Netflix starts the fire by eliminating one day at a time critical acclaim

Sonia Rao, the Washington Post

published

17:04 HAC, Friday, March 15, 2019

Netflix announced on Thursday that it would not renew the sitcom "One day at a time" for a fourth season. A few minutes later, co-creator Gloria Calderón Kellett tweeted, "It's happening, it's part of the show."

She is right, because it is not uncommon for critical darlings to be canceled because of bad grades. But the online reaction to this cancellation was different: the fans were not just frustrated, they were angry.

"One Day at a Time", a restart of Norman Lear's CBS series, explored social issues from the perspective of the Cuban-American family Alvarez and served as an example of Netflix's commitment to highlight various stories. The streamer is positioned as a progressive company through such campaigns, as well as by its first-person presence on Twitter, which has angered fans only when it's rid of it. 39, a reputable source of Latin American representation and, in doing so, tried to build on his past achievements. to be loved by subscribers.

"The choice was not easy, we spent several weeks trying to find a way to run another season, but in the end there simply are not enough spectators to justify another season. ", tweeted the Netflix account.

This logic is not unusual, but for fans, it was frustrating to hear Netflix because, unlike traditional television networks, streaming ratings and audience statistics are not easily accessible to the public. . Netflix rarely shares such numbers, except to boast of the number of people watching movies such as "Bird Box" or acquired series such as "You". And even in this case, as pointed out John Landgraf, head of the FX section, there is no way to determine if these numbers are true or how they were measured.

Fans do not know what it really means: "just not enough people to watch". What kind of audience did Netflix hope to reach? How do the issue numbers compare to those of the renewed shows? It's hard to say goodbye with unanswered questions.

Of course, Netflix is ​​not required to share these numbers. But adding to the general surprise, the company tried to mask the company's decision with what many saw as an effective solution. After thanking Kellett and the co-creator, Mike Royce, for "always making us laugh and never escaping significantly and bravely handling difficult topics," Netflix thanked the cast for "inviting us into your family. ". show feeling "like home."

Then he addressed the public.

"And to all those who have felt seen or represented – perhaps for the first time – by ODAAT, do not take this as an indication that your story is not important," tweeted Netflix. "The influx of love for this show firmly reminds us that we must continue to find ways to tell these stories."

Critics have previously pointed to the use by the Netflix account of fandom in the first person and detached as a way for the company to try to build relationships with fans, including those discouraged by the cancellation "One day at a time". But it seemed a lot like a strange way to relay this announcement, since the company itself made the decision. Netflix, which represents billions of dollars, spent a few months ago $ 100 million to maintain "his friends" in his service. Of course, the popular NBC series could be a better investment for businesses. But with such means, fans felt that Netflix could afford to continue telling the story of the Alvarez family.

"I can not thank enough Netflix and our partners Sony for all three seasons, but I would like to understand the decision of Netflix not to follow us for a fourth," said Lear, executive producer, in a tweeted statement . "Is there really so little room in business for love and laughter?"

Netflix chief Ted Sarandos, as expecting a negative response, has issued a rare statement of annulment that seems to blame subscribers: "Even if it is disappointing that more viewers have not discovered" One day at a time, "I think the series will stand the test of time," he said. (The company has not yet returned the Washington Post's request for comment on the backlash.)

"One Day a Time" follows Penelope (Justina Machado), an American nurse and veteran of Afghanistan, a single mother who is raising her teenage children Elena (Isabella Gomez) and Alex (Marcel Ruiz), with l & # 39; help from their mediocre grandmother, Lydia (Rita Moreno). Such family dynamics are narration-friendly, but Kellett and Royce have gone a step further by incorporating a number of social problems with taste: Elena, for example, introduces herself as a lesbian to her father in the last season and has to make facing his scathing rejection.

Before the release of the series, as Washington Post's Hank Stuever noted in his review, it had been years since a multicam sitcom seemed "so instinctively comfortable in his skin". It did not attempt to transform or improve the format of the sitcom; demonstrates that the kind of sitcom can still work in a relevant and refreshing way. "The feeling that revived the sitcom" Roseanne "also applies here: the team" One day at a time "has already pointed out that the Alvarez are an American family of the working class as interesting and authentic as the Conners.

Others have taken note, as well. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who had previously asked another network to get "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" after Fox's cancellation, is one of the fans who shared the #SaveODAAT hashtag to make sure that The program is taken over by another network. Kellett and Royce announced in a joint statement that they would join producer Sony Pictures Television to look for another home. Brent Miller, Lear's partner, told The Post that, even though they would probably not lead the series to a competing streamer, would be open to discussing a future with broadcast networks.

"I understand that unless we are the evening news, everything has to end, but I wish everything ends as planned," Miller said. "The stories must continue to live, the family is not over."