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

Photo: HBO

Eric Northman – True Blood

True Blood always pitted Eric against Bill in a “good versus evil” match up. We were meant to perceive Eric as the “bad boy” and Bill as the better, safer alternative. They backed off that paradigm after a few seasons, and Bill was the one who turned nuts.

Eric, on the other hand, evolved into a protective, reliable companion to Sookie, even though some of his tactics bordered on the side of possessive. As Bill went farther and farther into the dark side, Eric stepped up as being her go-to man.

Sure, he never really lost his violent tactics and hair-trigger temper, but he did the best he could. In his defense, he diverted them to using them for good, for the most part, and wound up saving the folks in Bon Temps over and over again.

Aside from his loyalty to the hapless humans in his town, he was also interminably loyal to his maker and progeny. He vowed to die with Godric by meeting the sun, and he continuously vowed his dedication to Pam. Although he had little patience for the silliness of humans, he was generally lenient with them. That doesn’t mean he would hesitate to exact his wrath on anyone who came at him a little too hot.