Even as a kid, I knew that I was watching something that had never been done before. It made me want to watch it more, if only to see my mother that uncomfortable with the messages conveyed; messages about birth control, the ERA, per-marital sex....can you see where I'm going here? Ann Romano was the divorced mother of two girls, one a potential beauty queen, one not so cute (but you got the idea that was her choice somehow). The chaos in their eyes was, we now know, genuine. The actors were in as much a state of flux as our nation. Women were emerging as independent beings who didn't need a man to make their way in the world. The entire sit-com was played out, probably 90%, in the Romano living room. I think they wore the same 5-6 outfits through-out the entire show. The mostly absent father was played as a philandering, abusive, schmuck and largely only used as a way to man-bash. The maintenance man, Schneider, made phallic gestures with his ever present hammer and was never really fleshed out as a character but at the end of the run he was suddenly more evolved and flirted around with Anne...never made any sense to me at all. I loved the complicated teenage angst, as I was approaching that age myself, and the questions that as a young girl I never realized I was even entitled to ask. It was the 1970's and women were cutting their hair, burning their bras, tossing their inhibitions to the wind...but at my military family household you would never have known it was happening. If I have one criticism of this show, and it's been a 'thing' with me for 30 years, it's the physical language used in the portrayal of Anne by Bonnie Franklin...I never understood her intense anger. She wasn't just driven to make it on her own, you got the idea she was capable of violence if her rights were challenged. It might have been because she was petite but her chin always seemed to be up and stuck way forward...unnauturally posed so that you could actually see her neck rather than her face, and during those shots she was typically photographed from the side...you'd never have seen her face-on otherwise...it was truly 'in your face' and she'd effect that pose while grinning...it was almost maniacal. Again, the actress and the character were both up against a wall. The show had it's critics but refused to back down. A lot was on the line and everyone was watching. There were moments where she seemed less frantic, less controlling, and had touching moments with her daughters...but they were few and far between. By far, the daughters were the central characters, especially Mackenzie Phillips character, Julie. She was too tall, too thin, had acne and was a perpetual wreck...she embodied the way a lot of teen girls felt back then. Everyone wanted to be Barbara; organized, clean, funny, beautiful. A lot went on in that living room!
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zionadams25 September 2012
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Sylviastel10 April 2007This show was a revolutionary in the women's movement. Bonnie Franklin played red head divorcée and mother of two teenage daughters who moves from Loganport, Indiana to the big city of Indianapolis. Her daughters are played by the wonderful, Valerie Bertinelli, and Mackenzie Phillips. They played Barbara and Julie. Remember Schneider who frequented the apartment as the building handyman. Nan Fabray who played Ann's mother. I loved Richard Masur as Ann's first boyfriend after her divorce. I thought he should have stayed on but it wouldn't work if Ann remarried so soon after the divorce papers were inked. I remember Shelley Fabares on the show as one of her co-workers as well as Mary Louise Wilson as a cocktail waitress neighbor. It was one of the few shows that I could recall was set in Indianapolis. I thought the show was well-written most of the time and the acting was worthy of the Emmys it received. They don't make shows like this. I remember the apartment layout most of all. Despite Phillips' substance problems, Valerie was truly a star in the making. The show grew and evolved and was well-loved by its audience.
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SnoopyStyle20 November 2019Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin) is newly liberated after divorcing her husband. For the first time, the 34 year old is in charge of her own life. She moves to Indianapolis with her rebellious daughter Julie Cooper (Mackenzie Phillips) and younger daughter Barbara Cooper (Valerie Bertinelli). The building has an intrusive super named Dwayne Schneider (Pat Harrington Jr.).
