After spending 100 million dollars to keep Friends on the streaming service, Netflix has opted to not renew One Day At a Time, one of their best shows currently streaming. The series will be shopped elsewhere by Sony. This comes on the heels of a very active campaign to #RenewODAAT on social media, as the show provides deeply important representation to the Latinx community.
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
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
Honestly, the platitudes about representation feel hollow. Netflix rarely marketed One Day at a Time with the same fervor it markets other shows; how can people tune in for opening weekend binge numbers if they don’t know when the show is being released? Netflix, which showcases new releases on their opening page, is insistent that I tune into The Order, a show I literally never heard about, and Triple Frontier, but I barely saw a poster or a banner on Netflix’s main page for One Day at a Time, and I’ve been following since season one.
If you want to send the message that Latinx stories are important, you don’t cancel the show. There was a dedicated fanbase that had enough power to get their hashtag trending and critics speaking in defense of the show. That’s not no one watching; that was people caring deeply about the stories being told. If Netflix has the money to keep Friends around and to make a near constant stream of original products, they have the funds to keep One Day at a Time, their most critically acclaimed and beloved sitcom, around.
Also, since we don’t know Netflix’s numbers, we have no idea what “not enough viewers” really means, but that’s another story for another time.
Since Sony is now shopping the series around, we can only hope another network or streaming service picks it up. If not, we’ll always have the three nearly perfect seasons. Still, the show’s stellar writing, cast, and devoted fanbase should make it a nice pick for a network actually smart enough to advertise it. I really hope this is not the last we’ve seen of the Alvarez family, who all deserve six seasons and a movie.
(via Twitter, image: Netflix)
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