Soap operas have long been fascinated by stories of baddies turning good, with several still playing out today. With the recent discovery that the great villainess Sheila Carter was found alive and well once again on Bold and Beautiful, Digest decided to take a look back at some of daytime’s greatest redemption stories and the characters we started out hating but grew to love.
1 of 9
![Tad Martin, Michael E Knight](https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tad-Martin-Michael-E-Knight.jpg?fit=1380%2C880&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Tad-Martin-Michael-E-Knight.jpg?w=750&ssl=1 500w)
Although a list of some of his crimes included adultery (he later slept with Liza while married to Dixie), assaulting Dwight Sweeney, fabricating evidence to exonerate Brooke, tying Michael Cambias up and tossing him in the dumpster, stealing Cambias’s body and burying it in a garbage dump, blackmail, escaping from jail, perjury, bribery, burying Greg Madden alive, and a whole lot of punching, Tad always showed a lot of heart.
2 of 9
![John Dixon, Larry Bryggman](https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/John-Dixon-Larry-Bryggman.jpg?fit=1380%2C880&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/John-Dixon-Larry-Bryggman.jpg?w=750&ssl=1 500w)
A bout with colon cancer brought the doctor closer to his children. Dixon went on to rescue Lisa Grimaldi from Martin Chedwyn, became a grandfather, accepted a position at the prestigious John Hopkins University, and consulted on a heart transplant for Chris Hughes.
3 of 9
![charles keating played carl hutchins on another world.](https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Charles-Keating.jpg?fit=1380%2C880&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Charles-Keating.jpg?w=750&ssl=1 500w)
Photo credit: NBC
It was the love of a woman that helped Hutchins find his soul. Rachel Cory tamed the beast in him and gave him true love and acceptance. The two married and went on to have two children, Cory and Elizabeth.
4 of 9
![Katherine Kelly Lang and Sean kanan](https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Katherine-Kelly-Lang-and-Sean-kanan.jpg?fit=1380%2C880&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Katherine-Kelly-Lang-and-Sean-kanan.jpg?w=750&ssl=1 500w)
Photo credit: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
Obsessed with Amber Moore, he followed her to Genoa City, framed her boyfriend, Daniel Romalotti, for theft, blackmailed her into marrying him in order to get Daniel off, and was framed by Phyllis into kidnapping Amber. Later, he would have a drunken affair with Nikki Newman in order to break up the Newman marriage, had a fling with Diane Jenkins, and tried to cover up her “murder” by Nikki. In true soap fashion it was revealed that he had helped Diane fake her death.
It was his love for his daughter, Hope Logan, that made Deacon want to be a better man. The conflicted troublemaker returned to Los Angeles after serving a short prison stint, for shooting at Quinn, determined to be a good father to his daughter only to find himself bonding with the scheming Sheila Carter. His redemption may be on shaky ground.
5 of 9
![Jack Deveraux, Matthew Ashford](https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jack-Deveraux-Matthew-Ashford.jpg?fit=1380%2C880&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jack-Deveraux-Matthew-Ashford.jpg?w=750&ssl=1 500w)
Photo credit: Gary Null/NBC
Jack tried to blackmail co-partner Diana Colville into selling her shares of The Spectator, kidnapped Jennifer Horton to keep her from marrying her high school sweetheart Emilio, desperate for cash he stole money from Billie Reed, and unknowingly slept with his mother-in-law, Laura Horton (not exactly villainous but yuck).
Jack became obsessed with Jennifer and tried to drive a wedge between her and Peter Blake. When he found out that Peter was going to kidnap Jennifer and Abby, he confronted him with a gun accidentally killing Peter (who wasn’t really dead). Eventually, Jack won Jennifer over and the two happily spend their time supporting friends, solving crimes, and righting wrongs along the way.
6 of 9
![liesl obrecht, played by kathleen gati, with tony geary's luke spencer on general hospital.](https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Liesl-Obrecht-Kathleen-Gati-1.jpg?fit=1380%2C880&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Liesl-Obrecht-Kathleen-Gati-1.jpg?w=750&ssl=1 500w)
Photo credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
General Hospital’s Liesl Obrecht is a bit of a dichotomy (pictured at right with Luke Spencer). She is a brilliant physician with a penchant towards evil. Originally hired for a walk-on role of a German doctor hiding Robin Scorpio, Kathleen Gati won the writers over with her scene-stealing delivery and they kept writing her in. Soon she had a backstory, a relationship with super villain, Cesar Faison, and two children, Britt Westbourne, and Nathan West, and her sister was mother to Nina Reeves, making her an aunt..
