One Day at a Time

One Day at a Time
Premiere	December 16, 1975
Finale	May 28, 1984
Creator	Whitney Blake and Allan Manings
Developed by	Norman Lear
Network/Provider	CBS
Style	30-minute sitcom
Company	TAT Communications Company(seasons 1-7) Embassy Television (seasons 8-9)
Seasons	9
Episodes	209
Origin	USA

One Day at a Time is a sitcom that aired on CBS.

Ann Romano was a young divorcee, having split from her husband and taking her two daughters--fiercely independent and rebellious Julie and sweet but wise Barbara--with her to Indianapolis. They take in an apartment whose superintendent, Dwayne Schneider, is a self-proclaimed ladies man and comes and goes into the family's apartment as he pleases.

The main premise of the show is that Ann tries to prove she can raise two teenage daughters on her own, although she does see a suitor, lawyer David Kane, during the first season. There are moments of drama to offset the comedy, such as when Julie ran away with her boyfriend. Another instance had Barbara trying to act older than she is by making everyone think she was on "the pill." The charade nearly works too well when her boyfriend tries to score from third (to coin a metaphor). Other issues deal with sexual harrassment, infidelity and pre-marital sex.

Mackenzie Phillips left the show in 1979 to undergo rehab for cocaine abuse, so her character was written out as having been married. She would return the next season, in which Barbara would get married. In 1980, Ann starts a romance with her freelance business partner Nick Handris. Nick is killed by a drunk driver, so Ann takes on the task of raising Alex, Nick's teenage son.

At the series finale in 1984, Ann and her new husband Sam (the divorced dad of Barbara's husband) move to London, and Schneider relocates to Florida to tend to his orphaned niece and nephew.

Cast

Actor	Character	Duration
Billed Cast		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Bonnie Franklin	Ann Romano Royer	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Mackenzie Phillips	Julie Cooper Horvath	*	*	*	*	*		o	*	*
Valerie Bertinelli	Barbara Cooper Royer	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Pat Harrington	Dwayne Schneider	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Richard Masur	David Kane	*	*
Mary Louise Wilson	Ginny Wrobliki		*
Michael Lembeck	Max Horvath					*	o	o	*	*
Ron Rifkin	Nick Handris						*
Glenn Scarpelli	Alex Handris						*	*	*
Shelley Fabares	Francine Webster							*	*	*
Boyd Gaines	Mark Royer							*	*	*
Nanette Fabray	Katherine Romano					o	o	o	o	*
Howard Hesseman	Sam Royer								*	*
Orange/Red/o indicates a recurring or guest role during that season. Dark Green indicates top billing during that season.

Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale				#
CBS
Season One	December 16, 1975	March 30, 1976				15
Season Two	September 28, 1976	March 22, 1977				24
Season Three	September 27, 1977	April 3, 1978				24
Season Four	September 18, 1978	April 15, 1979				26
Season Five	September 30, 1979	April 13, 1980				26
Season Six	November 9, 1980	May 10, 1981				21
Season Seven	October 11, 1981	May 16, 1982				25
Season Eight	September 26, 1982	May 23, 1983				26
Season Nine	October 2, 1983	May 28, 1984				22

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series

DVD Releases

Title			Release			Discs
Season Sets  (Region 1)
The Complete First Season			April 24, 2007			2

External Links

• opening credits for season 1on YouTube