The Netflix sitcom was a sleeper hit when its first season was released early last year. Now, the second season is arriving on Australia Day, and here are five reasons why you should be watching.
It Focuses On A Cuban Family
One Day at a Time is the story of Penelope Alvarez, a single mother and injured Army veteran, who lives with her daughter (Elena), son (Alex) and mother (Lydia). Throughout the first season, the family deals with topics like religion, money and sexuality, while the generation gap is explored thoroughly. Lydia is a conservative Cuban woman who has trouble letting go of her beliefs, which proves to be difficult while living with her two grandchildren. The characters in this family aren’t one-dimensional, which is a trap that is easy to fall into with comedic shows.
It opens the audience up to Cuban culture with an entire family, which isn’t something we get to see too often on television. It also mixes humour with heart, and reinvents the classic way of presenting sitcoms. It’s a perfect example of why shows should centre on as much on diversity as possible.
It’s Funny, Without Being Offensive
Unfortunately, shows like this are harder and harder to come by, but it’s pretty clear that kind of humour is unnecessary. One Day at a Time is up there with Brooklyn Nine Nine as being funny, but actually being respectful at the same time. Comedy can often focus on tearing people down in order to generate a few laughs, but luckily, that isn’t the case here.
The show’s comedic MVP comes in the form of Lydia, played by Rita Moreno, who drops the majority of the one-liners. However, all of the characters bring their own special brand of humour, which only makes the show more interesting.
It Has Its Emotional Moments, Too
Despite being a comedy, the show doesn’t shy away from the serious, like the mental health of its characters. Penelope has depression and anxiety, and her ex-husband Victor has PTSD from the war. It also deals with the emotions that come from being a broken family, and their struggles since Penelope and Victor split. Knowing that Season 2 is going to delve into racism and further into mental health, it’s not only emotional, but it’s real.
It also manages to deal with both teen issues as well as adult ones, giving each character an arc to work with. It can’t be easy to create that kind of balance in just half an hour of television, but One Day at a Time does it seamlessly.
It Deals With Conservative Views On Sexuality In A Great Way
While trying not to spoil the first season, somebody does come out, and others in the family aren’t entirely okay with it. However, it also focuses on the changing perspective of someone who wasn’t okay with it at first, but learns to grow and accept it. This is a side that we generally don’t see in the media, as it usually goes one way or the other.
It’s nice to see that they juggle multiple issues well, while still maintaining the core theme of family. Despite the fact that some may accept and some may not, it doesn’t change the fact that the family is the central point of the show and these people’s lives.
It Prioritizes Platonic And Familial Relationships
While Penelope has a love interest in Season 2, it was refreshing to find that Season 1 had a strong platonic relationship between Penelope and family friend Dwayne Schneider. It’s not a show that would benefit from being focused on a romance, so I was very glad to see that it took a backseat. Especially considering that Schneider is a white man who is trying his best to correct any racist behaviour he’s had in the past, which is another great part of the show.
There are a couple of ‘romantic’ moments with characters throughout the first season, but none of them are nearly significant enough to take over the plot. The show establishes itself and the family it focuses on first, without bringing in any outside influences until it’s ready.
The first season consists of thirteen 30 minute episodes, so it should be a nice and easy Netflix binge for you. Check out the Season 2 trailer above; but be warned, there are spoilers for Season 1!