Dream-Casting the ‘One Day at a Time’ All-Latino Remake

A groundbreaking series is getting a makeover: veteran TV producer Norman Lear (All in the Family, The Jeffersons, too many more to list) recently announced his plans to update one of his greatest hits, One Day at a Time, with an all-Latin@ cast.

In case you don’t recall the original sitcom, here’s a refresher: One Day at a Time ran from 1975-1984 and was as much a drama as a comedy. Bonnie Franklin starred as Ann Romano, a divorcée in Indianapolis who was raising two teenage daughters, Julie and Barbara Cooper. Like all of Lear’s shows, it promoted social progress (including women’s empowerment) , and tackled hefty issues with storylines on sexual harassment and drug abuse. It made a star out of Valerie Bertinelli (Barbara), but the fame took its toll on Mackenzie Phillips (Julie).

Lear will likely work on the show with Sony Pictures Television and Televisa USA, the stateside arm of Mexico’s mass media giant, Televisa. This would be Sony’s second shot at a One Day remake, as they previously produced a Spanish-language version called Solo en America for Telemundo in the late 1990s. Lear says he wants to take up the feminist thread from the original while also examining issues in the Latin@ community.

It’s still very early in the development stage, but that doesn’t mean we can’t express some wishful thinking about the cast. Remember: I’m not actually the casting director, and you are more than welcome to sound off in the comments with your picks.