One Day At A Time
1 9 7 5 - 1 9 8 4 (USA)
This comedy revolved around the efforts of working mum Ann
Romano to raise her teenage daughters, headstrong and rebellious
Julie, and well-behaved and popular Barbara, after a not very
amicable divorce.
A mid-season replacement, One Day At A Time was a big
hit right from the start, earning itself a number 12 spot in the
Nielsen ratings in its first season, and staying in or around the
top 10 for the rest of its run.
Bonnie Franklin inhabited the role with a likable and
sympathetic believability - Part of which may have come from the
fact that she was divorced herself and could identify with Ann
Romano's experiences.
The show addressed the many problems of single parent families
including mum's foray into the dating world and the sibling
rivalry of her two daughters.
Always around to help and provide a laugh for the family was
their enormously conceited but lovable building superintendent,
Schneider. Richard Masur played Ann's lawyer neighbour (and later
boyfriend) David Kane.
The series gained some notoriety because of its frank treatment
of sexuality, although when Valerie Bertinelli's Barbara was faced
with her first chance at having sex, the shows producers polled
students at three US college campuses and, based on their
responses, decided to have her say no.
While people in mid-America had enjoyed watching Barbara grow
up to be a sweet, well-behaved young woman, Bertinelli began to
develop an avid male following as she grew up - Even spending one
entire episode in the bathtub!
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