by request:
This is one of the very best shows on Netflix. Anyone who's into good quality TV and likes to call themselves a tv fan
needs to watch this.
Want good acting? Check. Rita Moreno transcends the clichés of the stereotypical, old Latina woman by taking the wonderfully played eccentrics that have made her a star and placing their roots in real anxieties that lay open what is hidden behind the facade of someone who's raised a family in a cross-cultural landscape and had to leave the culture of her birth behind. Moreno can flesh out her character and add a new dimension within a single minute monologue and make it feel as convincable as it could be (and by that I mean,
literally a one minute monoluge - spoilers ahead). Justina Machado anchors Moreno's comedic brilliance at every turn with one of the most well-balanced mixtures of dramatic and comedic timing there is on tv and, just like the family matriarch she is portraying, holds this show together by always rooting a scene in the necessary realism or the necessary humor right in that very moment.
Want to feel represented on tv? ODAAT is one of the best representations for Latina women on tv ever, but the show's storylines, while extremely intimate and personal, are so carefully tuned and designed that each story is pinned on an angle that feels beautifully applicable to others, as well. Minorities, immigrants, colored people, LGBTQ+, women, life as a senior citizen, teenagers, the mid-income American household, people struggling with notions of national identity and its blurred lines, family heritage, mental illness, war trauma, patriotism. You name it, they have it.
In fact, I cannot think of a single reason for anyone to not watch this show. It's political, but not judgy. It's fun and light, a fast watch, but full of depth, insight and intellect. And most of all, it's full of heart. One Day at a Time and its stellar cast could not be collaborating more perfectly together and their optimistic intents and hopeful depictions of heavy events and topics are so full of warmth and heart that I have no doubt everyone would feel a better person coming out of watching it, or at the very least, they'll feel better about themselves.
So, if you love yourself, or if you want to love yourself more, watch this on Netflix RIGHT NOW and make sure it gets bought elsewhere. And anyone who has the nerve to say they love TV or dub themselves a "tv fan" without having seen this, pls lmfao get back in line and have all the SEATS in the room.