Pop TV today announced a first of its kind “One Day at a Time” animated special. “In my 97 years, I’ve never known of a multicam comedy to animate a single episode as a special. Even this I get to experience,” remarked legendary producer Norman Lear. The critically acclaimed Sony Pictures Television series premiered in March and has grown its ratings week-over-week, setting a new season high with its fourth episode on April 14th .
In response to COVID-19, production was put on hold so executive producer and co-showrunner Gloria Calderón Kellett landed on the idea of an animated special. Production will be completed remotely and will premiere later this spring. The mid-season finale of ONE DAY AT A TIME airs tonight at 9:30PM ET/PT on Pop TV and will simulcast on TV Land.
The ONE DAY AT A TIME animated special centers around Penelope’s conservative family visiting. Penelope dreads that with the election coming up, they won’t be able to avoid fighting over politics. The Alvarez family spends the episode discussing strategies of how to get through it, illustrated through fantasy sequences. Jonas Diamond, Executive Producer and Co-Owner of Smiley Guy Studios in Toronto will be overseeing the animation. The cast will all voice their own characters and will be joined by celebrity guests to be announced at a later date.
“As we all know, it’s hard to keep ONE DAY AT A TIME off the air. During this unprecedented time, we wanted to find a way to keep our family – on camera and behind the scenes – together and create more entertaining content for our fans who are self-distancing at home,” said Kellett. “This animated special gives us an exciting opportunity to imagine the Alvarez family in a colorful new way while continuing to tell important and relevant stories.”
Produced by Sony Pictures Television, the award-winning comedy inspired by Emmy® winner Norman Lear’s 1975 series of the same name tells the story of the Cuban American Alvarez family. The show features Penelope (Screen Actors Guild Award® winner Justina Machado), her mother Lydia (Emmy, Grammy®, Oscar® and Tony® winner Rita Moreno), Dr. Berkowitz (Stephen Tobolowsky), Schneider (Todd Grinnell), Avery (India de Beaufort), Elena (Isabella Gomez) and Alex (Marcel Ruiz).
