One Day at a Time (2017-Present)

This new Netflix spin on an old series was quite the pleasant surprise for me.  While it’s a sitcom that could be described as “aggressively four-camera,” it has both humor and heart in spades, served up by its host of entertaining, engaging characters.  Color me impressed.

Penelope:  newly-single mom, nurse, Cuban-American, Afghan war vet.  After separating from her husband, she’s been in the process of starting a new life for herself, her two kids, and her mother, balancing work, family, and a private life amid her feelings about the recent upheaval.  She does her best to bring up 14-year-old Elena and 12-year-old Alex with a lot of (not always strictly wanted) help from her forceful, dramatic mother Lydia, trying hard to both protect her children and prepare them for what life will throw at them.

There are some cheesy jokes.  The acting veers into mugging at times.  The laugh track can be overbearing.  This is all true, and it might very well turn people off if they decide to check it out.  However, I encourage folks to give it a more thorough chance, because despite a less-than-shining first impression, this is a damn good show.  The majority of the jokes are sharp and funny, well-delivered by actors with a knack for comedy.  Yes, the four-camera nature of the show can make the reality sometimes feel heightened, but a) a number of these characters, especially Lydia, are meant to be larger than life, and b) that just makes it all the more effective when they bring it back to earth for the more serious, grounded moments.

This is definitely a “four laughs, one tear” type of sitcom, with usually at least one “touching” sequence per episode in its first season.  But for me, the serious moments never really feel manufactured or disingenuous, and even though it has a penchant for addressing “issues” – in 13 episodes, the show touches on depression/mental health, immigration (including deportation,) sexism, sexual orientation, and the state of the VA system, among others – it comes across as heartfelt rather than afterschool-specially.  It’s a series with worthwhile things to say about big subjects, and it doesn’t shy away from letting things be complicated and resisting the urge to wrap them up with a neat bow.

For the most part, I like the portrayal of a Cuban-American family.  There’s definitely a stereotypical-humor aspect with Lydia, but it gets more interesting when the show has hyper-socially-conscious Elena comment on that very fact – because is Lydia not allowed to be if she “acts like a stereotype?”  If her life and actions are valid to her, doesn’t that mean they should be valid for everyone else?  I like the cultural nods and references throughout, from the small (the morning café cubano) to the large (the ongoing plotline of Elena’s upcoming quinceañera,) and I like the Spanish mixed into the dialogue, although for my sake, I wish more of it was subtitled.

The great Rita Moreno is the biggest name here, and she doesn’t waste a second of her time as Lydia, and newcomers Isabella Gomez and Marcel Ruiz both acquit themselves well in the roles of Elena and Alex.  But the real revelation for me is Justina Machado as Penelope.  She’s most recognizable to me as Vanessa from Six Feet Under, and I’ve always remembered my first encounter with her as a guest star on Angel, but this is an absolute role for her.  She’s funny, badass, heartbreaking, uplifting, and grounded, often within the bounds of a single episode, and she does it all perfectly.  Just a terrific performance here of a really great character.

Warnings

Language, sexual references, drinking, and thematic elements.