Norman Lear Reboots One Day at a Time on Netflix

Twenty years after his last series premiered on television, 94-year-old Norman Lear is back with a reboot of one of his most popular series, showing that he is, as ever, not just a reflection of contemporary culture but willing to push it. The creator of such iconic television series as “All in the Family” and “Sanford and Son” now brings us a new version of “One Day at at Time,” the then-innovative show about a newly divorced woman raising two daughters. The entire first season is streaming on Netflix, and the story is now about a Latina family, a nurse who is a military veteran (Isabella Gomez), her mother, played by EGOT-winner Rita Moreno, and her daughter and son. And yes, there is a wisecracking handyman named Schneider, which Lear said was the hardest part to cast “and most fun.”

In an interview with Vulture, Lear and co-creator of the series Gloria Calderon Kellett talked about the “creator’s paradise” in working with Netflix, the benefits of not having to write around breaks for commercials, and, a Norman Lear touch, including a middle aged, liberal white male character (the nurse’s doctor boss) to provide an opportunity for a spirited exchange of perspectives.