Netflix’s One Day At A Time first appeared on my screen just over a year or so ago.

First it was on my Instagram, as people began to post about what a great show it is. And then, my own Netflix, as I decided to check it out.

Instantly, I became obsessed.

The characters were fun, bubbly, and seemed like they could easily be your friend. I watched episode after episode, and I fell deeper and deeper in love with it the more I watched.

What I love about One Day At A Time is that it centers around a Latinx family who go through various struggles, and the show focuses on various topics, including queer identity, anxiety, depression, PTSD, racism, and teenage drug use – to name a few. The fact that the show speaks about these topics in an open way and centers around a family who are part of a minority, means that many of the viewers feel represented (perhaps for the first time) by the show and its characters.

As someone who struggles with anxiety and anxiety attacks, ODAAT really struck a chord with me. The mum of the family, Penelope, struggles with depression and anxiety, following her time working in the army, and her struggle with these mental illnesses is documented in such a raw way, shedding light on the truth but somehow still being uplifting at the same time. In the third season, an entire episode is dedicated to anxiety attacks and how to manage them and their effects, and that episode is one of the ones that I resonated with the most.

I’m not LGBT but many of my friends are, and seeing the LGBT community being represented in such a positive way is so uplifting. The characters in the show learn, and with them, so does the viewer. I really do think that the way that the community is presented is a step forward for the industry. Especially as not only are there LGBT characters, but they are also part of another marginalised community as they’re Latinx. A popular show that centers on a non-white family and discusses serious topics such as this? A huge step forward for Netflix.

So, when I went on Twitter a month or so a go and saw that Netflix had cancelled the show, my heart broke. My Moments page was full of the hashtag #SaveODAAT and people talking about how the show has affected them. As for Netflix themselves, they said:

“We’ve made the very difficult decision not to renew One Day At A Time for a fourth season. The choice did not come easily — we spent several weeks trying to find a way to make another season work but in the end simply not enough people watched to justify another season. … And to anyone who felt seen or represented — possibly for the first time — by ODAAT, please don’t take this as an indication your story is not important. The outpouring of love for this show is a firm reminder to us that we must continue finding ways to tell these stories.”

People were replying to their Tweet in anger and saying that there are many other shows that aren’t as good as ODAAT that could be cancelled. However, even though there was a lot of feedback, Netflix haven’t changed their minds, and they’re not going to. But, I hope that people continue to watch the three existing seasons of the show and continue to feel validated by it.

So thank you to the cast and crew of the show for making something so important and representative of so many people. One Day At A Time was a great step forward for the industry and I hope it will continue that way.