All: Characters you hated for a long time, but eventually grew to like alot

[Gray Bunny]

First character that comes to mind for me is GL's Carmen Santos. I hated when the Santoses took over GL in 1999, but by the time she left in 2002 I really liked the drama and high stakes she would bring to characters around her. I think it's also a credit to Saundra Santiago. As much as you hated the character, the actress played the hell outta the role.

[Cheap21]

Days, Nicole . Damn that Arienne Zucker bc Ive always hated Nicole, but I found myself loving her upon watching again this fall. I even voted for her as my favorite character in another thread

AMC, Liza, but this is ONLY bc of the recasting with Jamie Luner. Im sure if Marcy Walker were still playing her, Id hate her

[yr9190]

I'd have to say on Passions, i never really liked Kay until Heidi Mueller took over, and made Kay into a loving person.

[JtSmarts]

DOOL: Lucas, Kate, Nicole

GL: Gus, Danny

B&B: Brooke

[R Sinclair]

General Hospital: Maxie Jones (the Kirsten Storms version). I hated the total unnecessary recast. I hated the sudden immaturity Storms brought to the role. I hated the way the character was written down to Storms' lack of skill... But I enjoy the character now, only because the scriptwriters use her brilliantly to express the idiocy of the characters and stories they're being forced to write. Still hate Storms in the role, but like the character on paper.

All My Children: Annie McDermott Lavery Chandler Chandler, nee Novak. I thought the character was a bland, boring Greenlee placeholder. Intentionally constructed to have no personality and cast with a Budig look-alike in hopes of keeping Mathison's Ryan a viable romantic lead until they were able get Budig back. Then, she went crazy, MCE was allowed to flourish and Annie became the one I rooted for ever since.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

Maggie Horton: when she ran tuscany and she was so nosy and telling everybody business. I only sympathize with her when John would get on her case, ooooooh but now I love me some Margret Simmons-Hansen-Horton!!! MAGIC MAGIC MAGIC!

[darraholic]

DAYS:

Kate Roberts (Loved her as Deb Adair but hated Lauren Koslow's version until recently. I've grown to love her in the role now.)

Nicole Walker

[KLN]

Definitely Nicole on Days.

When Arianne joined the show in 1998, she wasn't half the actress she is today. She was quite terrible, in fact, and her character was ill-conceived and boring. Arianne had no chemistry with Jensen Ackles and Nicole's "super shady" past was of no interest to anyone. No one cared about any of her relationships, familial or otherwise. She was the definition of milquetoast. Whether she was waitressing at the Java Cafe or modeling for Bella Magazine, no one really gave a damn about her or any of her stories. In fact, I recall fans campaigning to get Arianne fired because the character of Nicole was so badly received. She was hated by pretty much everyone.

Cashing that $5 million check to marry Lucas (thanks Kate!) was the best thing that could've happened to the character. That's when Nicole came to life, IMO.

Also, I hated Belle when Kirsten Storms was in the role but I grew to love her when Martha Madison was hired as the recast. She was fantastic.

[DRW50]

OLTL: I never hated Cassie, but for a number of years I saw her as a self-righteous, judgmental bore. After Laura Koffman's sudden firing I missed her presence and I have enjoyed her in her guest returns.

ATWT: Holden Snyder. To say my reaction to Holden in the early to mid 90s was white hot loathing would not be a big overstatement. Holden never became a favorite of mine, but upon his 1996 return, with the Aaron story a distant memory and with his memory restored (one of the times I was more than happy to waive realism), I grew to appreciate him and Jon Hensley's understated performances.

ATWT: Rosanna Cabot. I grew to despise this character as years passed, especially in 1994 when she and dullard Mike Kasnoff ate the show alive -- or that's how I felt the time anyway. Her return as a bad camp figure, while obviously fun for Yvonne Perry - and she was fun to watch - still didn't make her any less of a nuisance. Cady McClain made the role her own while still keeping true to some of the main aspects of the character.

[DeeeDee]

Traci Abbott

Danny Romalotti

Mary Williams

Malcolm Winters

Tricia Dennison

[DeeeDee]

Traci Abbott

Danny Romalotti

Mary Williams

Malcolm Winters

Tricia Dennison

[JackPeyton]

Word to both.

As for Nicole on Days, Zuckers acting classes between stints did her wonders.

[soapfan770]

ATWT: I didn't like Rosanna much either until Cady McClain took over the role. I never liked Julia either until David's funeral.

Days: I always hated Shawn and Belle until they were recasted. Didn't really care for Nicole either back in the late 90s, I remember her "shady past" thing with the silly tattoo.

GL: I didn't like Annie until her past with Rick was fully revealed and she started acting like a nutcase. Before that she was so boring and sickeningly sweet. I didn't care for Olivia much either until she got involved with Alan and Phillip. I know this is unpopular, but I actually grew to like Nancy St. Alban's Michelle despite the age and bad writing.

Y&R: I didn't care for either J.T. until later on.

[Gray Bunny]

+1 Can't believe I didn't think of her first. Must've been in a GL state of mind at the time

[Pine Charles]

AMC: Annie

But I wouldn't say I hated/disliked her.... I was just indifferent. She was one-note and too nice. I never could have imagined that she would become my favorite character on the show.

I remember when she first started showing signs of her craziness, and everyone was like, "No! Why are they making sweet Annie into a psycho?!". And I was like, "YES! They're making sweet Annie into a psycho! Love it!".