In a time where it was just becoming accepted for a married couple to sleep in the same bed on television, One Day at a Time was breaking down taboos and introducing new and somewhat controversial ideas into America’s living room. Created by a husband and wife duo, Allan Mannings and Whitney Blake, the show was based on Blake’s own life experiences and revolved around a recently divorced mother raising her two teenage daughters.
Having a main character let alone an entire show that revolved around the aftermath of divorce was highly unusual on television at the time, and many viewers found the show refreshing, as it touched on real life issues. In the 1950s, getting a divorce was still quite taboo, with fewer than 20% of married couples deciding ended their marriage. By the time 1970 rolled around, though, approximately 50% of married couples in American were getting divorced. This is definitely a sensitive subject as divorce is never a pleasant thing but the show was one of the first times that it was talked about on television at length.
The show aired from 1975 until 1984 and throughout its run, One Day at a Time had consistently high ratings and was on the top ten or twenty rankings of TV programs. The show is in the spotlight again as Netflix created a 2017 remake of the original. The 2017 version, however, still offered many updates and changes, such as the fact that it revolves around a Cuban-American family headed by a single mother suffering from PTSD following her military service. The recent version received a warm welcome (97% on scoring website Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t come easy), but more than anything, it made us miss the original version. Looking back at old episodes and feeling all nostalgic, we thought it would be a great idea to check in on the original cast and see how they were doing.
The original One Day at a Time starred a trio of talented actresses: Broadway veteran Bonnie Franklin as matriarch Ann, Hollywood royalty Mackenzie Phillips as eldest daughter Julie, and fresh-faced girl-next-door Valerie Bertinelli as the youngest daughter Barbara. In addition to the core three, the series hosted a slew of talented actors and guest stars, many of whom went on to incredibly successful careers of their own. Join us as we leaf through the ground-breaking show and reminisce about the stars that were included on it, one page at a time.
[post_page_title]Bonnie Franklin as Ann Romano[/post_page_title]
The star and focal point of One Day at a Time was Ann Romano, who packs up her bags and takes her two daughters to Indianapolis after divorcing their father, Ed (played by Joseph Campanella). She is depicted as an old school mother who disciplines her kids for making smart aleck comments or getting themselves into trouble. After her first marriage ends, Romano ends up falling in love with her divorce attorney but they break up over a dispute over whether or not to have children, and she ultimately ends up falling for her youngest daughter’s father-in-law. In one of the final episodes, Ann decides to take a job in London, leaving her daughter to raise their families in Indianapolis.