Liesl’s taste for unscrupulous men and a passion for revenge would be her achilles heel. She lost her physician’s license when it was discovered that she was doing unsanctioned experiments on her patients, along with Faison and Jerry Jacks, she poisoned the Port Charles water supply with a deadly pathogen, used her skills for both Faison and Victor Cassadine’s nefarious machinations, drugged Robin and handed her over to Jerry Jacks, and teamed up with Britt to entrap Patrick Drake with a pregnancy..
If mad men were her weakness, her children were her strength, and when she lost both of them, it was the family she still had left that tugged at her heart. When Nina found out her daughter was alive [Willow] and fighting for her life, it was Obrecht who stepped up and donated her bone marrow.
7 of 9
![Lisa Brown, Michael Tylo](https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Lisa-Brown-Michael-Tylo.jpg?fit=1380%2C880&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Lisa-Brown-Michael-Tylo.jpg?w=750&ssl=1 500w)
Nola set out to make life miserable for Kelly Nelson and Morgan Richards, goaded Holly Thorpe into slapping her in a room full of people, encouraged the alcoholic Tim Werner to partake of the bottle, plied Kelly with liquor until he passed out and then pretended that they had made love, falsely claimed that Derek Colby was having an affair with Hillary Bauer, and seduced Floyd to become pregnant.
Based on her dastardly deeds, Nola found herself alone and remorseful. Marland’s master plan was to take her love for old films and imagine herself as the different heroines in order for the audience to see her in a different light and it worked. It was then Nola found true love with Quint Chamberlin (pictured). Sigh…
8 of 9
![roger howarth as todd manning on one life to live.](https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Roger-Howarth-scaled.jpg?fit=1380%2C880&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Roger-Howarth-scaled.jpg?w=750&ssl=1 500w)
Photo credit: Ann Limongello/ABC
Todd escaped from prison and went after Nora for revenge. Nora was rescued by her beau, Bo Buchanan. Todd escaped but later was shot and fell into a river and was presumed dead. When his prison van crashed, the conflicted felon saved Marty, C.J., and Jessica from death and was granted an early parole. His troubles didn’t end there but it did push him to seek counseling, eventually causing him to apologize to Marty for everything he had done.
Todd’s redemption storyline caused quite a stir in the media, and became the subject for many feminist studies making him a controversial character but it was Howarth’s vulnerable and layered portrayal of a man trying to rehabilitate the beast from within that sold the audience on his metamorphosis to a man who could be valued...and loved.
9 of 9
![Peter Bergman and Susan Walters](https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Peter-Bergman-and-Susan-Walters.jpg?fit=1380%2C880&ssl=1 1000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.soapoperadigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Peter-Bergman-and-Susan-Walters.jpg?w=750&ssl=1 500w)
Photo credit: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
Diane found out that Victor had his sperm frozen before his vasectomy and vowed to steal it to inseminate herself with it. She found out later that her arch nemesis, Nikki, had switched the sperm with Jack Abbott’s. Jack (pictured), who was paired up with Phyllis at the time, sued for custody but lost. Diane moved into the Abbott pool house with her son, Kyle, and amused herself by playing head games with Phyllis. She went as far as framing the redhead for arson.
Eventually, Diane managed to earn the wrath of just about everyone in Genoa City. When she was found “dead,” everyone was considered a suspect. A video was found showing a struggle with Nikki, who struck her with a rock in self-defense. In reality, Deacon Sharpe had helped her to fake her death and start a new life. Now back in Genoa City, she seems like a new woman. Thanks to the grounded performance of Susan Walters, not only does Diane seem redeemed but has the audience rooting for her as well.
Although a list of some of his crimes included adultery (he later slept with Liza while married to Dixie), assaulting Dwight Sweeney, fabricating evidence to exonerate Brooke, tying Michael Cambias up and tossing him in the dumpster, stealing Cambias’s body and burying it in a garbage dump, blackmail, escaping from jail, perjury, bribery, burying Greg Madden alive, and a whole lot of punching, Tad always showed a lot of heart.
A bout with colon cancer brought the doctor closer to his children. Dixon went on to rescue Lisa Grimaldi from Martin Chedwyn, became a grandfather, accepted a position at the prestigious John Hopkins University, and consulted on a heart transplant for Chris Hughes.
It was the love of a woman that helped Hutchins find his soul. Rachel Cory tamed the beast in him and gave him true love and acceptance. The two married and went on to have two children, Cory and Elizabeth.
Photo credit: NBC
Obsessed with Amber Moore, he followed her to Genoa City, framed her boyfriend, Daniel Romalotti, for theft, blackmailed her into marrying him in order to get Daniel off, and was framed by Phyllis into kidnapping Amber. Later, he would have a drunken affair with Nikki Newman in order to break up the Newman marriage, had a fling with Diane Jenkins, and tried to cover up her “murder” by Nikki. In true soap fashion it was revealed that he had helped Diane fake her death.
