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

[Cheap21]

I hated when they had her go psycho bc that was the first step to getting her off the show, which I read was Brown and Estensten's original intention. I loved the original nice Annie and thought they were going way too far with her. Forutnetly what we see today is a good balance between the two different verions and MCE plays her perfectly

[Pine Charles]

I guess I didn't think about that. I just loved the "Good Girl Gone Bad" thing. Yes, the character is a good balance today.

[juniorz1]

AMC- Maria Santos- I really hated her when I first started watching in '94, but once they gave her that rivalry with SL's Erica, she really came alive. Didn't care for her (again!) when she returned to the show in the 2000s, but started liking her again when they brought Zach on. To this day, IMO, Thorsten Kaye never had chemistry with an AMC female like he did with Eva LaRue

ATWT- Lily Walsh Snyder- Never cared for her when Martha Byrne played the part, but LOVED the icier version that Noelle Beck portrayed

Rosanna Cabot- HATED the Yvonne Perry version, LOVED the Cady McClain (who I HATED on AMC) version

DAYS- Nicole Walker- for many of the same reasons that were stated above, but ESPECIALLY agree with Kenny's statement about the $5 million check. That and the martinis made Nicole GOLD

Kristen Blake- I detested her as a heroine, couldn't stand Eileen Davidson from SB, but once she started getting bitchier (even before she went full-on psycho), I really started digging her.

Y&R- Nina Webster- I found her rather boring when I first started watching in the 90s, but I remember during the Ryan/Tricia affair, I thought she really came alive. She's one of my favorites now. I think if I'd watched her initial story in the 80s, I may have felt differently about her, as I LOVE the clips I've seen of her back then, squaring off against Jill & Katherine

Traci Abbott- Another one I found boring when I began watching in '93, but have grown to really like over the years. I'll never like her with Brad (he belonged with Brenda Epperson's Ashley IMO) but I really love her character now.

Ashley Abbott- Ok, this one takes a kind of different path. I LOVED her when I started watching, with Brenda Epperson in the part. I adored her and Ashley was my favorite character. Then they recast with Shari Sattuck and while I wanted to give her a chance because I wanted to still love Ashley, she was just GOD-AWFUL and bored me to pieces. When ED finally returned and took over, I fell in love with her again, though she was much different than BE's Ashley- she was a little harder and certainly colder, but I loved her all the same. I also LOVED her chemistry with Eric Braeden and for the first time ever, rooted for a Victor/Ashley pairing. Oddly enough, though, they FINALLY paired Brad with Ashley with ED playing her and it was all kinds of wrong. He sizzled with Epperson, and fizzled with Davidson.

[DRW50]

I wonder if it had anything to do with Eileen and Don Diamont being a former couple in real life -- the breakup might have led to some awkwardness onscreen.

I really liked Brenda Dumani and I wasn't fond of Eileen's version when she first showed up. I have warmed to Eileen in her current stint, which is ironic, since they have not done a damn thing with the character. Eileen did a great job in that awful Sabrina gaslighting mess.

Yeah, Eva has trashed the writing for Maria after her 2002 return, and I can see why, but I vastly preferred her as a tarnished woman, and yes, even as Maureen Gorman, than I did during her sainted tenure of the mid/late 90s.

[DeeeDee]

Brad & Eileen were very popular.

Breaking them up was terrible.

+1.

[Cheap21]

Maureen Gorman was absolutely dreadful and one of the reasons I could not watch AMC in late 2002/mid 2003. I had dropped the show in early 2002 and tried to come back for Maria but that Maureen character was horrible and she lasted for far too long. There was really nothing good about her

[DRW50]

I liked her with Aidan, and away from the Edmund tediousness.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

GH-Zander. Hated him for the longest time, then a few week before he died, I really started to like him.

[Mitch]

Okay, I never grew to really LIKE him, but I stopped absolutley HATING him, and that counts when you are talking about the dreaded Buzz Cooper on GL. When he first came on the show he swallowed it whole, he was one of JFP's fave pet actors and the kind of character she loves (i.e. an !@#$%^&*].) He was loud, gross but yet everyone loved him and all these hot women (including Reva of all people) belittled themselves for him (they even had Reva beg him to screw her!) We had to watch day in and day out of "Will Buzz leave town," for what seemed like years. JFP left, and after Jenna bit the dust, we got to said goodbye to him as a romantic lead, he was backburned and a director ad the audicity to tell Deas to tone it the f**k down, and Deas made a suprisingly good supporting performer and Buzz was a good supporting character. Deas was especially good with the younger actos, and he always brought a tired resignation to his role, which was totally appropriate.

