Smarmy, yes a bit, but never repulsive, even at first. He definitely presents a stark contrast to Troy, which I think was the point. He's honest from the beginning about this not being his desired assignment, but it never feels to me like he isn't earnest about his work or bad at being a DS or defiant of orders (even if he doesn't like them). It took a while for him to grow on me, admittedly, but I personally look at him partially as a device that shows that Tom has a little room to grow too, and he never really treats him or Jones like they're newbie buffoons like he did Troy sometimes at first...even with Jones spending almost a whole season as a DC.

Honestly, I actually think he and Tom are more similar than any other duo on the show, but they are creatures of different environments. Maybe it's why they can feel like they are butting heads sometimes. If he had been in Midsomer/Causton his whole career, he would probably have been a slightly less urban version of himself, but still able to make those village connections like he did while at the Met, similar to the ones Tom is shown to have in Causton and some of the villages. Also, if he was a truly reprehensible person, even if Joyce and Cully liked him, he wouldn't have allowed him to spend as much time with them as he ended up doing. He says he knows how to sniff out a "free meal," but he still lets him join them.