'One Day at a Time' Star Justina Machado Will Direct and Produce Episode in Revived Season 4

One Day at a Time star Justina Machado plans to take on a new role when the series returns on Pop [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

One Day at a Time star Justina Machado plans to take on a new role when the series returns on Pop TV. Machado, who will be back as Penelope, will produce and direct an episode of Season 4. The series will debut on the network in 2020.

Deadline reported that Machado will direct and produce one episode. This will mark her directing and producing debut.

Machado confirmed the news herself, retweeting a link to Deadline's report.

On Thursday, Pop TV emerged as the surprising savior of One Day at a Time, which was previously canceled by Netflix after three seasons. Fans of the critically acclaimed sitcom had been tweeting [Save ODAAT] since the moment Netflix pulled the plug on the show and it looked like it worked.

"Three months ago, I was heartbroken with the news of our beloved One Day At A Time's cancellation. Today, I'm overwhelmed with joy to know the Alvarez family will live on," Norman Lear, who produced the original One Day at a Time, said in a statement.

Lear continued, "Thank you to my producing partner, Brent Miller, our incredibly talented co-showrunners, Mike Royce and Gloria Calderón Kellett, and of course, Sony, for never once giving up on the show, our actors or the possibility that a cable network could finally save a canceled series that originated on a streaming service. And one last thank you to, Pop, for having the guts to be that first cable network. Even this I get to experience – at 96."

The series is a reimagining of the classic 1975-1984 sitcom created by Whitney Blake and Allan Manings, and was developed by Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce. Machado stars as Penelope, the head of a Cuban-American family, with Isabella Gomez and Marcel Ruix as her children.

Although Netflix claimed viewership was low, the series was critically acclaimed for touching on subjects like PTSD, homophobia, racism and the Latino experience in the U.S.

"We are thrilled beyond belief to be making more One Day At A Time," Kellett and Royce said Thursday. "This show has meant so much to so many, and we can't wait to dive in with our amazing new partners Pop and CBS. And we'd especially like to thank all of the fans for their undying support, helping us turn [Save ODAAT] into [More ODAAT]."

Pop TV is best known as the American home of Eugene Levy's Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek. Coincidentally, the network is owned by CBS, which aired the original One Day at a Time.

One Day at a Time's first three seasons are still available to stream on Netflix.

Outside of One Day at a Time, Machado is best known for playing Darci Factor on The CW's Jane the Virgin and Brenda Parra on Queen of the South. Her other credits include Six Feet Under, The Purge: Anarchy and Private Practice.

Photo credit: Rachel Luna/Getty Images

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