Norman Lear said Thursday that “I wish I could understand Netflix’s decision” to cancel the reboot of his 1970s-era sitcom, “One Day at a Time.”
“At my age, I can testify that you are never too old to have your heart broken. I’m also convinced love and laugher add time to one’s life,” Lear said in a statement he posted on his Twitter account. “I can’t thank Netflix and our partners at Sony enough for the three seasons, but I wish I could understand Netflix’s decision to not pick us up for a fourth. Is there really so little room in business for love and laughter?”
Thank you for the outpouring of love. #saveodaat
To the beloved cast, crew, and fans of @OneDayAtATime: pic.twitter.com/qboxcQPMq1
— Norman Lear (@TheNormanLear) March 14, 2019
Netflix canceled the series after 3 seasons on Thursday. “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,” the streamer said in a statement.
Despite critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase, the show was on the bubble all three seasons; Fans launched a renewal campaign on social media earlier this month after co-creator and co-showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett urged them to stream the show and express their desire for a fourth season.
Sony Pictures Television plans to shop the show to other outlets and networks in the coming weeks, according to an individual familiar with the situation.
A Cuban-American-centric reboot of the 1970s sitcom that ran for nine seasons on CBS, “One Day at a Time” centers on a recently separated, former military mom (Justina Machado) navigating a new single life while raising her radical teenage daughter and socially adept tween son, with the “help” of her old-school Cuban-born mom (Rita Moreno) and a friends-without-benefits building manager named Schneider (Todd Grinnell).