The living-room set of One Day at a Time might tempt you to think of it as a traditional sitcom (a la Friends), but the complex conversations the show embarks are quick to dissuade that thought. Consider the opening scene of Season 3, Episode 2, “Outside”: Elena, the lesbian daughter in a second-generation Cuban family, and her non-binary partner, Syd, have a conversation about gender identity that turns into a funny, yet respectful, bit about what Elena will refer to Syd as. (“Syd-nificant other” won, by the way). In this same episode, her little brother Alex’s crass finsta is discovered, which leads to a conversation about consent, toxic masculinity, and sexual harassment.
In a mere three seasons, the series provides some off the most authentic, moving, and funny explorations of anxiety, depression, immigration, coming out, addiction, white-passing privilege, and the Latinx-American experience.
One Day at a Time centers around a Cuban family living in LA—made up of an immigrant grandmother, Lydia (played by the one and only Rita Moreno), her veteran daughter, Penelope, and her two kids, Elena and Alex. It is one of the few shows that features a predominantly Latinx cast, and is reminiscent of sitcoms like Black-ish and Fresh off the Boat that have been pushing the envelope of comedy for the last few years. It’s a reboot of the classic 80s sitcom One Day at a Time (which I haven’t seen, but if it inspired this masterpiece, then I love it already).
Although the show tackles hot-button issues, it doesn’t fall prey to the preachy “I’m about to teach you a little lesson about life” feeling that tends to dominate sitcoms trying too hard to be political. There’s no music swelling right before a Very Important Conversation, no feeling that the characters are being forced to talk about something in an effort for the show to stay relevant. Things just happen—in the same ways that they do in real life, yet the show never loses the campy, funny, family feeling that attracted me to it in the first place. One second you’re laughing, and the next you’re realizing you’ve just heard a profoundly moving monologue about immigration.
It seems, however, that all of these qualities are not enough to ensure a renewal for Season 4 from Netflix. Because, of course, amazing shows that feature adequate representation can’t last more than a few seasons on the air. (Sorry, I’m still mad about Brooklyn Nine-Nine almost being cancelled last year. But that’s for another time). On Wednesday, showrunner Gloria Calderon tweeted that she had met with Netflix representatives about the future of the show, saying “They made it clear that they love the show, love how it serves underrepresented audiences, love its heart & humor, but… we need more viewers. They’ll decide soon.”
The fans of the show were quick to rally around the show and not even an hour later, the hashtag #RenewODAAT was trending on twitter. Fans cited the importance of the conversations the show invites, the representation it provides young viewers, and the fact that it’s simply one of the most entertaining, well-written comedies on Netflix.
Look, I know the world is chaotic right now. But the Alvarez family continues to find humor in the most difficult situations, and their hearts have become a consistent source of comfort over the hellish past few years. Watch One Day at a Time because shows with good representation are with keeping on air. Watch it for Rita Moreno (because, duh). Watch it because it’s about a Latinx family, written by a Latinx woman. Because many of the showrunners and writers that handle the queer storylines are queer. Watch it because it’s funny and heartwarming, and just plain good.
-Alex Rocha-Alvarez ’22
