Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Introduced as a minor antagonist and a sidekick to Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) in first episode of Glee, Santana's role grew over the course of the show's first season. In the second season, Rivera was promoted to series regular, and Santana was given more high-profile storylines, such as the development of her romantic feelings for her best friend Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris), and subsequent realization that she is a lesbian. Rivera, who has been vocally supportive of the love story between her and Morris' character, has received widespread praise for her portrayal of Santana, as well as for her for vocal work in numerous songs performed as part of the show's central glee club, New Directions.