Television – Louise Masin Sattler

Let me begin this article by openly saying that I am old enough to recall the original Norman Lear sitcom, One Day at a Time. The storyline chronicled the trials and tribulations of a single mom (played by Bonnie Franklin) and her two daughters ( Valerie Bertinelli and MacKenzie Philips). For the 1970’s, it was considered “edgy”, but also very realistic. This show was another great example of the “signature” programming that Lear loved to develop – using humor to spotlight serious and timely subject matter.

Fast forward to 2017, and again along comes Norman Lear, as Executive Producer, sitting alongside a creative team and cast that is par excellence to recreate One Day At a Time – 2.0. The core theme remains virtually the same – a single mom with two children make every effort to survive and thrive during good times and bad. But, here is where the series veers off the original story – our “every day” family is Cuban-American. And the topics that are filmed in front of a live audience, reflect 21st century issues, including politics. Kudos to the writing staff who have put in to the laps of the One Day At a Time characters weighty dialog and matters of the heart that I am sure serve as a catalyst for important discussions taking place in homes, schools and the workplace.

While One Day At a Time (2017) is compiled of a cast and crew that are top-notch, for me, the stand-out role goes to Isabella Gomez and her very honest depiction of being a teen coming out to her family as a lesbian. I applaud the program creators, Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce, for bringing contemporary issues that face families every single day to the forefront in their scripts. Having this screen family create a “safe space” for LGBTQ discussions speaks volumes to the integrity of this program and opens the doors for families’ watching to feel that they can do the same.

Read more about the LGBT response in media via Pride.com

I would be remiss to not mention that Rita Moreno appears on this studio stage with much humor and candor in the role of “Aubela/ Lydia”. You know that a production is very much worthy of attention when an EGOT, a winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award, signs on to play a key role. As Lydia she is GENIUS! (No surprise there!) And off camera, she entertains the studio audience as if she was the Energizer Bunny!

I was privileged to be invited as a guest to a filming of an episode. I have sat in many audiences of many film productions before. This set felt different. More like a block party in your hometown neighborhood. The camaraderie of the cast and crew was palatable. There was laughter – a lot of it!

Netflix will release One Day At a Time’s Season 3 starting February 8th.

One Day At a Time also has caught my attention on social media, using their handle as @OneDayATime and hashtag #ODAAT . They have a robust cast and production crew that tweet, post and ‘gram’ with frequency. I love following the engagement that Gloria Calderon Kellett has with her social media audience. Here is a woman who is using social media for social good to spotlight women directors, causes and to educate those interested in the film industry. Bravo, Gloria! (She tweets as everythingloria).

So, if you are looking for programming that the family can watch and may spark dinnertime / carpool discussion – catch One Day At a Time in less than two weeks. I will be tuning in! And, fingers and toes crossed that Netflix gives the show a fourth season option!!

Connect with the #ODAAT folks here:

One Day At a Time: Instagram / Twitter

Hashtag on Twitter (#ODAAT)

Hashtag on Instagram (#ODAATNetflix)

Mike Royce: Twitter

Gloria Calderón Kellett Twitter / Instagram

The writing team tweet, too! @ODAATwriters

Justina Machado: Twitter / Instagram

Isabella Gomez: Twitter / Instagram

Marcel Ruiz: Twitter /Instagram

Netflix : Netflix.com & @NETFLIX

Amazon’s newest show – The Marvelous Mrs.Maisel has earned 14 Emmy Award nominations! Can you say – WOW! Quite a feat given that in recent years the vast majority of the golden Emmy award went to shows airing on Netflix, HBO and NBC.

Let’s start with why the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is worthy of all the kudos. Without a doubt the show is brilliantly written. But, I knew it was going to be a winner once I discovered that Amy Sherman – Palladino and Daniel Palladino were involved as the creative geniuses. Their signature snappy and witty scripts are the backbone of this show as it was with their previous break-out winner – the Gilmore Girls. However, “Maisel” is much more edgy than the Gilmore Girls, which one easily discovers within the first episode.

Let’s break it down even more (SPOILER ALERT). Set in 1958, a time when women were expected to cook, clean and look pretty – “Midge” Maisel, played by the outstanding Rachel Brosnahan, finds herself as a Jewish woman with a cheating husband, Joel (Michael Zegen). He leaves her for an office romance… quite the shocker for Midge. Bad karma continues as Joel’s hopes of a career in comedy are seriously dashed due to his “borrowing” someone else’s material. (The someone being Bob Newhart) To complicate matters, Midge is no slouch at comedy either, and in fact, is the funnier of the two. The audience is let in to this little secret as it plays out in one of the funniest scenes filmed for a TV show.

The hilarity of the show also is due to the doting parents who raised Midge in a comfortable Manhattan lifestyle and their major dilemma as how to explain “the separation” to the Jewish community. Actors Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle play Midge’s parents and they are HYSTERICAL.

Also among the superb roster of actors in this production is one who I always have enjoyed watching over the years, actor Kevin Pollack. Here he brilliantly portrays Midge’s soon to be ex-father-in law, Moishe Maisel. I had an opportunity to interview Kevin on the red carpet of the Oscar gifting suite hosted by Celebrity Connected .

This is what he had to say about the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and its’ success:

Here’s to the success of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and all involved. Thank you Kevin Pollak for your fun and candor.

Learn more about the show via Amazon. Season 1 is now available.