15 fan-favorite Netflix Original characters, ranked

7. Penelope Alvarez — One Day at a Time

When the character first appeared: Penelope has been in the series from the very first episode.

A little about the character: The series starts with Penelope newly single. She’s an army veteran, who finds she’s on her own to raise her two children — both of whom are strong-willed, passionate, and learning the ways of the world.

Realizing that she can’t do it all herself, Penelope turns to her mother to help raise her Cuban-American family. However, her mother has more of an “old-school” approach to raising a family, which certainly causes some friction.

Why the character is a fan-favorite: I know that adding One Day at a Time on the list is going to open some raw wounds. The show was canceled a few days ago and many are still sad and fighting passionately to see if another network or streaming service will save it.

However, Penelope deserves to be on this list. After all, she is a fan-favorite character for all the right reasons. As a single mother and an Army vet, she has a backstory that opens the minds of others. She is willing to put her family first and that means sacrificing her own wants and happiness at times.

Her children are her life. We see this strong and determined mother, who inside is often nervous and worried that things just aren’t working out. All she wants is the best for her children but life doesn’t always work out the way it should.

Penelope certainly has her flaws but she’s human. She’s grounded and gives us all something to aspire to be.