Bad Guys Gone Good: Our Favorite TV Villains Who Turned Over a New Leaf

Photo: TNT/The WB

Cole Turner – Charmed

Cole was always a little bad. He was born half-demon and was the alter ego of the big baddie, Belthazor. Over the length of his run on the show, he swung wildly from super bad guy to sort of good guy, and meanwhile Phoebe was along for the ride.

For most of his tenure as Phoebe’s main love interest and antagonist, she never knew whether to trust him or not. He was a giant liar and conniver, and he was such a good pretender, it was never really evident which side he was on. Even looking back, his trajectory from bad guy to good is fraught with detours, diversions and distractions.

He winds up being sent to hell, or something very close, but he’s mostly remorseful for the havocs he’s wrought on the witch sisters. Of all the bad things he did, he’s redeemed by his love for Phoebe and the respect he has for their purpose. He also suffered a lot of loss over the course of his run, and it that kind of pain can really do something to a person (well, demon).

Not to excuse bad behavior, but he was born with some kind of bad genetics, so that could explain a lot of his struggles to do the right thing.