Fans Mourn As Netflix Announces It Won't Renew 'One Day At A Time'
Time to say goodbye to the Alvarez family.
Netflix shared a heartfelt announcement on Twitter Thursday that it will not renew the sitcom “One Day at a Time” for a fourth season.
We’ve made the very difficult decision not to renew One Day At A Time for a fourth season. The choice did not come easily — we spent several weeks trying to find a way to make another season work but in the end simply not enough people watched to justify another season.
— Netflix US (@netflix) March 14, 2019
Thank you Norman Lear for bringing this series back to television. Thank you Gloria Calderon Kellett & Mike Royce for always making us laugh and never shying away from bravely and beautifully tackling tough subject matter in a meaningful way
— Netflix US (@netflix) March 14, 2019
To Justina Machado, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Rita Moreno: thank you for inviting us into your family. You filled this show with so much heart and warmth and love, it truly felt like home.
— Netflix US (@netflix) March 14, 2019
And to anyone who felt seen or represented — possibly for the first time — by ODAAT, please don’t take this as an indication your story is not important. The outpouring of love for this show is a firm reminder to us that we must continue finding ways to tell these stories.
— Netflix US (@netflix) March 14, 2019
The show, based on an original series by the legendary sitcom creator Norman Lear, follows a Cuban-American family living in Los Angeles. Single mom and Army vet Penelope Alvarez is played by Justina Machado, attempting to raise her two children while dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. Her mother, Lydia, is played by Broadway icon Rita Moreno.
“One Day At A Time” has been fiercely loved by fans. It narrowly escaped cancellation in 2018 and earned a third season after fans and Hispanic advocacy groups launched a social media campaign.
Op-ed writer Raul Reyes wrote in HuffPost last year that the show is an important cultural contribution because it “offers a positive depiction of a Latino family at a time when Latinos are still barely visible in the entertainment industry.”
“It offers a realistic portrayal of Latinos, who are typically shown in film and TV as gang members or servants, or on the news as undocumented immigrants. In short, this is the TV show America needs right now,” wrote Reyes.
He added: “There are no stereotypes; no one is in a gang, running drugs or speaking with a contrived accent. The Alvarez family is not in crisis; they are simply living their lives. At its heart, it is about the universal experience of family ties — and it is hugely entertaining.”
Fans of the series couldn’t help but share on Twitter how sad they were that the show won’t continue:
One Day At A Time was such a gorgeous show that deserved a lot more respect than what Netflix gave it and that’s the tea ☕️. pic.twitter.com/pT4CwfoPqu
— Aislinn Cody (@AislinnSaysHi) March 14, 2019
One Day At A Time unveiled before my eyes one of the first same sex lesbian couples presented in a non-sexualized manner. It meant the universe to me to see my sexuality represented in the purest, most loving way possible. #BringBackODAAT pic.twitter.com/oY3crmFmhb
— chiara (@0NTHESH0REE) March 14, 2019
Netflix says "simply not enough people" watched One Day at a Time to justify renewal. And maybe that's true! But we don't and will never know the numbers, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
— Caroline Darya Framke (@carolineframke) March 14, 2019
Netflix spent $100 million to pick up friends - a show that they’re only able to run for another year yet they cancel One Day At A Time at the first hurdle?!!! #SaveOdaat
— billie (@fvmero) March 14, 2019
Actress Isabella Gomez, who plays Machado’s on-screen daughter Elena, tweeted that her “heart is breaking, but I still can’t help but thank Netflix for giving the Alvarez family a home for 3 years.”
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My heart is breaking, but I still can’t help but thank Netflix for giving the Alvarez family a home for 3 years and for changing my life... and to the fans: familia para siempre. I got you. ❤️ https://t.co/ECvLXaJoqP
— Isabella Gomez (@Isabella_Gomez) March 14, 2019
The series creator, Mike Royce, shared on Twitter a note from himself and co-creator Gloria Calderon Kellett, to fans shortly after Netflix broke the news, suggesting there may just be some hope for more episodes.
“We will be exploring other places One Day At A Time can live, and with any luck we’ll find one,” he wrote.
— Mike Royce (@MikeRoyce) March 14, 2019
We hope they do find another home. For now, we’ll miss you, Penelope, Lydia, Elena, Alex, Schneider, and Dr. Leslie Berkowitz.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
