One Day at a Time canceled at Netflix; season 4 still possible elsewhere

Today, Netflix continued to show that in 2019, they really aren’t attached to their shows anymore. Remember the days where they supported their fledgling lineup of shows through and through? Those days are long gone.

Today, the streaming service officially added One Day at a Time to the long list of shows that they have axed over the past several months, a list that includes Daredevil, Iron Fist, Everything Sucks!, American Vandal, The Good Cop, Luke Cage, and so much more. There were reports out there that they were thinking about also canceling Fuller House, but it got a one-season reprieve as season 5 will serve as its final season. The One Day at a Time cancellation comes following an intense rally to try and save the comedy, which was a rare remake that was equally beloved, if not more so, than the original. It was a celebration of diversity that focused on real-life issues, without ever also feeling preachy and instead giving us a feeling of relatability. It had everything that a comedy could want, except of course the viewer threshold that Netflix wanted. That’s the thing that it struggled to maintain and unfortunately, that’s why we’re here.

In a statement today, Netflix made the rather surprising choice to talk frankly about why they’re ending the show (something they almost never do!):

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. 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. 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. 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.

Could Netflix have given One Day at a Time a season 4 despite the low ratings?

Maybe if it had more awards-show recognition, or maybe if they poured more promotional money into it, especially as a show that all viewers would watch. We think that they didn’t acknowledge the universality of this show enough — while it may speak at times to a specific Latinx community, its themes and stories go way beyond that. Everyone feels something from these characters and it deserved more time in the spotlight.

Also, here’s another frustration — Netflix recently raised their subscription price, and it’s certainly an odd decision for them to be working so hard to take more money from its subscribers while also cutting out more and more programming that already has an audience.

Could a season 4 happen elsewhere?

We know that there are plans to shop a season 4 elsewhere alongside Sony Pictures TV, and we think based on content alone, there could be interested parties. It may mostly come down to if another network has the proper room in the schedule to make it happen — but we do think that Hulu could be an interesting possibility given that it would give them a marquee comedy with a devoted following. That’s something that they really need in general beyond just The Handmaid’s Tale.

What do you think about the decision to cancel One Day at a Time, and where do you think that the show is going to from here.