In a year when Hollywood is beginning to show diversity, I welcome all the realistic Latinx representation in American TV shows and movies I can get—which isn’t really all that much. I watched mostly white characters in all of the shows and movies I saw as a kid, much like everybody else. As someone who grew up in Miami with a Cuban mom (and a Russian dad—I’ll talk about how proud I am of both of the worlds I live in another time), I’m happy to see some roles and shows that are portraying something real. One got added to the list last year and it now has a special place in my heart—“One Day at a Time.”
I remember when “Jane The Virgin” first came out. I watched the first episode and fell in love. It was the first time I related that much to a character. I mean, obviously my life is nowhere near parallel to the over-the-top escapades Jane has, but still, Spanglish was spoken, her abuela said things my abuela says and most importantly—the show wasn’t overrun with maids or sexy and sassy type women or gangs.
And then I found “One Day at a Time” (the Netflix remake). That was it, the gold. It was complex in a societal issues kind of way instead of a telenovela-people-come-back-to-life-and-then-cheat-on-you kind of way. Penelope (mother), Lydia (grandmother), Elena and Alex (the kids) made me cry and feel more times than I can count in just 26 episodes.
The mother-daughter relationship between Elena and Penelope is enviable and the amount of times they play salsa music is invigorating. Lydia makes Cuban coffee every morning and has a postcard of the Pope on the fridge. Meanwhile, Penelope is not really religious. I’ve heard my mom, who is not religious, say things like “Why do they always portray Hispanic mothers and grandmothers as religious? It’s not really all that true." And here we have something that shows both ends of the spectrum.
On top of that, Penelope is a veteran struggling with PTSD and depression. Because they wanted to be even more amazing, the show also has LGBT+ representation. Elena is openly lesbian and her SO is non-binary. They show not just Elena’s struggles with her sexuality, but also her family's process and their acceptance. Elena is constantly going to protests and is more sure of herself as a teenager than I am of myself as an adult.
This shows brings a lot of phenomenal things with it and so far, they've tackled a lot of issues. But, now it seems they're in danger of being canceled. And just like that, the good representation out there might dwindle by one.
On February 13th, one of the writers of the show tweeted:
I will definitely be re-watching the series to help save it. And you should too. While Latinx representation has gotten better, there's still not a plethora of shows out there that represent realistic Latinx life -- that show me and loads of other people that their experiences are shared and valid.
So, go binge watch "One Day at a Time" before it's one day too late!