It was his love for his daughter, Hope Logan, that made Deacon want to be a better man. The conflicted troublemaker returned to Los Angeles after serving a short prison stint, for shooting at Quinn, determined to be a good father to his daughter only to find himself bonding with the scheming Sheila Carter. His redemption may be on shaky ground.
Photo credit: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
Jack tried to blackmail co-partner Diana Colville into selling her shares of The Spectator, kidnapped Jennifer Horton to keep her from marrying her high school sweetheart Emilio, desperate for cash he stole money from Billie Reed, and unknowingly slept with his mother-in-law, Laura Horton (not exactly villainous but yuck).
Jack became obsessed with Jennifer and tried to drive a wedge between her and Peter Blake. When he found out that Peter was going to kidnap Jennifer and Abby, he confronted him with a gun accidentally killing Peter (who wasn’t really dead). Eventually, Jack won Jennifer over and the two happily spend their time supporting friends, solving crimes, and righting wrongs along the way.
Photo credit: Gary Null/NBC
General Hospital’s Liesl Obrecht is a bit of a dichotomy (pictured at right with Luke Spencer). She is a brilliant physician with a penchant towards evil. Originally hired for a walk-on role of a German doctor hiding Robin Scorpio, Kathleen Gati won the writers over with her scene-stealing delivery and they kept writing her in. Soon she had a backstory, a relationship with super villain, Cesar Faison, and two children, Britt Westbourne, and Nathan West, and her sister was mother to Nina Reeves, making her an aunt..
Liesl’s taste for unscrupulous men and a passion for revenge would be her achilles heel. She lost her physician’s license when it was discovered that she was doing unsanctioned experiments on her patients, along with Faison and Jerry Jacks, she poisoned the Port Charles water supply with a deadly pathogen, used her skills for both Faison and Victor Cassadine’s nefarious machinations, drugged Robin and handed her over to Jerry Jacks, and teamed up with Britt to entrap Patrick Drake with a pregnancy..
If mad men were her weakness, her children were her strength, and when she lost both of them, it was the family she still had left that tugged at her heart. When Nina found out her daughter was alive [Willow] and fighting for her life, it was Obrecht who stepped up and donated her bone marrow.
Photo credit: Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Nola set out to make life miserable for Kelly Nelson and Morgan Richards, goaded Holly Thorpe into slapping her in a room full of people, encouraged the alcoholic Tim Werner to partake of the bottle, plied Kelly with liquor until he passed out and then pretended that they had made love, falsely claimed that Derek Colby was having an affair with Hillary Bauer, and seduced Floyd to become pregnant.
Based on her dastardly deeds, Nola found herself alone and remorseful. Marland’s master plan was to take her love for old films and imagine herself as the different heroines in order for the audience to see her in a different light and it worked. It was then Nola found true love with Quint Chamberlin (pictured). Sigh…
Todd escaped from prison and went after Nora for revenge. Nora was rescued by her beau, Bo Buchanan. Todd escaped but later was shot and fell into a river and was presumed dead. When his prison van crashed, the conflicted felon saved Marty, C.J., and Jessica from death and was granted an early parole. His troubles didn’t end there but it did push him to seek counseling, eventually causing him to apologize to Marty for everything he had done.
Todd’s redemption storyline caused quite a stir in the media, and became the subject for many feminist studies making him a controversial character but it was Howarth’s vulnerable and layered portrayal of a man trying to rehabilitate the beast from within that sold the audience on his metamorphosis to a man who could be valued...and loved.
Photo credit: Ann Limongello/ABC
Diane found out that Victor had his sperm frozen before his vasectomy and vowed to steal it to inseminate herself with it. She found out later that her arch nemesis, Nikki, had switched the sperm with Jack Abbott’s. Jack (pictured), who was paired up with Phyllis at the time, sued for custody but lost. Diane moved into the Abbott pool house with her son, Kyle, and amused herself by playing head games with Phyllis. She went as far as framing the redhead for arson.
Eventually, Diane managed to earn the wrath of just about everyone in Genoa City. When she was found “dead,” everyone was considered a suspect. A video was found showing a struggle with Nikki, who struck her with a rock in self-defense. In reality, Deacon Sharpe had helped her to fake her death and start a new life. Now back in Genoa City, she seems like a new woman. Thanks to the grounded performance of Susan Walters, not only does Diane seem redeemed but has the audience rooting for her as well.
Photo credit: Aaron Montgomery/JPI