'How I Met Your Mother' writer gives '70s sitcom reboot a personal twist
In her first sit down with Norman Lear, writer Gloria Calderón Kellett remembers feeling trepidation about the concept that the legendary TV producer was pitching her.
It was a reboot of one of his iconic 1970s sitcoms One Day at a Time, but "reimagined" with a Cuban-American family at the core of the show.
"What do you think about doing the show like this?" he asked her.
"Honestly, I’m concerned," was her reply.
"Why?" he asked.
"I [told Norman] my family is really important to me," the How I Met Your Mother writer recalled in an interview with Mashable. "It’s very personal I know so many very talented comedians and friends that are Latino that have sold shows about their family, and it gets messed with in a way that makes it feel no longer theirs."
Lear was persuasive, and a couple of years later One Day at a Time got its modern facelift.
On Friday, Netflix released the 13-episode first season of the reboot, which is run and developed by Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce (Everybody Loves Raymond).
The new series follows a recently separated, former military mom (Justina Machado) navigating a new single life while raising her radical teenaged daughter and socially adept tween son, with the “help” of her old school Cuban-born mom (Rita Moreno) and a friends- without-benefits building manager named Schneider.
"[Norman] and Mike have been unbelievably supportive in allowing me to be really specific in telling my very personal stories," Calderón Kellett said. "Penelope is really based on me, and Lydia’s based on my mom, and a lot of those conversations are conversations my mom and I have had."
Calderón Kellett's mom even visited the set every week.
Moreno said she loved taking on the role of Penelope.
"You always have to be very careful about doing a stereotype while doing a character like mine," Moreno, who elevated to fame after West Side Story, said. "It’s very easy to get too broad."
In fact, pulling off a "Latino show" can be tough in general, Moreno said.
"You can always overdo the Spanish stuff and eventually that will keep people away, keep them out," she said. "Our show ... brings people in. I think we’re going to remind the audience there’s absolute richness there [in Latino culture] We bring a lot to the table: Our food, our music, our culture. I love that we are going to show the American public something they rarely get to see that’s authentic."
Lear categorizes the show as a comedy, but it still tackles a lot of deeper issues including veteran's affairs, sexism and immigration.
"It is important to have this show out there," Machado said. "We’re putting ourselves out there the way we want to be represented. We don’t want to be put in a box anymore."
"It is important to have this show out there"
Act III Productions, Inc., Snowpants Productions and Small Fish Studios produced the series in association with Sony Pictures Television. Lear, Royce, Calderón Kellett and Michael Garcia all serve as executive producers.
When asked what he hopes viewers will take away from the reboot, Lear simply said: "Our common humanity. I hope they take away [the feeling that] 'this could be my family.'"
Topics Netflix
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
