Representation on TV: The Legacy of ‘One Day at a Time’
Raising awareness is not enough. In this era of vast excess of television content, the underrepresentation of Hispanic and Latin American people should not just be recognized, but actively fought against.
This article does not contain spoilers for ‘One Day at a Time’.
In this article, I will use the terms “Latino/Latina” which are practiced to identify a person of Latin American descent. I will use “Latin American” for gender-inclusivity and not “Latinx” because the vast majority of Spanish-speaking Latin Americans do not identify with “Latinx” as it does not make sense for conjugation reasons. I will also use the term “Hispanic,” which relates to people of “Spanish or Spanish-speaking Latin American descent”. If my terminology can be corrected, please let me know, as I am learning and do not wish to offend anybody.
The Netflix-produced series One Day at a Time was a reboot of the 1970s Norman Lear-produced family sitcom of the same name, set in a new era with a new family (this time, a Cuban-American family). It was also one of nine comedy series of the 2010s to feature Hispanic leading characters (none of which are still on the air). One Day at a Time honored the original series by utilizing classic sitcom techniques such as multi-camera cinematography and a live studio audience. Such an approach may seem outdated or impractical to most audiences in 2021, but I would suggest these traditional techniques, which were the standard for over 50 years, are an unsettling reminder of a decades-old genre that has never really embraced ethnic groups, with some exceptions. American television has historically belonged almost entirely to white executives and creators, and over 70 years of comedic television later, Hispanics and Latin Americans remain among the most underrepresented ethnic groups in American media. One Day at a Time was surely not the first sitcom to feature a Hispanic family at the forefront, but the series still feels groundbreaking in 2021. Why is this?
One Day at a Time follows the Alvarez family, lead by Penelope (the pitch-perfect Justina Machado), a recently separated mother of two and nurse who served in Afghanistan. Penelope lives with her mother Lydia (the incomparable Rita Moreno) and her two kids, Elena (Isabella Gomez) and Alex (Marcel Ruiz). The entire cast has great chemistry and skillful comedic timing, and each actor does their part to make up a believable modern family. The writing is funny and genuine and the characters experience realistic working-class struggles (Penelope spends an entire episode on hold with Veterans Affairs). In just the first season, we see the Alvarez family discuss and deal head-on with financial issues, misogyny, prejudice, addiction, immigration, mental health issues, environmental issues, feminism, sexuality, and religion, entirely through the multi-generational lens of Cuban heritage. The pilot episode opens the series with 14-year-old Elena protesting her mother’s plans for her quinceañera because of its sexist history. In this same episode, Penelope struggles to decide whether or not to start taking anti-depressants because she is constantly waking up from nightmares brought on by post-traumatic stress disorder from the war. There is also a very well-executed multi-episode coming-out storyline which builds to a particularly outstanding season one finale. The season two opener deals entirely with racism in a complex conversation about slurs, generational differences, and what it is to be white-passing. But it’s also funny! Hispanics and Latin Americans are allowed to be funny rather than be made fun of. In eloquent Norman Lear fashion, the family lovingly comes together at the end of every half an hour, with well-written social commentary that brings something new to the genre. It is occasionally cheesy, and it’s not a perfect show and I can understand why this kind of comedy series might not be for everybody, but watching these conversations happen on television with a Hispanic family is a fantastic experience. And because Latin Americans are so underrepresented on television, each issue dealt with on One Day at a Time feels like uncharted territory. Things like quinceañeras and Cuban identity are subjects that have yet to become sitcom cliché. It’s like a very important, very necessary hug of a show.
It would be an understatement to say that the lack of stereotypical jokes on One Day at a Time is refreshing. It is still difficult to find any type of media involving a Hispanic or Latin American character whose role in the story does not use their ethnic background in some predictable way. For men, the role is still likely to be an immigrant laborer, and for women, these roles continue to mostly involve domestic work. I should not have to explain how stereotypes can be harmful, or why representation matters. Even as a child, I knew that George Lopez was an anomaly and that Scrubs relied exhaustingly heavily on Carla’s Dominican heritage for cheap laughs; her short fuse, her fiery disposition, her jealousy, are all stereotypical Latina character traits that have been woven into the media zeitgeist since the 1950s. Hardly ever have Hispanic and Latin American roles had the opportunities to be funny in ways that do not disparage their heritage, let alone lead their own stories. One Day at a Time allowed for the time and space for Hispanics and Latin Americans to be complex humans with characteristics and storylines that defy racist stereotypes.
In the past year, there have been glimmers of hope for change in the releases of Netflix’s Selena: The Series and Diary of a Future President on Disney+, and it is easy to give in to the illusion that things are improving as far as visibility is concerned. According to a 2020 Neilsen study, representation for Latin Americans on television was at a dismal 5.5% throughout 2019, even though Latin Americans represent roughly 18.5% of the United States population. Subscription platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime held 10% of programming representing Latin Americans, with broadcast networks holding 5% and cable with 3%. One Day at a Time was initially canceled after three seasons in 2019, then rescued by Pop TV for a fourth season in 2020 (only half of which was filmed due to COVID-19), and was not renewed for more episodes. Other series that feature Latin American main characters such as Broke, The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, The Baker and the Beauty, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, and Superstore, were also canceled in 2020.
One Day at a Time may have taken a more traditional approach in its comedic styling, but its very presence among the limitless excess of content in the 2021 television landscape proves once again that ethnic groups and people of color must still work three times as hard as their white counterparts to keep their work alive. One Day at Time was axed despite positive reviews and praise for its detailed approach in exploring Latin American heritage. I hope the legacy and cancelation of this heartfelt series will not just “raise awareness” but motivate writers, directors, creators, and executives to be active and fight against the underrepresentation of Latin American and Hispanic communities.
532 scripted television series were produced in 2019, a figure up from 2018’s 495. With the number of consumable content climbing at higher rates each year, there is no excuse for any minority group to be so invisible. American television shows have been a medium for over 70 years and such a minuscule percentage of onscreen diversity is not acceptable. Societies evolve and certainly so has television. Representation in the media must evolve as well.
The first three seasons of One Day at a Time are available to stream on Netflix.
