Friday, March 15, 2019
Fri-Yay: Netflix Cancels One Day at a Time; Stana Katic Drama Returns June 14 on Amazon

by Vincent
Yesterday, Netflix announced it was canceled its critically beloved sitcom One Day at a Time due to low viewership. I have a lot to say about the cancelation - frankly, I think it's a sign that Netflix as a reliable provider of quality content is becoming quite questionable - but I might have even more to say about the odd way Netflix announced the show's cancellation. In a truly bizarre turn of events, Netflix took to Twitter to gush about how much they love the show and how important it is...only to cancel it.
This rings false for several reasons. I'd accept this more from a broadcast or cable network, whose funds are directly tied to a show's performance. But on Netflix, which doesn't even announce viewership totals and has never really explained how they correlate to their overall profit, it seems odd to act as if cancelling the show was a necessity. After all, the third season of the show has only been out for a month. Isn't the point of Netflix that you can watch it anytime, and that it's always available for new viewers to discover? And how can we know just how terrible the show's ratings are without any viewership data at all?
Moving on from the method, though, One Day at a Time's cancellation truly feels like the moment where Netflix stops being the fan favorite service it once was. Netflix was once the network that didn't cancel anything, and whose entire presence was based on pleasing fans. It launched, after all, with the revival of Arrested Development. But more and more, as Netflix has canceled fan favorite series like the Marvel series, American Vandal, Fuller House and now One Day at a Time, it feels as if Netflix is, simply, just another TV network, driven more by money than making anyone other than their own wallets happy. Still, hope remains for me that perhaps the outcry will cause Netflix to revisit their decision. At the very least, maybe another network will notice it and swoop in, similar to what NBC did for Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But if that doesn't happen, at least we'll have those three top-notch seasons to enjoy for all time.
After tracking down and killing her abductor, former FBI agent Emily Byrne struggles to define her new normal as a mother and a survivor of six years of physical and mental torture. Even while she rebuilds her relationship with her son, Flynn, Emily still cannot shake the darkness of her past. She enlists Boston police detective Tommy Gibbs in a secret investigation of her mysterious history. When the case turns deadly, she risks everything to uncover the truth. Absentia, starring and executive produced by Castle's Stana Katic, centers on FBI agent Emily Byrne (Katic).
In season one, Emily disappeared without a trace and was declared dead after hunting one of Boston's most notorious serial killers. Six years later, Emily was found in a cabin in the woods, barely alive, and with no memory of the years she was missing. Returning home to learn her husband had remarried and her son was being raised by another woman, she soon found herself implicated in a new series of murders. In season two, after tracking down and killing her abductor, Emily struggles for a tenuous new normal with son Flynn and ex-husband Nick. But her obsessive investigation into the questions that haunt her uncovers a serial killer and a spiraling conspiracy that threatens more than just her family. New cast members joining season two include Matthew Le Nevez (The Widow) and Natasha Little (The Night Manager). Watch Absentia Season 2 June 14 on Amazon Prime Video.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Monday, February 6
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Bachelor Party" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A bombshell about Marty’s future plans leaves Calvin and Tina reeling, and Dave unleashes his wild side at Marty’s bachelor party.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "My Successful Lawyer Son" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
As Bob gears up for delivery day at the new sock factory, he struggles to put his foot down with his opinionated family. Also, Abishola gets a taste of Kemi’s new personality when her successful lawyer son comes to visit.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 6)
Monday, February 6
- Pamela Anderson (Stacked/Home Improvement) - Watch Pamela on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Ashton Kutcher (The Ranch/Two and a Half Men/That '70s Show) - Ashton appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He talks about the new film Your Place or Mine on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Alison Brie (GLOW/Community) - Alison is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method) - Michael will be on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea guest hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm. She will also be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- Adam Pally (Indebted/Making History/The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth/Second Time Around) - Boris appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Beth Behrs (The Neighborhood/2 Broke Girls) - Beth is live in-studio to unpack the latest on the sitcom The Neighborhood on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings. She will also be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
- Meagan Good (Mr. Robinson/Raising Dad/Cousin Skeeter) - Meagan will be on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
- Scott Caan (Entourage) - Scott talks about Fox's Alert: Missing Persons Unit on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-February)
11/08 - Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/08 - Young Rock - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/15 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Seven / The Complete Season Eight
11/22 - That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
11/29 - Ghosts - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/06 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Christmas Collection
12/13 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season
12/13 - Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
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