27 Female TV Characters Who Started Off Kinda The Worst, Then Had Incredible Growth

We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which female TV characters they initially hated but eventually ended up loving. Here are some of the best responses:

Spoilers ahead!!!

1.Petra Solano from Jane the Virgin:

<div><p>"She started out as Rafael’s mean wife who just wanted his money. Over the seasons, she morphed into someone both Jane and Rafael wanted standing next to them at their wedding."</p><p>—<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/leahk40ca7fc83" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Elsie Snuffin;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Elsie Snuffin</a></p></div><span> CW Network / Courtesy Everett Collection</span>

2.Paris Geller from Gilmore Girls:

Rory and Paris hug at high school graduation and admit they hated each other most of the time

3.Cece Parekh from New Girl:

<div><p>"In the early seasons, she was extremely stuck-up and arrogant, talked down to Schmidt, and didn't seem like a particularly good friend to Jess. Thank goodness for her character development — she and Schmidt became a great couple, and she turned out to be very ambitious and a fierce, loyal friend."</p><p>—<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/hmmfeed" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:HmmFeed;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">HmmFeed</a></p></div><span> Fox</span>

4.Cordelia Chase from Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Cordelia: "I think it I say it, it's my way"

5.Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones:

HBO

"She went from being a scared child to a ballsy and self-assured ruler. All hail the queen!"

poopooplatter

6.Alexis Rose from Schitt's Creek:

Alexis tells Ted she can't go to the Galapagos with him but she's so proud of him and thankful to have met him, "I'd like to think that we helped each other get here"

7.April Ludgate from Parks and Recreation:

NBC

"She had tremendous character growth throughout the seasons. She was annoying to me at first and just seemed mean and selfish. As the series continued, however, she slowly started becoming more caring and compassionate toward others, and she became one of my favorite characters by the end."

egc26

8.Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill:

Brooke: "I stopped letting boys define me and I started believing in myself and in my potential, somewhere along the way the lost little party girl became the girl on the wall of honor"

9.Elektra Abundance from Pose:

Elektra: "You think I was born a butterfly? I am who I am because I know who I am and I refuse to ever let anyone tell me otherwise"

10.Caroline Forbes from The Vampire Diaries:

Caroline: "Whenever anyone tells me I can't do something I prove them wrong"

"She had such brilliant character growth and ended up being the real heart of the show."

Vanessa

The CW

11.April Kepner from Grey's Anatomy:

Jackson tells April she's changed, she responds: "No I've grown, we haven't BEEN through a lot, we're GOING through a hard part, this is the worse of 'for better or worse'"

12.Regina Mills from Once Upon a Time:

<div><p>"She was perfectly evil and horrible early on, but the show did a great job of humanizing her. She was interesting, witty, and powerful. Seeing her love for Henry and her friends was great, and she had the best one-liners and style."</p><p>—<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/horsekream" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:horsekream;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">horsekream</a></p></div><span> ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection</span>

13.Naomi Clark from 90210:

Naomi: "I don't have to care what you or anyone else thinks because I am good enough exactly as I am"

14.Margo Hanson from The Magicians:

<div><p>"She started off as a manipulative, shallow party girl who wasn't looking out for anyone but herself. But by the end of the series, you saw her turn into a badass ruler who found a way to overcome any obstacle put in front of her. She had a way of showing compassion, strength, and snark simultaneously."</p><p>—<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/vermor" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Vermor;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Vermor</a></p></div><span> Syfy / Courtesy Everett Collection</span>

15.Zo? Rivas from Degrassi: The Next Generation and Degrassi: Next Class:

Zoë comes out as a lesbian to the whole school: "I've always been afraid to say it and I'm not anymore"

16.Lola Pacini from Degrassi: The Next Generation and Degrassi: Next Class:

Lola helps Yael figure out their gender identity: "I guess if you're not all boy or you're not all girl why should people refer to you like you are?"

17.Santana Lopez from Glee:

Santana comes out to her grandmother and says she walks around so mad at the world but she doesn't want to fight anymore she just wants to be herself: "I love girls the way I'm supposed to love boys"

18.Skyler White from Breaking Bad:

<div><p>"At first she seemed unbelievably oblivious, and it felt like they were writing her as a one-dimensional victim character. But then she turned out to be more savvy than I expected, and she took as much control as she could in a bad situation."</p><p>—<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/cms479" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:cms479;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">cms479</a></p></div><span> AMC / Courtesy Everett Collection</span>

19.Hilary Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:

Hilary: "I'm a beautiful woman trapped in an even more beautiful woman's body"

20.Summer Roberts from The O.C.:

Summer: "You're my destiny Cohen," Seth: "Go save the world Summer Roberts"

21.Lu Montesinos Hendrich from Elite:

Lu tells Nadia she doesn't need a man or anyone: "Be the badass woman who managed to beat me, be the woman I admire, dammit!"

22.Cayetana Grajera Pando from Elite:

Cayetana tells Phillipe's mother: "Your son's impulsiveness isn't a matter of biology, it's a matter of education"

23.Monica Geller from Friends:

Monica tells Chandler they're adopting a baby

24.Miranda Hobbes from Sex and the City:

Miranda: "By the way — never, never call me again; have a nice day"

"I couldn’t stand her. Now she’s my favorite character, and I don’t know why she wasn’t always my favorite."

kwit

HBO

25.Lydia Martin from Teen Wolf:

<div><p>"I couldn't stand her early on, but then she ended up being one of my favorite characters. Also, she and Stiles finally ending up together was so satisfying."</p><p>—<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/kandycehampton" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:KC Hampton;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">KC Hampton</a></p></div><span> MTV</span>

26.Tabitha Galavan from Gotham:

<div><p>"She was so one-dimensional in the beginning, but she really grew on me. She stepped out of her brother's shadow and became a badass club owner who wasn't scared of anyone. Her relationships with Selina and Butch showed other sides to her and made her much more endearing, and she was great bisexual representation."</p><p>—<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/slytherinshark" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Slytherin_Siren;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Slytherin_Siren</a></p></div><span> 20th Cent Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection</span>

27.And finally, Catra from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power:

Catra with sword

Reminder that I, Kelly Martinez, do not necessarily endorse all of these opinions!!

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. Not all entries were from Community users.