One Day at a Time is an American comedy web television series based on Norman Lear's 1975–1984 sitcom of the same name. It was Lear’s company, Act III Productions, that approached Sony with the idea of reimagining the original series with a Latino family. It was developed by Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce, with Lear and his producing partner, Brent Miller as executive producers. The series features an ensemble cast starring Justina Machado, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Rita Moreno. The show revolves around a Cuban-American family living in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park, focusing on a single mom who is an Army veteran dealing with PTSD, her kids and her Cuban mother. The re-imagination of the original CBS sitcom tackles important issues like mental illness, immigration, sexism, homophobia, and racism that faces Latinos living in the United States.
One Day at a Time | |
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Genre | Sitcom Dramedy |
Based on | One Day at a Time by Whitney Blake and Allan Manings |
Developed by | Gloria Calderon Kellett Mike Royce |
Starring | |
Opening theme | "This Is It" performed by Gloria Estefan |
Ending theme | "This Is It" (instrumental) |
Composer(s) |
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Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 39 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Gloria Calderon Kellett Mike Royce Norman Lear Michael Garcia Brent Miller |
Producer(s) |
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Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 24–35 minutes |
Production company(s) | Act III Productions Snowpants Productions Big Girl Pants Productions Small Fish Studios Sony Pictures Television |
Release | |
Original network | Netflix |
Picture format | 4K (UHD) |
Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
Original release | January 6, 2017 – present |
External links | |
Official Website |
One Day at a Time is an American comedy web television series based on Norman Lear's 1975–1984 sitcom of the same name.[1] It was Lear’s company, Act III Productions, that approached Sony with the idea of reimagining the original series with a Latino family.[2] It was developed by Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce, with Lear and his producing partner, Brent Miller as executive producers.[3] The series features an ensemble cast starring Justina Machado, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz, Stephen Tobolowsky, and Rita Moreno.[4][5] The show revolves around a Cuban-American family living in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park, focusing on a single mom who is an Army veteran dealing with PTSD, her kids and her Cuban mother. The re-imagination of the original CBS sitcom tackles important issues like mental illness, immigration, sexism, homophobia, and racism that faces Latinos living in the United States.
The first season consisted of thirteen episodes and it was released on January 6, 2017.[6] On March 4, 2017, Netflix renewed the series for a second season.[7] On January 26, 2018, the second season premiered on the streaming service with thirteen episodes.[8] On March 26, 2018, a third season was ordered.[9] Following the announcement on December 13, 2018, season 3 premiered on February 8, 2019.[10]
Upon its release, the show received critical acclaim, with critics and journalists praising the writing and the performances of Justina Machado and Rita Moreno.[11][12] One Day at a Time was listed as one of the best television shows of 2017, with over eighteen critics ranking it as one of the top ten shows of the year.[13] The series received multiple awards and nominations, including a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series (Pat Barnett). At the Imagen Foundation Awards won Best Primetime Television Program – Comedy, Best Actress – Television (Justina Machado), Best Supporting Actress – Television (Isabella Gomez) and Best Young Actor – Television (Marcel Ruiz). Rita Moreno was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The series was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.
The show depicts the everyday life of a Cuban-American family with each character finding their own journey. Following the story of Penelope Alvarez (Justina Machado) a United States Army Nurse Corps[3] veteran, facing her return to civilian life with a lot of unresolved issues from her time in the Army. She works as a nurse in the office of Dr. Leslie Berkowitz (Stephen Tobolowsky). After her husband's alcoholism due to post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in the Army made it, in Penelope's words, 'unsafe to be in the house', she separates from Victor (James Martínez), taking the children with her. With the help of her Mother, Lydia (Rita Moreno), a refugee who left Cuba as a teen following Fidel Castro's rise to power, she is raising her two children: Elena (Isabella Gómez) and Alex (Marcel Ruiz). Apart from planning her daughter's quinceañera, Penelope starts dating and finds a love interest. Elena, resistant to have a quinces, starts dating a teenager from her class; to later realize that she is a lesbian. After struggling in ways to tell her family about her sexuality she finds the right time to come out. Alex starts working in a school project about Cuba with the help of Schneider (Todd Grinnell) and Lydia. Lydia talks about leaving Cuba escaping from Castro's dictatorship and how she fell in love with her late husband Berto (Tony Plana).
Each episode of the series focuses on important issues that face the Hispanic community and families in general. It has dealt with topics such as veterans' struggles with PTSD, depression, and anxiety, as well as sexuality, gender identity, sexism, alcoholism, drug addiction, and religion, amongst others.
Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
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1 | 13 | January 6, 2017 | ||
2 | 13 | January 26, 2018 | ||
3 | 13 | February 8, 2019 |
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2018) |
The theme song for the original One Day at a Time series, “This is It", was re-recorded for the newer version of the series, with a new arrangement by Emilio Estefan featuring Cuban instrumentation and lead vocals by Gloria Estefan. The song was composed by husband-and-wife songwriters Jeff Barry and Nancy Barry. Recording artist Polly Cutter sang the original version of the theme song.[16]
Filming took place in Los Angeles, California at Sony Pictures Studios in Stage 25.[17] It was shot with a multiple-camera setup in front of a studio audience.[6] Filming of the second season began in May 2017 and ended in September 2017.[18]
Season | Critical response | ||
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Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | ||
1 | 97% (33 reviews)[19] | 79 (23 reviews)[20] | |
2 | 100% (28 reviews)[21] | 88 (6 reviews)[22] | |
3 | 100% (19 reviews)[23] | 82 (7 reviews)[24] | |
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 97% based on 33 reviews with an average rating of 7.89/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "One Day at a Time breathes fresh life into the classic Norman Lear original with a lively, sharp, and proudly old-school sitcom bolstered by a surfeit of heart and terrific performances from Rita Moreno and Justina Machado."[19]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 out of 100, based on 23 critics.[20]
Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times found the first season to be "lively without being rushed" thanks to the full 30 minute run time.[25] "The show is nicely written ... and the performances [especially Moreno's] are almost universally engaging," according to David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle.[26] The Newsday review by Verne Gay particularly praises Machado as "flat-out terrific" and calls the first season "congenial, good-hearted, easy going, sentimental, old-fashioned and surprisingly new-fashioned. There’s also a deep emotional core here which refuses to be devalued by the typical (or tired) beat of a multicamera sitcom."[27]
A USA Today review by Kelly Lawler noted that Elena's coming-out arc in the first season has drawn special praise from LGBT critics for its "unique, realistic and refreshing take on the subject... the depiction of a young, happy Latinx lesbian comes as a hopeful sign for many."[28] Autostraddle senior editor Yvonne Marquez called the arc "mind-blowing"[28] and the show revolutionary because "it centers the family’s brownness and provides ample social commentary to deliver a fantastic modern-day sitcom."[29]
The second season has a "Certified Fresh" 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 9.05/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "One Day at a Time continues its ascent into classic sitcom territory without losing sight of its modern identity."[21] On Metacritic, it has a score of 88 out of 100, based on 6 critics.[22]
The third season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 8.57/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As timely and tender as ever, One Day at a Time's third season manages to up to comedy ante without losing the intimate family moments that help it hit so close to home."[23] On Metacritic, it has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 7 critics.[24]
Year | Award | Category | Nominees | Result | Ref. |
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2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Show: Comedy | One Day at a Time | Nominated | [30] |
Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Primetime Television Program – Comedy | Won | [31][32] | ||
Best Actress – Television | Justina Machado | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actress – Television | Rita Moreno | Nominated | |||
Isabella Gomez | Won | ||||
Best Young Actor – Television | Marcel Ruiz | Won | |||
IGN Summer Awards | Best Comedic TV Performance | Rita Moreno | Nominated | [33] | |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series | Pat Barnett | Nominated | [34] | |
Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Comedy Series | One Day at a Time | Nominated | [35] | |
Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Justina Machado | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Rita Moreno | Nominated | |||
Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series | One Day at a Time | Nominated | |||
Best Direction in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||||
Gold Derby Awards | Best Comedy Supporting Actress | Rita Moreno | Nominated | [36] | |
2018 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | [37] | |
TVLine Awards | Performer of the Week | Justina Machado | Won | [38] | |
GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | One Day at a Time | Nominated | [39] | |
Television Academy Honors | Television with a Conscience | Won | [40] | ||
TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | Nominated | [41] | ||
Imagen Foundation Awards | Best Primetime Television Program – Comedy | Nominated | [42] | ||
Best Actress – Television | Justina Machado | Won | |||
Rita Moreno | Nominated | ||||
Isabella Gomez | Nominated | ||||
Best Young Actor – Television | Marcel Ruiz | Nominated | |||
2019 | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Comedy Series | One Day at a Time | Nominated | [43] |
Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Justina Machado | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Rita Moreno | Nominated | |||
GLAAD Media Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | One Day at a Time | Pending | [44] | |