The show struggles to find the extra characters. With Mackenzie Phillips' drug problem, the show really only could maintain three main characters for the entire run. Of the ancillary characters, I like Bob Morton the most. He is the classic clueless innocent and a great butt of the joke. He and Barbara running away to Chicago is probably my best memory of the show. David Kane is probably the easiest to incorporate but Ann's love life needs more drama than he could deliver. Eventually, she ends up with Alex and Nick Handris. For some reason, Nick is abandoned and she keeps Alex to give the show some youth energy. Francine is a good work foil although she could have connected with Schneider to give her more screen time. No matter who they tried, the show never fully incorporated these extra characters. For all the attempts, I'm always surprised that the show didn't try to incorporate Mackenzie Phillips' real life drug problem. One expects the dark subject matters from a Norman Lear show and this show has that. It just doesn't have Mackenzie's troubles. Maybe it cuts too close to home.
Overall, I always find Ann too angry. It actually fits when she's fighting with Julie but whenever Julie leaves, Ann is simply angry. She needs a bit of Barbara in her role. Talking about Barbara, she isn't allowed to build on characters of her peers. She has Bob at first but she never has a long-term female best friend. It's not until Mark that she gets a partner. As for Max and Mark, they are great late show additions. They do need to stay closer to the apartment. It seems obvious that they could stay together in apartments next door. The characters need better connectivity. This is a show with the mission of showing the new world of the divorced mother. Despite the many potholes in the road, it achieves that over its nine seasons run. -
jeff-1504 January 2001How can a four year old remember the pilot episode of a show? I don't know, but I do. Groundbreaking at the time, it actually featured a divorced mother with her two kids. Very topical, and sedate by today's standards, this show was a huge hit. Of all the people on this show who would have thought Valerie Bertenelli would have the biggest career? And who knew McKenzie Phillips was on heroin? Totally watched during the seventies but everyone pretty much was over it by the early eighties. Still one of the coolest shows of the seventies.
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Although not quite in the upper echelon of the '70s/80s crates such as All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, MASH, etc, it certainly always Head and shoulders above The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Chips, etc.
Much like the former shows, ODAAT tried to deal with serious, real life issues that real life families face. And although it wasn't one of my favorites, it was certainly good enough that I watched virtually every episode. And while it was guilty of a bit of overacting, forced humor, and sometimes got a bit too heavy, it was definitely worth watching then. Whether or not it has held up enough since is for today's viewer to decide. -
happipuppi1313 October 2007I'm not exactly sure what year I started watching One Day at a Time but I am sure that in terms of quality,it's right up there with the other Norman Lear classics that ran between 1971 to 1985. It may not have gotten the Emmy nods like those other shows but that doesn't mean that it lacked in quality.
Much like my own mother back in 1977,in 1975 Ann Ramano was divorced and moved her children to a new city to start over. I know some here say Bonnie Franklin is not that great an actress but what I feel is that she was chosen because she wasn't a household name and that makes her character more convincing. A well known actress might have overshadowed what the writers were going for.
She truly does act like a real mother in this show,imperfections and all. She right as a parent can be but she makes errors too. She's as one of many mothers of that time dealing with a rebellious teen and younger teen getting mixed messages.
MacKenzie Phillips as Julie was perfect to play the rebellious daughter,not because of her real life problems but because she had already seen these things first hand as the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas 60s vocal group. It's only an unfortunate situation that her real drug use disrupted the series,leading finally to the writers having Julie run away for good from her husband and family.
Valrie Bertenelli did a good job as the "good girl" Barbra who has to put up with big sis's attitude about her being "mom's favorite". Then,like now it's difficult being a good kid when others around you seem to do as they please. Valrie brought this out in her character really well.
Then there's the great comic relief from the serious situations at hand,the building's super Dwayne Schneider played by Pat Harrigton Jr. (look for him as the head of "The Phone Comany" in the classic comedy "The President's Analyst". ) Well remembered for his line "please always remember and don't ever forget ..etc." He originally was always trying to hit on Ann but later became a friend and ally for the family of 3 women and one of best characters.
In fact,he was the subject of the final show of the series. In May 1984,after Ann re-married and moved to England for a new career and all had moved on in the 2nd to last show....his character moves to Florida to help take care of relatives living there. (Meant possibly as a pilot for a spin-off that never happened.)
