Netflix’s Latinx sitcom One Day at a Time hasn’t been renewed for a third season yet, in spite of massive fan support, and now the National Hispanic Media Coalition, UnidosUS, Voto Latino, NALIP, and other Latino media and civil rights organizations have released an open letter to the streaming company asking for them to save the series.
The letter emphasizes that the Latino community makes up for 17.8% of the nation’s total population, and by 2050 will rise up to 30%. At the same time, Latinx communities are “72% more likely to stream video than any other group.” So it would be in the company’s best interest to reup the show, especially in light of its Latinx cast in front of the camera, the behind the camera work of showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett, and its prescient explorations of topics like immigration, PTSD, and shifting perspectives between Latino generations. The letter goes on to praise the series as a “guiding light” that audiences embrace because of its “authenticity.” In a world where Latinos today only take up 5.8% of speaking roles on today’s television, much of which is often centered around the narco culture, One Day at a Time is a series about Latino success and optimism.
The series is a juggernaut if social media response is anything to go off of. Not a day goes by that someone isn’t quoting one of the fierce Alvarez women, and in light of recent news that the series hasn’t been renewed for a third season, social media has been fierce in demanding Netflix renew it. Over the last several weeks fans have been doing online live-tweeting of episodes in the hopes of boosting the numbers to entice Netflix’s decision. Netflix has attempted to win over Latino viewers with a bevy of Spanish-language television, but One Day at a Time is transcending its racial conventions, being accessible to audiences of all races and it’s something to be valued. Hopefully this letter finally forces Netflix’s hand and we get to visit the Alvarez household one day more!
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