One Day At A Time: 10 Things We Wish Would Have Happened On The Show

One Day At A Time has had quite a run, but unfortunately, the Little Show That Could has officially come to an end. The series, which centered on Penelope Alvarez and her Cuban-American family, originally aired on Netflix for three seasons before moving to PopTV for its fourth season. While the move to PopTV was exciting, the fourth season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The writers tried to hang on, releasing an animated politics-themed episode in the midst of the pandemic, but not even that could save them.

The cancelation of One Day At A Time is a big disappointment for several reasons. For one, it means that another show centered on the lives of Latinx individuals is off the air. And since the fourth season was cut short, fans didn’t even get a proper goodbye to the beloved family. Thankfully, showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett did share some of the storylines they had hoped to tell in season four. Of course, that got fans thinking of what other adventures the Alvarez family could have gone on.

10 Alex Has A Quinces

While quinceañeras are traditional just for celebrating young Latinas’ 15th birthdays, the writers of One Day At A Time did tease the potential of throwing a “quinceañero” for Alex. The Alvarez family is no stranger to throwing quinces since the entire first season revolved around Elena’s, so it would have been fun to see what they would have come up with for Alex.

There’s no doubt that Alex’s quinceañero would have been fun and dramatic, just like his sisters. And the episode would probably end with another heartfelt moment of the entire family dancing together in one giant hug. Giving Alex a quince might also encourage other Latinx families to consider throwing 15th birthday parties for their sons, too.

9 Avery Goes Into Labor

One Day At A Time fans got quite a surprise during the season four episode “One Halloween at a Time,” when it was revealed that Avery was pregnant with Schneider’s baby. Of course, the news was well received and everyone was excited to meet this future family member. Unfortunately, fans didn’t get to see that moment.

Gloria Calderón Kellett did share that the writers did, in fact, write an episode where the baby was born that involved Avery and Schnieder opting for a home birth, which ended with Penelope delivering the baby in the Alvarezes’ apartment.

8 A Musical Episode

While musical episodes might not be that common anymore in the sitcom world, there’s no denying that a One Day At A Time musical special would have been fantastic. After all, Rita Moreno is an EGOT winner, Justina Machado had a successful run on Dancing with the Stars, and Isabella Gomez has even dabbled with singing roles.

One way the writers could have done this was to have Elena and Alex’s school do a charity musical event that Lydia offers to choreograph since she’s the “best dancer in Cuba.” It would be even more fun if the production was West Side Story, one of Moreno’s most iconic musical film roles.

7 Elena Graduates & Goes To College

Elena has always been academically driven, constantly striving for the best grades. In season four, her hard work was being put to the test as she got ready to apply to the most elite colleges in the country. With the season cut short, fans didn’t get to see Elena graduate high school or which college she would have attended.

While Gloria Calderón Kellett did confirm Elena’s college plans, fans still wished they would have gotten to see Elena make this decision and graduate. It would have been fun to see how the other Alvarez’s would feel about Elena accomplishing such a monumental milestone.

6 Lydia’s Cuban Adventure

Fans of One Day At A Time will remember that at the end of season 3, Lydia calls Penelope to inform her that she and Dr. Berkowitz have arrived in Cuba — something that was on her “bouquet” list.

While the small scene was a fun tease, fans were really hoping that season 4 would explore what happened on the vacation. Fans did learn that Lydia didn’t spread Berto’s ashes there, but it still left many wondering what adventures Lydia went on.

5 Schneider And Avery Get Married

While Gloria Calderón Kellett did confirm that the writers had no plans on having Avery and Schnieder get married right away, that hasn’t stopped fans from wishing it would happen. The series did do a wedding episode centered on Elena and Alex’s father, but it would have been fun to see how outrageous Avery and Schneider’s wedding would be since they’re both extremely wealthy.

Not only would the wedding be fun, it would also be interesting to see who Schneider picks as his best man, or perhaps best woman since Penelope is definitely a shoo-in for the role.

4 A Christmas Special

Holiday specials are a staple in the television world and One Day At A Time was no exception. Over the course of its four seasons, the series did Valentine’s Day-themed episode and a Halloween-themed episode. The writers also planned to do a New Year Eve themed episode for season four centered around Cuban traditions.

While a New Year’s Eve episode would have been lots of fun, many fans feel like the series should have done a Christmas special too. Would the Alvarez’s apartment be decorated to the nines? Would Schneider dress up as Santa? Would Elena go on an anti-Christmas rant? The possibilities are endless.

3 The Alvarez Family On A Grand Vacation

This one might be a bit of a stretch since technically the Alvarez family did go on a mini cruise vacation to see Penelope’s brother, but that was hardly the grand vacation episode fans expected. After all, sitcoms are known for going on grand vacations, like Hawaii or Disney World.

Just imagine all the chaos that would happen if the Alvarez family went to Disneyland since it’s not too far from their home. Abuelita on a Big Thunder Mountain, Penelope freaking out because everything costs so much, Schneider loving every moment because his family never took him despite being rich.

2 Penelope & Lydia Double Date

One of the best relationships of One Day At A Time is the mother-daughter dynamic between Lydia and Penelope. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who is being the mother in some of their interactions, which makes it all the more fun.

It’s no secret that Lydia loves Max, Penelope’s boyfriend, so imagine all the hijinks that would ensue if Lydia went on a date with them with her best friend Dr. B. Of course, Dr. B would love the fact that he was on a date with Lydia, even though Lydia would think she was on a date with Max.

1 The Alvarez Family Babysits

Everyone knows it takes a village to raise a baby, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that the Alvarez family would want to be involved in Scheider and Avery’s baby’s life. Just imagine Lydia freaking out when Avery tells them they’ve hired a stranger to be their nanny/babysitter. That certainly won’t stand with Lydia, who would say something iconic about Cuban child-rearing before offering her services.

Having a baby in the Alvarez house would be a lot of fun. Lydia would definitely have baby fever and maybe even Elena would learn to love babies despite the fact that she never saw herself having one herself in the future.

About The Author

Danielle Bruncati
(300 Articles Published)

Danielle Bruncati was born and raised in Southern California and has been a story-teller for as long as she can remember. She is currently a freelance writer for ScreenRant and is also pursuing a Master’s Degree in Television Writing and Producing from a top 10 film school. When she’s not writing, Danielle can be found binging the latest sitcom or teen tv series with her dog by her side or walking around Disneyland with a Mickey-shaped snack in hand.

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