Overall,the show dealt with real issues,teen rebellion sex,drinking,drugs,emotional problems of both teens and adults and many other serious subjects. A reviewer long ago called this show a "fluke" hit. There's nothing accidental about the show's long run and popularity. Women needed a voice on TV at that time and along with The Bunker ladies,Maude Findlay,Alice Hyatt and Mary Tyler Moore...Ann Ramano and daughters were right up there in importance.
This and shows like these will never exist again,only because back then there was that need to show women as more than a housewife.
In today's TV landscape,women are strong without having it needed to be proved to the masses.
For all of these reasons I've written about,I give "One Day At A Time" 10 stars. It's one of the greatest of a great era of television...oh,and a snappy theme song to boot! (END)
04/23/2015 > Now currently airing on Antenna TV!! -
dorseybelle12 February 2022It makes me so happy to find like-minded people in this world who dislike Bonnie Franklin as much as I do. The set must be what, 20 feet wide and she's emoting for a stage twice that size. Her signature move was to start stage left behind the couch, swing her arms like an angry toddler and say, "Oh, Julie!" That smug face she would make when she thought she had cut someone down to size made her if possible, look even more idiotic than usual. When I would hear that theme song starting, if I didn't get to the tv fast enough to turn it off, I would run from the room.
I bet that's what happens in her afterlife; people running to get away from her. -
raysond28 March 2008"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. -
ricknelson5321 August 2015This series was okay but I find it hard to watch for one reason: Bonnie Franklin. She is utterly charmless. In episode after episode, men all her irresistible. She is the opposite of attractive; she is repellent. I am not only referring to he negligible looks but her personality and her delivery.Every time she would utter her signature line "Oh my Gawd " stretching out "g-a -w-d ", i wanted to scream. And the ridiculous jokes about her having dyed her hair. She was obviously a redhead with her skin pigmentation. Why bother ?; it is not like Lucille Ball who was not a natural redhead. She is just so obnoxious.During the course of the original run she was reported to have held out for extra money because she was the "star "; this is one case where not only could she have been replaced by another actress, I wish she had been.
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Mister-619 June 2000Just like Ann Romano (Franklin), this show's a survivor.
"One Day at a Time" is one of those great shows that came out in the '70s that showed how far women had come in TV terms. In the '60s, you'd never have seen a show about a divorced woman who moved to Indianapolis with her daughters (Phillips, Bertinelli) to start a new life for themselves.
And what a great character they had in Ann Romano: spirited, opinionated, a fighter and someone who didn't take the bull that men fed her and fought tooth and nail for everything she had. A lot of that strength was from anger, naturally, but she modulated it well.
Then there was always Schneider (Harrington), the apartment super where she lived. Something of a ladies' man, he was always around to fix someone's pipes (if you know what I mean), but Ann wisely kept her distance. She knew a goof when she saw one, and Schneider's scenes were largely played for laughs. Good choice.
In fact, the whole series had a great run and never lacked for story lines (women's rights, divorce, suicide, runaways) but was a real showcase for Franklin, who was terrific. Hey, TV suits; give her another series as good as this one!
Ten stars for "One Day at a Time", a TV series whose "Time"-ing was perfect. -
bkoganbing20 July 2016One Day At A Time is how Bonnie Franklin took it with her new life as a liberated woman and divorcée. This show is one of the first where women predominate and they weren't scatterbrained fools like Lucy Ricardo.
Still there was a lot of humor in this show with Bonnie Franklin trying to raise a family of two daughters on more than just her divorced husband Joe Campanella. She got herself a job and was around as much as possible for her two daughters Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli.
The daughters were as different as could be. Phillips was a wild child and Bertinelli a good girl. That was an interesting part of the show, that two very different personality types could be with the children. Happens in a few million families across the globe. Over 9 seasons the girls went through a few boyfriends and got married, Phillips to Michael Lembeck and Bertinelli to Boyd Gaines.
Making an occasional appearance was Franklin's mother Nannette Fabray. She was an old fashioned woman, who tried very hard to understand the new feminist philosophy.
