TV SERIES · 2017– · USA
One Day at a Time
21 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
21 Interesting Facts About One Day at a Time
Interesting Facts (16)
- #001
After ABC cancelled the revival of "Roseanne," a lightly satirical ad tied to Netflix was released for this show ("Reminder: One Day at a Time is a sitcom about a tightly knit, working-class family that tackles highly topical social issues in a smart and innovative way. You know, in case you suddenly find yourself looking for a show like that…").
- #002
Although the series focuses on a Cuban-American family, Justina Machado, Marcel Ruiz and Rita Moreno are Puerto Rican, while Isabella Gomez is Colombian.
- #003
Season 4 was supposed to consist of 13 episodes, but only seven were filmed because the 2020 coronavirus pandemic halted production. The seventh is a special animation made because it deals with the 2020 election and the writers did not want to lose the time window.
- #004
A TV critic recently drew out the difference between Todd Grinnell's Schneider and Pat Harrington's Schneider: "Because Harrington's performance, and perhaps Schneider's quirks and shortcomings, were fun for the writers to explore, Schneider became the One Day at a Time character the American public knew best, even though the show was really about a mother and her two daughters. (Harrington was the only actor on the show to win an Emmy.) Schneider 2.0 breaks from that mold, but he isn't designed to be an obvious scene-stealer. The writers and Grinnell understand that this show is about Penelope, her family and their experiences. Everything else in One Day at a Time 2017 comes second. Schneider just lives."
- #005
Polly Cutter sings the "This is It" theme song in the original 1975 version of this series. In the reboot it is sung by Gloria Estefan. This makes sense because Penelope Alvarez and her family are Cuban, and Gloria Estefan is also Cuban-American. Gloria Estefan may have helped determine the characters' ethnicity while the series was being developed.
- #006
Every episode always has a "crying" scene.
- #007
This new series has the same apartment layout as the original series, but it appears to be a three-bedroom apartment. It is located in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. They again have a Schneider, but he serves as the building's owner and inspector.
- #008
Pat Harrington Jr., who played the character Schneider in One Day at a Time (1975), died exactly one year before this series premiered (January 6, 2017), on January 6, 2016.
- #009
Mackenzie Phillips appears in Season 1, Episode 8 as a counselor and veteran who leads a support group for veterans with PTSD, which Penelope Alvarez (Justina Machado) also attends. As of 5/2/2018, the other surviving actors from the original series (Valerie Bertinelli, Glenn Scarpelli, Shelley Fabares, Michael Lembeck, Howard Hesseman, Mary Louise Wilson, Richard Mazur and Corey Feldman) have no plans to make cameos in the rebooted series, even though Michael Lembeck, who plays Phillips's husband, directed one episode of the series.
- #010
Many of the actors in this series also appeared in Freeform's "The Fosters" (2013): Justina Machado (Penelope Alvarez) - Sonia Rivera; Lisset Chavez (Young Lydia) - Ximena Sinfuego; Tony Plana (Berto) - Victor Gutierrez; Alex Quijano (Mateo) - Tony Delgado.
- #011
In Season 1, the same actors who appeared in the series also recorded the Spanish dub of the show (for the most part).
- #012
Justina Machado played a nurse on the HBO series "Six Feet Under"; Rita Moreno played Sister Peter Marie on the HBO series "Oz" during the same period.
- #013
Max's (Ed Quinn) character plays Randy, who dates Max (Kat Dennings) on "2 Broke Girls" and eventually becomes engaged to her.
- #014
Justina Machado played Claudia Sanchez, Alejandro's last wife, on "Desperate Housewives"; Ramon Sanchez (formerly Alejandro Perez) was Gabrielle Solis's abusive stepfather.
- #015
Stephen Tobolowsky, who plays Penelope's sweet boss Dr. Berkowitz, also played the sinister, predatory Mitch Myerson, Allison's harassing client, in the 1992 film "Single White Female."
- #016
Both versions of the character Schneider have beards; Harrington Schneider has a mustache, while Grinnell Schneider has both a mustache and a beard.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #017
In the sixth episode, Penelope says Schneider is older than she is, but in real life Justina Machado (Penelope) is four years older than Todd Grinnell (Schneider). This matches the original series' lead actress Bonnie Franklin and her age relationship with Schneider, Pat Harrington, who was 15 years older than Franklin.
- #018
Guest director Michael Lembeck played the role of Max Horvath in the original series.
Career & Awards (3)
- #019
The original version of this sitcom is considered groundbreaking for its thoughtful portrayal of an all-female family and its serious, realistic depiction of divorce. However, it was not well received by critics. The new version, however, was praised by critics and was nominated for many Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
- #020
Rita Moreno uses the same exaggerated Spanish accent she used in her Tony Award-winning performance as Googie Gomez in the 1975 Broadway comedy "The Ritz," and she repeated it in the 1976 film version.
- #021
The 1975-1984 Emmy-winning original iteration of this series was actually a shock drama. The original show featured many moments that shocked sensitivities in 1975 and still shock some people today: Ann finding a prostitute for one of her clients; Ann paddling Alex at his school for skipping class; 17-year-old Julie running off with her 40-year-old boyfriend; and Barbara nearly escaping a date rape (Ann runs in, kicks him in the ass — literally — and throws him out of the house). None of these episodes would be made today. The 2017 reboot, while receiving positive reviews from critics, contains very few shock moments; Lear is now more interested in educating viewers and broadening his parameters on race, gender and other issues rather than shocking them. It should also be noted that while the 2017 version received much better reviews than the original, its ratings were also lower; the original 1975 series was in the top 20 for everyone, but it was on the air for only one year.
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work