Classic TV: One Day at a Time (1975)

 Norman Lear gave CBS two huge hits in 1975. We've already covered The Jeffersons, but, now, it's time to turn our attention to One Day at a Time.

With successful series set in New York (The Jeffersons, Maude, All in The Family) and Chicago (Good Times), Lear moved further into the Midwest by setting Day in Indianapolis, the tale of a divorcee (Bonnie Franklin) with two daughters (Valerie Bertinelli & MacKenzie Phillips) moving into the city to start a new life. For so, so long, the writers teased that building manager Dwayne Schneider (Pat Harrington) might be a love interest for Ann Romano (Franklin), but it was not to be.

As time wore on, however, Cupid's arrows found all three Romano women. The cycle started with Julie (Phillips), who found her true love with Max (Michael Lembeck, ex-Barney Miller, The Krofft Supershow). Toward the end of the series, Howard Hesseman, fresh from WKRP in Cincinnati, joined the show as a love interest for Ann.

Knowing they needed to keep the youth demographic, up & coming teen star Glenn Scarpelli, son of comics artist Henry Scarpelli, joined the show, and ultimately got a comic book deal out of the gig. However, Scarpelli lasted just 3 seasons (1980-3), and left to briefly co-host NBC's Fantasy, then co-star opposite Ann Jillian in Jennifer Slept Here.

Check the opener:

We had the pilot, Three to Get Ready, but it was deleted from YouTube.

The series settled into a powerhouse Sunday comedy block until the series ended in 1984.

Rating: A-.