Netflix announced yesterday that One Day at a Time would not be receiving a fourth season. The third season was just released to Netflix on February 8, 2019, bringing 13 new episodes to the show.
One Day at a Time will now only have 39 episodes and three seasons as Season 4 will not be moving ahead. Netflix said it had been a tough decision to go through with the cancellation, but that it had been forced to bring an end to the show because “not enough people watched” it.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that producers at Sony Pictures Television had denied commenting about the decision to cancel the show. The report also suggests that the indie studio plans to shop for a new home away from Netflix.
Netflix doesn’t release viewership figures, so it’s not known how many people watched the show. However, those who have watched it appear to have loved it, as One Day at a Time has a 98 per cent rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences also scored the show an impressive 91 per cent.
Sadly, this doesn’t seem to have been enough to keep the show alive on Netflix.
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.
— Netflix (@netflix) March 14, 2019
Netflix also thanked Norman Lear for working to bring the series back to television, and thanked everyone who had been involved with the show.
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.
— Netflix (@netflix) March 14, 2019
Netflix also realized that many people felt represented by the show. In part of the Twitter thread, the streaming service made sure to mention that the cancelation of One Day at a Time was not an indication that their stories were not important and should not be heard.
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 (@netflix) March 14, 2019
One Day at a Time captured the hearts of audiences on Netflix, as it told the story of a Cuban-American family with each character finding their way through their own journeys. Throughout three seasons, the show tackled things like racism, addiction, citizenship, relationships, mental health, and even tackled the sensitive subject of LGBTQ acceptance.
I’m so grateful to have played Penelope Alvarez. I don’t even know how to begin to express my gratitude to everyone. Truly, I am so honored that we got to tell our stories .Yes it was a Latinx family but it was a universal story about family and love. An American Familia ❤️
— Justina Machado (@JustinaMachado) March 14, 2019
Most importantly, One Day at a Time gave the Latino fanbase something to relate to, and Netflix appears to understand the cultural significance of the show, which is why the cancellation statement on Netflix’s Twitter account appears in a long thread.
One Day at a Time Season 3 was released on Netflix on February 8, 2019, and is currently streaming. You can also watch Season 1 and 2 on Netflix.