[Gray Bunny]

Eww! And she was still red-hot in '96-97, and he was a short pudgy lil' troll.

[soapfan770]

I thought Buzz to be okay in the 90s, I thought he and Nadine were funny but I never understood why suddenly the entire show revolved around him(and the even more dreadful Tangie) there '94-95 nor did I understand why Deas won all those Emmys. I liked Buzz during the Billy/Holly/Buzz triangle and then later when he was seeing Alex after 2006/2007 I pretty much stopped caring for any Cooper.

[DRW50]

I hated Buzz in 93-94. I hated Deas' hammy performance, I hated the way Nadine was essentially downgraded to being his starry-eyed and obsessive dupe, one he would deign to pay attention to when he wasn't bleating about Jenna. There was a lot of smugness and laziness to the way he was presented, and to me he is the biggest example of how JFP wrecked GL. Even now I have bad memories of the episode spent raging on the Fifth Street roof.

[Mitch]

Oh Lordy, Lordy, this has turned into the "I hate Buzz Cooper," thread...sing it to me children. I used to post that I hated him over on the old GL List Serve Discussion Group (my how times have changed, that was a great group) and people were so offended that I hated their "Buzzy," and even thought he was "sexy," BHAAA!

Yes, Zimmer was still lookin' good at that time and when she went from HAWT Jarsh, and at that time, kinda hawt Alan (who remembers Ron Raines with his big hairy chest loose in Amishville, and remember when he was actually hot and not a bag of gass old man) for that sweaty troll, and at that time the dumb Coopers were still at the diner, not even at tasteful Company!

I didnt like that traingle as they were just thrown together as they were in soap terms "the same age." Also I HATED him with Alex. Up to that time they were alwasy just buddies. I just can't imagine Bev's Alex even tolerating Buzz for a split second..thought I would delight in her eye rolls at his scenery chewing antics. After 2007 was when they all overdosed us on the Super Dooper Coopers, while all the rest of the town, including the Bauers and Ross, were backstabbing liars and fools.

I think that is why I always really hated Buzz, he was symptomatic of where GL went wrong during JFP and no one ever really fixed it. God, the horrible "Buzz on the roof of the diner," scenes, aka, Phelps and Deas whoring it up for another emmy. I do think it is funny that in an interview Deas said Bruce Barry told him to hold it down and quit chewing the scenery, and he got made and just slept walked through the role for years. Thank you Mr. Bruce Barry!!!

Okay, you all convinced me, I still HATE Buzz Cooper!

[AMCHistory]

Amanda and Annie really topped my list for AMC. Both actresses were so green, especially Chrishell. At one time, Chrishell and Natalia Cigliuti (ex-Anita) were AMC's weakest wheels that just needed to be dropped, dropped, dropped. When they brought Kate Collins back on as Janet, and actually tied Amanda to her prior incarnation, the character became must see for me. She played so many sides to that character in and around the Mardi Gras ball explosion. Was she Emmy worthy, far from it, but she grew so much to be an actress that I actually wanted to see on my screens. Anita, not so much.

Melissa Egan really came into her own when Rebecca Budig returned. Having those two play off each other was golden. Let's face it, Rebecca is a much better actress than Alicia or Sabine. Alicia's strength was always her chemistry with men, especially when she played the subtle relationships (the early days with Aidan, Trey, and Palmer are all good examples). Alicia sucks at the dramatic, overt emotions...which was all Egan had to play off of for months.

Then the greatest surprise was her chemistry with David Canary. Especially in the time right before the tornadoes when they made unlikely allies. I saw the under-tones to the character that reminded me of a mid-80's Natalie or late 90's Gloria Marsh. I called that she was going to be the next Mrs. Chandler. It was sad that we did not get to see that story come to full fruition because of Canary's retirement.

Another character that I hated Kelsey Jefferson. I think TC was again just too green to play off the complexities of her early storylines, which was probably the best material that they gave her. But her latter relationship with Kevin and Scott showed TC playing off different nuances and vulnerabilities in the character. I was sad that she was so unceremoniously dropped.... and for what reason? The canvas was not crowded, and if anything, there were even more Martins to play with at the end (Jake, Adrian, Dixie, JR, an oldr Jamie) and of course the fact that the "Sam Grey" storyline conclusion would have been only so much more impactful if Kelsey was still on canvas.

[tracyfan]

Mary Bishop on GH... couldn't stand her when she was the meek, mild, fawning over Nikolas (as "Connor")... but near the end, when she turned the crazy factor up, she was quite entertaining to watch! Hated to see her go!