The janitor of their building was Pat Harrington, Jr. who was an alpha male, but over 9 seasons kind of softened his rough edges. I remember him addressing Franklin, Fabray, and Bertinelli as each preferred, Ms. Romano, Mrs. Romano, and Miss Romano. That summed up each of their outlooks on life.
A lot of humor and a realistic look at the problems of single mothers with kids is what One Day At A Time is remembered for. -
titanicastrology14 January 2021Several years ago I rediscovered One Day at a Time on FETV, and for months I was addicted to this show every night. Then FETV was dropped, and I was without my addiction. Then I found that Antenna TV was picking it up on January 4 2021. I was beyond thrilled and SO happy - I'd be able to get my addiction back! Well..... I was so disappointed. I think what with the coronavirus happening, I did some work on myself, and found out this show was nothing short of really kind of ....dumb. The big reason is.....OVERACTING. Every character was running around and screaming all the time! I mean COME ON...calm the F down people! Ann Romano was the worst. It got on my nerves within 10 minutes. Couldn't watch it anymore...
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dawnsacks-0157817 April 2019This show was to me and amazing show growing up. Little did I know that and remodel would be me in future years. Single mom looking for respect. I just want to say that some of the negative reviews especially those who give it a one on this are out of their minds. Go look at the other reviews by some of these people there's one guy here that gives every single show every single movie a one. Do you even like anything?
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Lovetvshows5 April 2021I agree with many of the other reviewers stating that Bonnie Franklin is not a good actress. I think she just lucked out with this series. The proof is that after this series ended you rarely saw her on television shows or movies. Her range went from looking confused to yelling at the top of her lungs. Pat Harrington's character was annoying at best. He would have been more effective if he was used less in the show. The only mystery is how this show lasted for so many years with annoying characters like Francine. Alex, Julie and Max.
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This is one of my all-time favorites except for the last couple of seasons. The early years were great, funny, insightful, and pretty original. Ann dealt with some pretty heavy problems with her kids, found work she liked, and became an old pro at the dating game. It was neat to watch the character mature along with her daughters.
However, like a lot of shows with children/teenagers, they had to come up with a way to keep things going after the kids had grown too old for the story lines. In this case, they brought in a little boy with a pretty contrived plot line to be the new "son". It didn't work well. -
Gentsyu6 November 2006I just read a post about a 4-year-old remembering the first episode-it really was a great show & one of my favorites. I just wanted to comment about Mackenzie Phillips drug-use.Incidentally, I don't know if this is a "spoiler" or not, but just so I don't get "blacklisted" as it said beside the spoiler box, if you don't warn the readers, I went ahead & checked the box. Now, with Mackenzie living with her father, John & his wife, Michelle Phillips, of "The Mamas & the Papas," there was not much discipline or even early curfews for school nights, etc., I heard this straight from Michelle's lips on an interview. She said, "You know, I was pretty young, myself, I didn't know that Mackenzie really should have a regular curfew, rules, & there shouldn't be drugs lying around in every room-free for the taking-really, until I gave birth to Chynna, myself. I suddenly had all those 'mothering' instincts kick in & actually began arguing with John about Mackenzie's VERY free-rein lifestyle with him. I really feel that maybe she wouldn't have been fired for being hooked on the COCAINE-but this is eventually what led to the divorce, John just wasn't going to change-he would sit there & do drugs together with his daughter-which you may have heard Mackenzie herself say, on occasion. She did say she wasn't putting the responsibility on anyone else but herself, like, after they found out through her erratic behavior & excessive skin problems what was going on on the show's set & in her life, & they gave her a warning to get help, time off to do so, & they would write in her absence until she could come back. She DID clean up, but, living with her father, or even visiting, she was right back on it, & ultimately fired." Michelle is still close with Mackenzie & they are very active in keeping people, especially children-who don't ever have to start ANY drug under their parents' guidance & love-off of drugs. Now, I'm not saying-by any means-that Mackenzie never did heroin, I'm sure that was available-in fact, I can't think of ANY drug that may NOT have been available at John's house, except maybe some that have come along since he died, but, Mackenzies PROBLEM drug, the one she was addicted to during the course of the show was cocaine. It came out in the tabloids back when it happened, but also, Mackenzie herself has said straight-out that cocaine would have been the death of her, had she not gotten help, I think a FEW times, before she actually succeeded, & has been a wonderful wife & mother & advocate for a drug-free life ever since. I know something that you loved a lot at the age of 4, you WOULD remember, but maybe drug info is a bit less of something that would lodge in the brain in an exact manner! God Bless!
