Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce’s heartfelt, refreshingly frank remake of Norman Lear’s sitcom sacrifices none of that frankness now that it’s moved on from the land of streaming; if anything, its presence on the network that “Schitt’s Creek” calls home is a much better fit. Even the presence of commercial breaks doesn’t diminish its charms.
ODAAT nailed the balance between long-form and episodic storytelling in its first season, and manages to keep it up in the move to a more traditional outlet.
It’s possible that the show sometimes overreaches for relevance. At this particular moment, however, it’s both comforting and inspiring to watch as a family navigates the very real fact that they live on top of one another.
Though none of the episodes features the emotional gravity that the show has worn on its sleeve, what is clear is that the writers are striving to provide as much continuity as possible. ... The fourth-season episodes also make clear that the core cast has become a perfectly calibrated comedy machine. Offered sharper jokes than ever before, the ensemble, performing in front of a live studio audience, is wondrously friction-free. (ODAAT has never been more consistently hilarious.)
“One Day at a Time,” in three episodes screened for critics, is fully intact in personnel, laughs and creative mission. The only things missing are a concession to the shorter run times of ad-supported TV: a few minutes off the average episode and, sadly, a sharply truncated version of the addictive theme song. What’s not diminished is the show’s commitment to its theme of representation.
“One Day at a Time” treads uncertain waters as its success will be a benchmark for how other series can survive if they leave Netflix. The first three episodes all hold the flavor of the series, with its blend of humor and family love, but without the ability to see the entire season at once it is hard to determine if it can sustain itself without cementing a main arc right away.