One Day at a Time warmed hearts and delivered laughs for years as a Netflix authentic earlier than sadly becoming a member of the ranks of different Netflix exhibits cancelled means too quickly, and continued for one bonus season that aired on Pop. The sitcom that starred Justina Machado, Isabella Gomez, Rita Moreno, and Stephen Tobolowsky (amongst others) got here to an finish again in mid-2020. The solid got here again collectively earlier within the 2024 TV schedule for one thing particular for followers, and after I spoke with Tobolowsky shortly after, he mirrored on the collection and heaped the form of reward on EGOT winner Rita Moreno that I may have listened to all day.
Stephen Tobolowsky spoke with CinemaBlend earlier this fall for his return to NBC’s Lopez vs. Lopez, and he named a number of ways in which the George Lopez-starring sitcom is much like One Day at a Time. (Yow will discover his Lopez vs. Lopez appearances with a Peacock subscription.) First, although, he raved about attending to reunite with Rita Moreno for the particular ODAAT desk learn, saying:
Oh my gosh! That was too loopy, that was an excessive amount of enjoyable. And I obtained to see my expensive, expensive girlfriend, Rita. Oh, Rita Moreno! I all the time joked with Rita, and I all the time stated, ‘It proves that God performs favorites.’ We’re not equal. There isn’t any one, nobody like Rita Moreno with that form of expertise. In any case these years of being in showbusiness, it nonetheless blows my thoughts the extent of expertise she has on so many alternative ranges. Nice actress, world class dancer, world class singer, world class entertainer. And it is really easy for her! It simply breathes together with her. I simply love her dearly. I am sorry, however I do, and I am simply loopy about her. [laughs] On the desk learn, I used to be simply so joyful to see her and meet up with all the things. Such an exquisite girl.
Anyone may most likely guess that Rita Moreno is incomparable as a star, since one would not win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony over the course of ninety years with out unimaginable expertise. Nevertheless it was beautiful to listen to Stephen Tobolowsky gush about working together with her on One Day at a Time with firsthand expertise that few ever have, and it actually makes me wish to signal into my Netflix subscription and revisit episodes of the sitcom.
In a enjoyable twist, Tobolowsky, Moreno, and Justina Machado have all appeared on Lopez vs. Lopez within the years since One Day at a Time, and there is a motive for these connections. He shared the behind-the-scenes ties between the 2 exhibits that viewers may not have been conscious of, saying:
To me, it helped that a few of these nice individuals from One Day at a Time migrated over to Lopez vs. Lopez. Deb Wolfe, who was one of many head writers on One Day at a Time, is now the showrunner on Lopez vs. Lopez. It is arduous to have a present higher than One Day at a Time, from my perspective. It was a present that was superb. It was one of the best of Norman Lear, and you’ve got Justina, and you’ve got Rita simply kicking ass, and all of us form of in assist. It was simply terrific. However these individuals now who perceive that form of good feeling are on Lopez vs. Lopez, and that was the great feeling on that set, which is necessary.
Contemplating how strongly Stephen Tobolowsky clearly nonetheless feels in regards to the greatness of One Day at a Time, it is an enormous praise to Debby Wolfe and the remainder of the Lopez vs. Lopez staff that he feels the NBC sitcom has the identical “form of good feeling.” In fact, a number of care goes into Lopez vs. Lopez with George Lopez and Mayan Lopez as real-life father and daughter in addition to co-stars and EPs.
Tobolowsky went on to reward the sensation on set when filming with the Lopez duo and remainder of the solid, with one more complimentary comparability to ODAAT:
On Lopez vs. Lopez, everytime you end a present, they’re prepared with the brand new scripts, able to go for the subsequent one. They’re on to the subsequent and it is an amazing feeling that you just’re with a solid with that form of feeling. That is the way in which it was on One Day at a Time. Each time we completed the present, we beloved it, and we had been thrilled we had been occurring to the subsequent one. We by no means had that state of affairs of, ‘Thank god that is over with.’
Sadly, wanting the solid getting collectively for extra desk reads, there would not appear to be a future for One Day at a Time past rewatching the primary three seasons streaming on Netflix. Yow will discover a number of the actors showing as company on Lopez vs. Lopez, and Stephen Tobolowsky advised CinemaBlend that he’d be joyful to return to reprise his position, saying “It is a kind of uncommon, uncommon, nice, nice exhibits that you just’re privileged to be on, and anytime they ask me to be on it, I will be on it.”
It might definitely be a enjoyable twist if we obtained to see a ODAAT reunion on Lopez vs. Lopez sooner or later, and I may even see it occurring if the celebrities aligned. Mayan and Quinten’s marriage ceremony could possibly be within the works, and Tobolowsky performs Quinten’s dad Sam whereas Rita Moreno performed George’s grandma Dolores. For now, you’ll be able to stay up for the upcoming Christmas episode of Lopez vs. Lopez, set to air on Friday, December 6 in a particular time slot at 9:45 p.m. ET on NBC.