Reimagined to perfection

men of the village like a piece of property to be traded for two cows and a goat,” she says.

“Someone thinks she’s special,” Lydia remarks. Moreno, the living legend who at 85 plays a woman a decade younger than herself, excels at the role, luxuriating in opportunities to convey a rich sense of culture and faith to those around her, while getting most of the big laughs. Lydia’s endearing stubbornness lends One Day at a Time its funniest and most meaningful moments.

But Machado, playing the role that the late Bonnie Franklin made so memorable, is a worthy equal to Moreno, helping her children reconcile their grandmother’s romanticised past with 21st-century realities. And, like Ann Romano, Penelope must also deal with affronts to modern womanhood, such as her discovery that the office mansplainer (Eric Nenninger) earns significantly more than she does even though they have the same job. Other relevant topics include Penelope’s ongoing struggle to get VA assistance for a lingering war wound, which leads her to a support group for women veterans led by original One Day at a Time cast member Mackenzie Phillips, in a cameo role.

I knew that this One Day at a Time was working by the second episode, when I felt the same sense of investment that I used to feel as a child who watched the original and absorbed its strident stances on equality and personal independence. For years, critics lamented the disappearance of the way Lear and his collaborators gave their sitcoms an edgy point of view.

But what they were also good at was inviting a viewer in, no matter who you were, and making you feel at home – even if that home belonged to Archie Bunker or George Jefferson. This show feels like home. – Washington Post