15 fan-favorite Netflix Original characters, ranked

12. Kate Messner — Everything Sucks!

When the character first appeared: During the series premiere of Everything Sucks! and was in every episode

A little about the character: Kate Messner is the daughter of the school principal. At a young age, her mother died and that means she is close to her “embarrassing” father. She loves him dearly, but there are secrets she’s hiding from him. The biggest is that she’s a lesbian. With the show set in the 90s, this is still a big taboo subject.

Why the character is a fan-favorite: Kate very quickly became a fan-favorite because of her backstory and sexuality. She was one of those characters that many viewers could see some of themselves in. Whether it was because of her loss, hiding who she is, or just trying to make it through school, she was realistic, honest, and grounded.

As the season went on, we got more layers to this character. The best part was her finding happiness with Emaline. Despite Emaline’s earlier bullying, the two brought the best out in each other. They could be who they wanted to be and find a connection they hadn’t shared with anyone else.

Kate gave many viewers the confidence they needed to be open and honest. It’s just a shame that Everything Sucks! was canceled after one season. After all, there’s more to Kate’s story and it was one that needed to be shared. This was one of last year’s unjust cancellations and something I’m still personally bitter about.