One Day at a Time' Finds New Life on CBS's Pop TV

By Lee Harris 

CBS Corp.-owned Pop TV is picking up "One Day at a Time," putting an end to months of fan complaints after Netflix Inc. declined to renew the series earlier this year.

A new season of the comedy, which tracks a Cuban-American divorcée raising two daughters in Los Angeles, is set to run on Pop TV next year, the cable channel said Thursday.

The show, a remake of veteran producer Norman Lear's 1975 series, ran for three seasons on Netflix before the streaming service said in March it would cancel the comedy, prompting fan backlash, social-media criticism and the hashtag #SaveODAAT.

Mr. Lear, who at 96 is serving as executive producer on the remake of his 1975 production, said Pop TV's decision to pick up One Day at a Time marks the first time a cable channel resuscitates a program that originated on a streaming service such as Netflix or Hulu. He thanked Pop TV "for having the guts to be that first cable network."

Pop TV, known for comedies including "Schitt's Creek" and "Flack," became wholly owned by CBS after the company bought the 50% stake in the channel it didn't already own from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. earlier this year. CBS, which was the home of the original series that aired over 40 years ago, will also broadcast "One Day at A Time" later in 2020, after the new season runs on Pop.

Netflix has gained increasing clout and produced a flurry of original programs and as a result has also faced more criticism for its cancellation of underperforming TV series. The streaming service doesn't publicly share most viewership data but said "One Day at a Time" was canceled because of low viewership. Critics of Netflix's decision said the show provided valuable commentary on social issues.

Acknowledging viewers' concerns, Netflix tweeted at the time: "to anyone who felt seen or represented -- possibly for the first time -- by ODAAT, please don't take this as an indication your story is not important...we must continue finding ways to tell these stories."

Netflix is the home of several shows that were previously discarded by TV channels, including "Lucifer," previously on Fox, and "You," which began on Lifetime.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 27, 2019 20:00 ET (00:00 GMT)

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