One Day at a Time season 4 still possible; the search continues
When it comes to the future of One Day at a Time, ironically it really is a situation where you have to take it … one day at a time. Pun obviously intended. Despite it being a critical favorite, Netflix canceled the show earlier this year and we don’t get too many signs that they’re looking back. As a matter of fact, we’ve heard executives say already that the show just wasn’t performing well enough for them. We would like to think that quality matters … but apparently, it doesn’t matter enough.
Luckily, it does seem as though some of the fine people involved in the show aren’t quite giving up just yet. Today, there was a screening for a notable One Day at a Time episode at the ATX Television Festival, and while there, co-creator Mike Royce offered up a little bit of information (via Deadline) as to where the save our show campaign currently is:
“All I can say is that there’s hope — there’s not not hope … I’ve been through three ‘save our show’ campaigns — they didn’t work. This is beyond miracle status. We just need to make sure it works out. We’re talking and we hope to have news sooner rather than later.”
Obviously, this news isn’t necessarily a ray of sunshine coming down from the heavens, but it is nice to know that nothing is 100% dead. A lot of other shows that have been canceled more recently haven’t really found any success, and many of them have given up entirely. That’s not true here, even in spite of enormous roadblocks. One of the most obvious ones is the mere fact that One Day at a Time doesn’t really have a lot of good streaming distribution options. Unless Netflix is willing to let its rights go, it’s going to be hard for it to make a ton of money in that medium. If nothing changes, then it’s really going to be up to a broadcaster to shoulder most of the cost. That’s not an easy thing to do in this modern era where so many people tend to prefer streaming over good ol’-fashioned appointment viewing.
And going back to what we said earlier, though, quality does matter. Netflix may not have looked at it enough, but that doesn’t mean others are ignoring it. The real benefit to a show like One Day at a Time is that it provides instant clout to whoever picks it up. Even if this is not a show that wins any Outstanding Comedy Series Emmys, it’s certainly going to be in the conversation. If your network that doesn’t get a lot of awards attention, don’t you want something to boost that profile? We also think one day at a time could be useful for networks looking for more inclusive programming, and to bring in a demographic of people who may not be regularly watching.
In its own bizarre way, we kind of think that the recent Live in Front of a Studio Audience event, where classic sitcoms were recreated and presented on ABC, does prove there is still a market for this sort of thing. It’s a crazy idea, but we almost wonder if One Day at a Time season 4 could air somewhere with all of the episodes happening live. Undateable tried it, so why not this show?
Now, let’s turn this over to you all of you. Are you hopeful that One Day at a Time season 4 could in fact happen? Be sure to share in the comments.