After rescuing One Day at a Time from cancellation in 2019, PopTV has decided not to order more episodes of the beloved reboot, effectively canceling the show in the middle of its fourth season, according to the entertainment news site Deadline.
While Pop’s decision to cancel One Day at a Time is a disappointment to viewers, it’s not entirely out of character for the scrappy sitcom, which has bounced from network to network during its plagued production history. Netflix dropped One Day at a Time in March of 2019 following a three-season run, but after the show’s executive producers and passionate fanbase started a spirited #SaveODAAT campaign, the show was picked up by Pop.
In a perfect world, everyone would have lived happily ever after, but as so often in the past, One Day at a Time’s stars were crossed. Since the merging of Viacom and CBS in 2019, Pop has pulled away from original programming; after the final season of Schitt’s Creek aired this April, One Day at a Time was the only original scripted show left on the cable network’s roster.
Making matters even worse, COVID shut down production after the show filmed a partial fourth season.
After CBS broadcast reruns of the show’s abridged (and partly animated) fourth season in October to boost ratings, fans were hopeful that the syndication deal signaled increased investment from the powers that be. But there still remained signs of trouble. CBS opted not to air “The Politics Episode,” which was centered on the 2020 election, during primetime, although it remains available to watch on PopTV’s website.
Last week, co-showrunner Mike Royce confirmed the worst, tweeting that One Day at a Time had been cancelled for the second time.
“Much has changed at Viacom in the last year and unfortunately we won’t be on Pop anymore,” Royce wrote, while retweeting Deadline’s report on the cancellation. “Thanks to everybody over there for the opportunity to do season 4.”
The decision was a major gut punch to fans, who were drawn to the show’s ability to tackle tough subjects like coming out, gender identity, PTSD, and politically divided families, with clarity and humor. After the last episode, the Alvarez family was staring down the barrel of a second Trump term, and if the show doesn’t get a 5th season, Penelope, Elena, Schneider, and Lydia will be stuck in that alternate reality forever.
But for viewers who fear they will be left without any resolution as to the Alvarezes’ future, hope is not lost just yet. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony TV — which distributes One Day at a Time — “continues to believe in the series as sources close to the show remain optimistic that a new deal can be worked out.” The entertainment outlet further notes that Sony “has a history of finding new homes for canceled originals.”
Royce confirmed that the team is “still trying for Season 5.” “What if #ODAAT was the first show ever on 3 networks?” he tweeted.
While One Day at a Time searches for a new platform yet again, its team remains committed to doing justice to the show’s fan-favorite queer characters, Elena and Syd, as they navigate their unfolding relationship.
“We have so much more to tell, and especially with everything that’s going on in this world,” Co-Showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett told Deadline. “Every day, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, Elena would say this. Elena would say that.’ … It’s just ripe with things that this family would be talking about.”
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