By the grace of the TV Gods (and Pop TV), One Day at a Time will return for Season 4 after being canceled by Netflix. The show won’t change much besides moving from a binge-watch to a week-to-week format, but there is one major thing that will be missing from the Pop TV version of the show.
Showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellet revealed at the Television Critics Association winter press tour that when the show debuts on Pop TV, the beloved theme song won’t be featured as part of the show anymore. The reason behind this omission isn’t because Netflix won’t let them use it, as you might have assumed. It’s actually because they’ll have less time for each episode when it’s airing on Pop TV with commercials.
“I love the opening title sequence with so many personal photos from all of their lives, but we don’t have that 50 seconds. We need it for the show!” Calderón Kellet told reporters during the TCA panel for the show.
One Day at a Time’s Syd and Elena Were the TV Season’s Cutest Couple
She did reveal that a very trimmed-down version — simply the “one day at a time” lyric — will be included in place of the full theme song, so it’s not disappearing entirely. And she was quick to remind everyone that the full version is still on YouTube if you ever find yourself missing it.
If you’re shocked and appalled by this change, you’re not the only one. The majority of the cast on stage with Gloria Calerón Kellet during the panel were also in the dark about the decision to trim the theme song. While it may be sad to lose the intro, if that’s all we’re losing in exchange for more seasons, we’ll consider this a win!
One Day at a Time Season 4 premieres Tuesday, March 24 at 9:30/8:30c on Pop TV.
Justina Machado, Isabella Gomez, Rita Moreno, Marcel Ruiz, One Day at a Time