The 7 Most Incredible Character Transformations In TV History
Like life itself, change is an essential aspect of a cohesive TV narrative.
Reflecting realistic growth for each respective main character, change allows characters to become drastically different individuals over time. Whether transforming from jaded cynicism to poignant optimism, or from material narcissism to mild-mannered idealism, audiences routinely gravitate towards series that emphasize strong character growth first and foremost.
Of course, TV is filled with series that depict fascinating metamorphoses for its leading characters. From world-weary plane crash survivors to up-and-coming advertising executives, here are seven riveting character transformations in some of our favorite TV shows.
The Rose Family (Schitt’s Creek)
It seems like a cop out describing four wholly different characters as the subjects of drastic change, but let’s be honest: few transformations are as outright obvious as the Roses of Schitt’s Creek. Losing their vast fortune at the start of the series, the Rose brood slowly come to terms with their new, more practical way of living, forcing them to rely on their own specific strengths and foremost interests to make ends meet. With time, this once image-obsessed group of narcissists came to realize there’s more to life than simply having a ton of money, leaving them free to pursue love (David), independence (Alexis), artistic ambition (Moira), and their own fledgling businesses (Johnny).
Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
High school is hard enough without having to battle unending hordes of the living dead. Balancing both of these emotionally draining issues with increasing confidence, Buffy Summers learns to more fully embrace her role as humanity’s savior throughout Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Initially introduced as the stereotypical teenager straight out of a John Hughes movie, Buffy’s continued acceptance of her role as a veteran Slayer provides the series with one of its most compelling storylines, roping viewers in and holding their attention from Season 1 onwards.
James “Sawyer” Ford (Lost)
Like each of his fellow Oceanic Flight 815 plane crash survivors, Sawyer arrived on Lost’s mysterious island a fundamentally broken individual. Having personally witnessed the death of his parents at a disturbingly young age, young James Ford grew into a suave and debonair con artist who operated under his unscrupulous alter ego, Sawyer. Once he’s adjusted to life in his new tropical settings, however, Sawyer eventually learns to look past the self-centered, misanthropic view of the world around him. Reluctantly accepting the burdens of leadership and making himself more emotionally available, he rapidly matures from a lonely, wannabe bad boy into one of the most caring survivors in Lost’s central cast.
Peggy Olson (Mad Men)
Before she was spearheading the revolution on The Handmaid’s Tale, Elisabeth Moss was busy breaking the glass barrier in the average corporate workplace, as seen through her industrious character, Peggy Olson, in AMC’s Mad Men. Initially introduced as the hard-working secretary to Don Draper, Peggy eventually discovers a surprising passion for copywriting shortly into Mad Men’s first season. Pursuing her newfound career with heartfelt dedication, Peggy’s slow ascent up the advertising ladder forms a major backbone of Mad Men, allowing her to develop increasing confidence and self-certainty in her socially conservative ‘60s office environment.
Jimmy McGill (Better Call Saul)
When we’re initially introduced to Jimmy McGill in the first episode of Better Call Saul, our mind struggles to fathom how such an outwardly hard-working public attorney could ever become the slick, sleazy, opportunistic ambulance-chaser we meet in Breaking Bad. Possessing none of the cynicism or cutthroat ethics of his legal alter ego, Jimmy instead appears as a fairly well-meaning if slightly duplicitous lawyer in the first few seasons of Better Call Saul. Over time, however, that once idealistic drive to reinvent himself comes to a tragic head, triggering a slow lapse in moral judgment that ultimately costs him his friends, his family, and his very career upon partnering with Walt by the events of Breaking Bad.
Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)
While every character in Game of Thrones goes through their share of trials and experience, no one has suffered quite like Sansa Stark. The eldest daughter of Ned and Catelyn, Sansa endured increasingly dire hardships throughout Game of Thrones’ run. From contending with her abusive relationship to Joffrey, the mental manipulation of Cersei and Littlefinger, the gradual deaths of her family members, and her traumatic experiences with Ramsay, Sansa’s situation somehow always found a way to go from bad to worse. But by the series’ final seasons, it becomes clear that, far from wearing her down, these events only caused Sansa to sharpen her political instincts and develop her self-reliance, turning her into the astute Queen of the North she eventually grows to become.
Walter White (Breaking Bad)
No one – and I repeat, no one – underwent as dramatic a transformation as Walter White in the course of their respective TV narratives. More of a moral devolution than an outright evolution, regular Breaking Bad viewers witnessed Walt’s gradual descent from a mild-mannered, family-oriented high school chemistry teacher into the most notorious criminal kingpin in television history. Lying, manipulating, and murdering his way to become New Mexico’s most dangerous drug lord, Walt’s personality sees nothing but continual change over the course of Breaking Bad’s five season-long narrative. Only upon losing everything and fleeing into enforced solitude does Walt himself seem to realize the gravity of his past actions, reemerging to redeem himself in the eyes of his family and partner Jesse, and to right the wrongs of his numerous personal failings.