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pgrandjean20 January 2021Definitely one of the lesser entries in the Norman Lear canon, One Day at a Time was overacted, overly broad and overly self-important from Day One. It's interesting to contrast this with Lear's flagship All in the Family, which has its dated aspects as well, but has stood the test of time much better not just because of writing and thematic emphases but because of the subtleties of characterization.
Unfortunately, Bonnie Franklin-despite whatever other credentials she may have had-proved herself to be a thespian of the shrieking, hair-ruffling and eye-rolling school, and God only knows what possessed anyone to try to turn Mackenzie Phillips into a star, especially an avatar of hip '70s youth. Valerie Bertinelli, who on the other hand had some talent, was mainly stuck with the role of wisecracking sibling. Taken together, the whole mess looks like a man's conception of what "women's liberation" meant at the time, even though Whitney Blake-previously of "Hazel" and Meredith Baxter's mom-played a major creative role.
It is somewhat interesting, from a perspective of nostalgia, to look at this show again. I was watching one ep with my 92-year mother recently, and she said, "This seems terribly naive now." Actually, it was naive then-shows with far greater sophistication, like "MASH" and "Taxi" and "Cheers," ran concurrently with it and still seem relevant today. This is just a missed opportunity from a time long gone. -
nils_asther21 March 2003My 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!
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chumbul7 March 2019We were bombarded, endlessly, with how difficult it was for a single mother (whose divorce was HER idea, as was revealed in several episodes) to raise two teens on a limited budget. However, when she (miraculously) acquires a six-figure job (and, think of the value of six figures in the 1970s), she STILL lived in the same rundown (or "budget") apartments, and still had to struggle to make ends meet. Sounds like the problem is not with "the system" or with men in general. Sounds like bad financial responsibility.
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This was one of my favorite shows, at least for the first few seasons that it was on. This was one of the first shows that dealt with divorce and more importantly how it effects the children. Bonnie Franklin did a wonderful job as Ann and Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli were great as Julie and Barbara respectively. However, the character that really made the show was immortal Dwayne F. Schneider played by Pat Harrington. He brought a wonderful sense of humor to offset the more serious moments of the show. However complaint I do have a few complaints about the show. One is that I think that once Julie was written out of the show it should have ended there. Another is that like so many other shows that struggled for ratings, they fell into the trap of bringing on the cute kid character in the form of Alex. Also, if Ann was truly trying to be the modern independent woman, why did she wind up getting married towards the end of the show?
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ryken_20011 July 2021I enjoyed this show. I also thought Bonnie Franklin did a terrific job as Ann Romano. It tackled real situations encountered by a divorced woman raising two daughters. There were some very dramatic episodes that really showcased the lead actors and their talents. A great show for its time. Groundbreaking and enjoyable.
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Stvdel28 January 2018This show really tooted the root. Another weak Norman Lear entry after he lucked out with All in the Family. Obnoxious Bonnie Franklin plays a recent divorcee with 2 teenage girls. Sounds like tons of yucks,huh? Her character Ann is also a feminist who suffers from terminal PMS. Pat Harrington was wasted on the show playing a janitor. Watch ANYTHING else.
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tiffanie_says_stay_in_your_lane2 September 2023I'll admit, I didn't like this show right away. My initial impression of it was that it had a bland, melba toast cast, like The Brady Bunch. However, after doing research, I found out it was the first sitcom to portray a divorced, single mom, and that's when I became interested. I don't fit the typical demographic of a person who watches classic stuff - I'm young and liberal (well, not as liberal as some people. I'm a Christian, and I'm not big on profanity or sex scenes in films) - so I enjoy older TV shows that are relevant to the current time.
