'One Day at a Time' Creator Norman Lear Speaks out After Netflix Cancellation

One Day At a Time executive producer Norman Lear has a message for Netflix after the sitcom's [...]

By Jose Bastidas

One Day At a Time executive producer Norman Lear has a message for Netflix after the sitcom's cancellation.

The 96-and-a-half-year-old creator of the original series and executive producer of the Netflix reboot released a statement via Twitter commanding the show and questioning the streaming platform's decision to cancel the show after three seasons.

"At my age, I can testify that you are never too old to have your heart broken," Lear began his note. "I'm also convinced love and laughter add time to one's life."

"I don't know how much time I owe to Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce, the glorious show runners on One Day at a Time, but the way they and their magnificent cast — Rita Moreno, Justina Machado, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz, and Stephen Tobolowsky made me laugh and love across three seasons — I might not have been around to write this without them," he added.

"And I can't thank Netflix and our partners at Sony enough for the three season, but I wish I could understand Netflix' decision to not pick us up for a fourth. Is there really so little room in the business for love and laughter?" he ended his note.

News of the beloved Netflix series' cancellation came earlier on Thursday, when the streaming platform released a lengthy statement justifying their decision to cancel the series — which many fans consider the only show currently representing Latinx and LGBT lives in an honest and comedic light.

"We've made the very difficult decision not to renew One Day At A Time for a fourth season. 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," Netflix stated, without providing specific viewing numbers.

"Thank you Norman Lear for bringing this series back to television. Thank you Gloria Calderon Kellett & Mike Royce for always making us laugh and never shying away from bravely and beautifully tackling tough subject matter in a meaningful way," the company wrote.

"And to anyone who felt seen or represented — possibly for the first time — by ODAAT, please don't take this as an indication your story is not important. The outpouring of love for this show is a firm reminder to us that we must continue finding ways to tell these stories," a final tweet form Netflix read.

Since then many fans and cast member have come out to lash out at Netflix's decision, while others hope Sony will shop the series to another network or streaming service to save it.

One Day At A Time is currently streaming on Netflix.

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