but I think they largely failed in showing how his behaviors were wrong

I absolutely agree with this (and come to think of it, I never actually said that in the post? Will edit!). I think he's a realistic character, completely, but I agree his behavior isn't shown as problematic enough.

I don't think the writers did recognize how bad his behavior was, and they often used other characters, usually female characters, to affirm/assure the audience that he was, in fact, a good guy.

Honestly, it's been forever since I've watched the earlier seasons, so I'd forgotten a lot of that. Thanks for pointing it out.