6Dan For Killing Keith
One Tree Hill (2003-2012)
The rivalry between both sets of the Scott brothers is a central theme of One Tree Hill, but the melodrama usually focuses on fractured relationships and work disputes. Dan would taunt his brother Keith out of spite and jealousy. They were at odds for the first few seasons of the show, going back and forth with jabs and retaliation until the poignant episode in season 3 aired. In “With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept”,Dan Scotts shoots his own brother point-blank.
One Tree Hill
Set in the fictional town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, One Tree Hill chronicles the complicated and intertwined lives of its residents. Following half-brothers and rivals Lucas and Nathan Scott as they compete both for positions on their school basketball team and for the affection of their fellow students, Tree Hill’s community is built around community spirit and the complex workings of the ever-growing Scott family.
This plot point became a huge focus of the subsequent season and a mystery that took a long time to solve. But, even as Dan grappled with his own guilt and finally turned himself in, there are some people in his life who eventually forgave him. Evenviewers were manipulated into feeling more sympatheticas he developed a sweet relationship with Jamie. As controversial as the whole storyline was, the fact that he has his own redemption arc felt wrong.
5Sylar For Killing Multiple “Heroes”
Heroes (2006-2010)
Zachary Quinto has an enigmatic screen presence as Sylar inHeroes,which is most likely why his character went from being a brutal murderer and main antagonist of season 1 to one of the most widely explored characters on the show. If the show had ended after one season, he would most likely live in infamy asa complex villain with a lust for power and unrelenting ambition. However, that is not what happened.
Heroes
Heroes sees a number of people drawn to each other after a solar eclipse awakens incredible abilities in them. With their destinies seemingly intertwined, these evolved humans use their superpowers to influence the past, present, and future - for better and for worse. When a superpowered killer emerges who is stealing abilities from his victims, they must band together to stop him.
As the show became a global hit, it was renewed for three more seasons, meaningSylar went on his own redemption arc. As he attempts to be good and find his sense of belonging, viewers are simultaneously fed information about why he is the way that he is. While there’s nothing wrong with a charismatic villain, it’s this pursuit of forgiveness that turned a once-exciting character into a bit of a disappointment.
4Walter For Letting Jane Die
While Walter White is very much an antihero from the start, the instance where he allows Jane to die is what pushes him much further into a moral gray area. While he and Jesse had dealt with many criminals and other sorts of shady characters with violence in the past, it did not seem as jarring as what he did to Jesse’s girlfriend.
Jane ultimately isn’t a bad person; when Walter simply watches on as she chokes on her own vomit instead of helping her, it is tantamount to murder.
Walt sees Jane as an obstacleto his and Jesse’s relationship and business endeavors, with her actions based on her addiction and strong feelings towards her partner. Jane ultimately isn’t a bad person; when Walter simply watches on as she chokes on her own vomit instead of helping her, it is tantamount to murder.
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.
Jane did not deserve to die this way; not to mention how her death impacted her father, causing even more people to die. Jesse may have never forgiven Walt, as they part on somewhat ambiguous terms, but the show itself let this issue rest for some time with Walt still positioned as the main character to (sort of) root for before finally punishing him.
3Negan For Killing Glenn
When Negan enters the world ofThe Walking Dead, he is clearly the villain.He is brutal, evil, and violent, and disposes of people with no remorse or hesitation. His (and Lucille’s) introduction was shocking and left viewers aghast, albeit unsurprised. He was the new big bad of the season, and the mere fact that he killed off one of the few original survivors was terrible but in line with his role as an antagonist.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a television series that premiered on August 22, 2025. It follows Sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. He embarks on a journey to locate his family, encountering various survivors amidst the chaos.
This brutal killing is a great catalyst for conflict in the ensuing season and beyond, but the issue arose when the writers chose to make Negan a new main protagonist of the show.His road to redemption is long and convoluted, and if it hadn’t been for Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s charisma and captivating performance, would have been entirely unsuccessful. There are many viewers who have never forgiven Negan for killing Glenn, and that’s completely understandable.
2Regina For Killing Graham
Once Upon A Time (2011-2018)
As the Evil Queen, Regina was expected to have a mean streak, butaudiences didn’t know just how far she would go until she killed Graham. Just as the mystery is building, and characters are slowly but surely gaining memories from their past lives, Graham is perhaps the closest to unraveling it all. But, the Evil Queen lives up to her name and disposes of this instantly beloved character with no regrets.
Once Upon A Time
Once Upon a Time is an adventure fantasy-drama series created for ABC that features fairy tale characters and their Disney incarnations in a modern setting. When Emma Swan and her son Henry accidentally drive into the town of Storybrooke, they soon discover the inhabitants are those from fairy tales, and they have no knowledge of the modern world inhabited by Emma and Henry. Robbed of their pasts and given new identities by the Evil Queen known as Regina, the hope of the town’s residents lie solely in the hands of Emma, who has stronger connections to the town than she knows.
That event solidifies her as the villain of the story. Ruthless, calculated, and very creative, she has the whole town under her spell and needs to be conquered. But, as with many interesting and flamboyant villains, she needed to repent in order to remain on the show. While Lana Parilla made for a fabulous queen and an excellent villain, it’s curious to wonder whether she should have bowed out at the end of the first season.
1Klaus For Killing Jenna
The Vampire Diaries & The Originals (2013-2018)
Much like howOnce Upon a Timejuggles so many villain redemption arcs and normalizes them that it seems to forget everything the redeemed villains did,The Vampire Diarieswent on long enough and normalized the general mayhem caused by vampires so that the story and the characters simply forgot about past murders committed.
8 TV Villains Who Saved Their Shows
While there are many reasons a TV show can be made better or even saved from doom, it’s not often expected to be a villain, but these 8 managed it.
So, like Damon, Klaus was a part of the flagship series and then the spinoff for long enough thatthe writers were forced to put him in a more heroic light, despite him killing Elena’s aunt Jenna and many others. What can be said forThe Originalsis that it keeps introducing characters with very real reasons to hate Klaus.
The Originals
Spinning off from the popular CW seriesThe Vampire Diaries, The Originals is a supernatural drama series that follows three vampiric siblings of the first vampire family known to exist. With the eldest sibling, Klaus being a hybrid of werewolf, witch, and now vampire, the three find themselves attempting to help with the delicate balance of powers in the New Orleans French Quarter as they deal with their own family troubles.
However, there is no denying that he is the protagonist and therefore sympathetic. By the time of the next spinoff, characters like Caroline and Alaric are on cordial terms with Klaus. It’s characteristic of many such shows that carry on for long enough, withvillains who are too charismatic— yet they can still be charismatic as unredeemed villains.