Following her divorce, Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin) moves her two daughters Julie (MacKenzie Phillips) and Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli) from Logansport, Indiana to Indianapolis. The show addressed various issues, such as problems in school and the workplace, substance abuse, sexual harassment, as well as happy, life-changing events, namely marriage and the births of children. Once I started watching more closely, I began to see how exceptional and believable the acting was. It's a realistic depiction of the struggles that comprises single parenting, which most often falls on women after a divorce. I started out thinking Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli as sisters was ridiculous. They're the fakest looking siblings in television history. There's absolutely no resemblance between them. In fact, the first time I watched an episode, I thought they were supposed to be friends. But once I saw this show for what it was (groundbreaking for its challenge of societal expectations at the time), I was able to look past that. And besides, I know two pairs of sisters who look nothing alike. In both cases, one looks exactly like their father, and the other looks exactly like their mother. Genetics can be weird sometimes, so actors or actresses who are playing brothers/sisters but look like night and day isn't far-fetched.
My only complaint is Dwayne Schneider (Pat Harrington Jr.), the apartment building superintendent, is a blabbermouth. Most of the stuff he says is dumb. Well, then again, maybe it's not that he talks too much. His talking would be less annoying if his comments weren't so lame. However, he's not bad enough to turn you off from watching the show, but that's just my opinion. Nonetheless, One Day at a Time is funny but also poignant. Despite all of the attention that's being placed on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), I still don't see it reflected on TV. Yeah, there's more BIPOC and gay people on television, but characterizations are still relatively outdated. Females in sitcoms are just as helpless and ridiculous as they were in the 1950s (one who comes to mind is Howard's girlfriend on The Big Bang Theory, Bernadette. Her voice even sounds like a chipmunk. Just an incredibly childish and silly character for a 21st century show). Oh well, not like I should've expected much. The US is slow with things. For now, I have access to vintage TV shows that help me take a break from this zombie time. Highly recommend to anyone who's a Norman Lear fan, or just loves the dramedy genre in general. -
There are TV shows that are timeless, and there are TV shows that are very much of their time. This show unfortunately falls in the latter category. Come with me, brave traveller, to the TV sitcom era defined by fixed indoor sets and laugh tracks, where a lull in the pace can be quickly remedied by a knock on the door and the injection of an oddball character only distantly related to the actual story. Looking back this "hit" show over the span of decades, the flaws become more obvious. Bonnie Franklin was the tofu of situation comedy -- the picked up the flavor of whatever was happening around her. Valerie Bertinelli was simply precious, and a perfect smile that was often more interesting than the dialogue. MacKenzie Phillips did a great job as the difficult and sulky child because, apparently, that's who she was in real life. (The daughter of the lead in the Mommas and Poppas, this "wild child" was tabloid fodder for decades.) Richard Masur's career seemed to both begin and end in this series, and he went on to take a senior position, I recall, with the Actors Union. As the series progressed, the producers were stymied by the fact that Harrington, cast into a secondary role, was stealing every scene he was on, AND, at the same time, scoring big with viewers. They wrote him bigger and bigger parts. Anyone watching this series today however might question why the "super" was spending so much time in the apartment of 3 women ..? Some individual episodes even tried to hint and romance between Franklin and Harrington, but the audiences were not very happy with that theme, and it died quickly.
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lg_law7 October 2005First off, i want to correct a previous poster who said that Valerie Bertinelli went on to marry the lead singer from Bon Jovi---she didn't marry Jon Bon Jovi, she married Eddie Van Halen, of the group Van Halen. They were married for a really long time, and i think they recently got divorced. They have one son together. Anyway....
I loved this show as a teenager. And i was forbidden to watch it when it started, so i had to sneak it when i was 13, with the volume way down low in my parent's bedroom, constantly watching the doorway to make sure mom or dad didn't come in. I loved this show. It did get a little old once everybody grew up, but i still watched it. Anybody out there remember when the show shifted focus to a house that Barbara and her husband shared with another couple? Was that couple Julie and her husband? I think this may have been the last season of the show.~~Linda