After airing its first three seasons on Netflix, One Day At a Time was cancelled in March of 2019. Luckily, the series got a second life when it was picked up by Pop and aired its shortened fourth season earlier this year. However, the luck may have run out again because One Day At a Time has been cancelled for a third time. Showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett and many of the series’ cast are now reacting to the news of a second cancellation.
One Day At a Time just can’t catch a break. The series debuted Season 4 on Pop TV, the home of the critically lauded Schitt’s Creek, in March. However, the sitcom got a truncated season due to the Hollywood-wide production shutdowns. In October, CBS aired the series’ fourth season before it was finally cancelled a month later. While One Day At a Time’s future looks bleak right now, Gloria Calderón Kellett is still hopeful. Here’s what she wrote on Twitter:
Sadly, the news is out. I'm not sad just yet, y'all. We still have some hope for new homes. Hang tight, my loves. You know that if I go down, I will go down swinging for this show (& cast & crew) I love.
I believe Gloria Calderón Kellett when she says she’ll go down swinging for One Day At a Time. The showrunner has been a fierce champion of the sitcom since its inception and if she and the cast and crew can get through one cancellation, I’m positive they will get through this new roadblock as well.
The good news is that the folks at Sony Pictures TV, the company that produces the series, will continue shopping One Day At a Time around to other places. Series star Ed Quinn was definitely supportive of Gloria Calderón Kellett’s endeavor, taking to Twitter to show his encouragement after the cancellation news.
Meanwhile, co-showrunner and executive producer Mike Royce was also hopeful about the show’s future, though he provided a bit more background information about why the cancellation happened over at Pop in his Twitter post. In his words:
So... yes. Much has changed at Viacom in the last year and unfortunately we won't be on Pop anymore. Thanks to everybody over there for the opportunity to do season 4. And guess what? We're still trying for season 5. What if #ODAAT was the first show ever on 3 networks?
The series potentially airing on three different outlets would certainly be a unique situation. Most series tend to land at one place — be it a network, premium cable channel, or streamer — and stay there until cancellation. One Day At a Time is certainly forging its own path right now. For series star Isabella Gomez, she loves her sitcom family no matter what. Check out what she wrote below:
Maybe third network’s the charm? Seriously, regardless of what happens, familia para siempre. And I’ll have a sappy post coming when we find out which way this goes. I love you guys.
Actor Stephen Tobolowsky shared his reaction to Twitter as well, though his was more of a reflection on what One Day At a Time really brought to the table as a comedy series and what made it so special to begin with. Here’s what he wrote:
The news of One Day At a Time’s cancellation at Pop comes shortly after Justina Machado ended her run as a celebrity dancer in Season 29 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. The actress landed in fourth place with pro dancer Sasha Farber during the season finale. While Machado didn’t personally react to the news of One Day At a Time’s second cancellation, she did retweet and repost Gloria Calderón Kellett’s words to Instagram. Machado’s co-star Todd Grinnell did the same.
It’s unclear whether One Day At a Time will finally find a more stable home in the future, but I’m personally rooting for this show to win. In the meantime, viewers can watch the fourth season on Pop TV and CBS All Access, with the first three seasons still available to stream on Netflix.
For more on what to watch in the coming months, be sure to check out our fall TV premiere guide, as well as our 2021 winter and spring schedule for new and returning shows.
