"One Day At A Time" is one of those great shows that came out of the 1970's that showed how far women had come in terms of equality. This was the first sitcom to show a divorced woman who moves to Indianapolis,Indiana with her two daughters to start a new life for themselves. Created by Whitney Blake along with her husband Allan Manings and executive producer Norman Lear,this was one the CBS-TV network's successful shows that had a strong running staying power of nine seasons producing 209 episodes from the groundbreaking premiere episode on December 16,1975 to the final episode of the series on May 28,1984. This was a sitcom that broke the mold in television history and it came out during the status of the women's movement and not to mention the first series to deal with divorce and more importantly its effect on the children. More important,the show was revolutionary in taking on subjects head on and dealing with those situations which basically all or some were solved within a half-hour. "One Day At A Time" is right up there with the other Norman Lear classics and like those other shows it took on relevant issues head on which was something from the likes nobody wouldn't expect when the series premiered in 1975. And it did this in grand style where a single woman can have a career,raise a family without the support of any man and can raise awareness concerning those issues affecting other women and her surrounding community. Revolutionary for its time when it premiered in late 1975 from Norman Lear,the man who brought us "All In The Family","Maude","Sanford and Son","Good Times",and "The Jeffersons".Bonnie Franklin played the red-haired divorcée Ann Romano who was the mother of two hysterical teenage daughters;the oldest daughter Julie (Mackenzie Phillips),and the youngest Barbara(Valerie Bertinelli). The apartment handyman,Schneider(Pat Harrington,Jr.)was also somewhat of a protector and sometime mentor of Ann and her girls and came to help out in times of troubles or crisis. Nanette Fabray played her mother,and Richard Masur played Ann's boyfriend after her divorce. Mary Louise-Wilson was the feisty sex symbol and Ann's next door neighbor Ginny Wrobilcki.Overall this was a groundbreaking series that not only focus on divorce,but teen issues,drug abuse,alcoholism,the dangers of unprotected sex,rape,teen pregnancy,spousal abuse,and emotional problems.One episode dealt with the oldest daughter messing around with a junkie which was an episode(and a very good one I might add)that went toe to toe with the dangers of drugs and not to mention suicide where Ann risked her life to save her daughter from a neighborhood drug pusher in the community,which was Julie's total loser of a boyfriend. When the show premiered during the 1975-1976 season,CBS aired it on Tuesday nights opposite the mini-series "Rich Man-Poor Man"(on ABC)and went up against the competition of Angie Dickinson's "Policewoman"(on NBC). However,"One Day At A Time" did very well in ratings during the first season which was on that Tuesday night line-up that CBS had which consisted of Tony Orlando's musical-variety show and M*A*S*H. During the 1979-1980 season,the network moved the show to its powerhouse Sunday night line-up which included "60 Minutes","All In The Family", "The Jeffersons","Alice",and the medical drama "Trapper John,MD". From there the show was in the top ten of the Nielsen until its final season during the 1983-1984 season,where it moved to Monday nights opposite "Newhart",and "M*A*S*H" where it ended its nine year run at CBS on May 28, 1984 after 209 episodes.

It saddens me to see how many people think that Ann Romano, played by Bonnie Franklin was such a poor actress. It may well had been Norman Lears intentions to hire a "nobody". Maybe he figured that she brought something human and real to the show that few other actresses could have. A drive to be what the show needed a strong unknown to pull off the dramatic of being a "real life" mom who was doing what women across the nation were doing by 1975 leaving their husbands and finding a better life for themselves and their kids.She made that show work and made it believable. I'm sure everyone who watches the show can think of at least one kid with a mom who was "just like her"!! I thought Ms. Franklin did an exemplary job by the way as the head of the Romano/Cooper/Royer household, and how she handled her rambunctious daughters Julie and Barbara played by Phillips and Bertinelli. Another example of her craft was the way that she portrayed how "so" many of our mothers overreacted and spun around like a crazy top when we angered them. How many slammed their fists purple because we caused them so much grief...and her little catchphrase "oh my god" wasn't all that bad considering what "most" of our 70's/80's mothers said, which was usually "much" worse and with less restraint on the severity of the tongue lashing. She also made light of her failings as well such as "depression" and just being a grown-up and a human...and how no matter how hard you try...you can and will make mistakes. And like real life mothers she did, she was forthright enough in her acting abilities to make you believe that it was real.She (Franklin) became a kind of power behind the throne and nothing really was done on the show without her tacit approval. She was noted as being responsible for the dismissal of a "filler actress" who played the Ginny Wroblicki character, due to her interference and upstaging of Ms. Romano (Franklin).It saddened most viewers that she chose to leave the series after 1983 to pursue "other" interests, but she and Bertinelli were tired and wanted to do other things...and the show had really lost half it's steam by the last season. But by no means was she a bad actress or even a poor one...who would you have chosen?

My memories about this series are mostly aesthetic. I perfectly remember a wide, fancy, bold furnished condo's apartment where Ann Romano Royer was used to live into with her hysterical daughters. I did appreciated Bonnie Franklin performing as a hurrican's strength in spite of her sweet, sophisticated glance. I still consider Franklin a sensitive artist, a talented actress. Too bad not to see her around nowadays, in Europe at least!

The show one day at a time brings back a lot of wonderful memories of when I was a kid. Growing up in a divorced family. So it has a lot of meaning to me. Also I totally adore Laura Mackenzie Phillips. she is one of the most Beautiful actresses I have ever seen. I have a lot of the movies that she has been in. Also Valerie Bertinilli Is so hot I would like to some day meet them both. Watch the show ONE DAY AT A TIME it is cool.