It’s been a really long time since I enjoyed a sitcom as much as I love One Day at a Time. The diversity and complexity of the characters, the heart and sensitivity of the script, and the moving and hilarious performances by the cast members all combine to create something truly enjoyable and funny.
It’s wholesome, safe, and true to what family means in today’s America. And because it’s written for 2019, the characters develop, and grow, and backslide, and discover new things about themselves. It’s a sitcom without the limitations of the usual tropes and stereotypes that often make sitcoms hard to watch. I haven’t watched and enjoyed a sitcom so much in over a decade.
The show covers topics like coming out as a young teen, immigration and forced deportation, depression and anxiety, PTSD, and addiction with levity but also with great respect to the struggles people face when they experience these moments in life.
Penelope is a fierce, badass Latina mother, a hardworking nurse, a veteran, and someone who has to take antidepressants every day in order maintain a normal lifestyle. Elena is an equally fierce teen feminist, a lesbian, and (from s2 onward) dates a nonbinary kid named Syd. But she also struggles with her father’s homophobia and her grandmother’s expectations of her as a young woman. Scheider is a trust fund kid, a wealthy white man with oodles of privilege and luck - but he’s also a recovering alcoholic/drug addict and a deeply lonely man who considers the Alvarezes to be his true family, because his own is so dysfunctional and loveless.
That’s just three of the most obvious examples of the way this show has worked so hard to establish real, developed characters who still have room to grow. Every single character has depth, and flaws, and compelling personalities. All of the show’s conflicts come from the Alvarez family and friends’ relationships, and their struggles to support and love one another through all of the unexpected things that just come with living life.
Unfortunately, One Day at a Time is in trouble. If more people don’t start watching, we’ll never get to see the fourth season.
I love this show so much, and I hope if you read all of this, you understand why a bit more. Please give it a chance, if you haven’t already. Or maybe even a second chance, if you tried it and were sure it wasn’t your thing. It only gets better as it goes on, and it’s almost impossible not to love every single primary character by the end of the first season. Every finale will leave you in happy tears. It’s an excellent show and it would be such a loss if it isn’t renewed. Please, please give it a try!
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