Television series

One Day at a Time

Name: One Day at a Time
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1975
Cast: Valerie Bertinelli, Bonnie Franklin, Pat Harrington Jr., Mackenzie Phillips, Glenn Scarpelli

Other titles called One Day at a Time: the 2017 series (Pop).

Comedy
Light-hearted

A groundbreaking 1970s sitcom about a divorced single mother and her two teenage daughters navigating life in Indianapolis. It balances genuine domestic friction with warm humor, treating its characters' real problems—money, identity, relationships—without sentimentality. Smart, funny, and genuinely interested in who these people are.

TVMaze rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like a sitcom built on warm, observant domestic chatter, where the laughs come from a household's everyday friction and the cast's easy rapport across nine seasons.

Skip it if you want sharp, fast jokes or a show that feels modern; the stories are gentle, the laughs land at a steady, old-fashioned studio pace, and the 1970s attitudes show.

What it asks of you: Half-hour episodes that work as self-contained visits, so you settle in for a long run of short stops rather than a single serialized arc.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Mary Tyler Moore Show1970

The template for how sitcoms could be about work and independence without losing heart. Mary's steady competence and quick wit set the standard that One Day at a Time followed into family territory.

But Slower pacing than modern comedy; the workplace setting feels dated, and some supporting characters haven't aged as well as the lead.

Alice1976

Same era, same warmth, same commitment to showing how women actually talk to each other. A waitress and her single-mother friend navigate work and life with similar texture and honesty.

But Even less famous than One Day at a Time; finding it is harder, and the diner setting can feel repetitive.

Maude1972

Bea Arthur as a loud, opinionated woman making her own way; it tackles divorce, identity, and social change with satirical bite. A spiritual cousin in how it uses comedy to discuss real stakes.

But Heavier on topical issues, lighter on warmth; Maude's abrasiveness isn't everyone's speed, and some episodes date poorly.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from One Day at a Time

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Gilmore Girls2000

Both center on the unshakeable bond between a mother and daughters navigating adulthood together, where love is expressed through humor and daily life is the real story.

A mother and daughter so close they finish each other's sentences, living in small-town Connecticut. Shares that specific alchemy of snappy banter and genuine tenderness, and the sense that these two are each other's best friend.

But Incredibly fast dialogue can be exhausting; runs seven seasons and can feel repetitive in the later ones.

Family1976

A drama-comedy hybrid about family conflict and communication. Takes the same domestic problems seriously while still letting you laugh, which is exactly what One Day does.

But The drama can tip into melodrama; it feels more earnest and less funny than you might want from a sitcom.

Kate & Allie1984

Two women making their own way after divorce and loss, living together in New York. Carries forward that 1970s investment in female independence and friendship, though with 1980s production values.

But Later, slicker, and sometimes tries harder to be a conventional sitcom. Misses some of the scrappy authenticity.

Rhoda1974

Julie Kavner's Brenda in One Day predates Rhoda, but both shows understand that funny women can also be flawed and struggling. Warm, witty, and genuinely interested in its characters' lives.

But Dated production; pacing is glacial by current standards, and some humor lands on the wrong side of affection.

The Odd Couple1970

Two mismatched people sharing space and learning about each other. Uses sitcom structure to explore how friction and care coexist, which is the heart of One Day.

But Male-centered and lighter on emotional weight; some feel it's all surface without much underneath.

Diff'rent Strokes1978

An adoptive family navigating race, class, and belonging with surprising depth for a sitcom. Proves that family comedy could address real social questions without losing humor.

But Inconsistent tonal balance; some episodes veer into very heavy territory, and it doesn't always stick the landing.

Good Times1974

A working-class family in Chicago dealing with money, relationships, and staying together. Shares One Day's belief that sitcom characters deserve real problems and real affection.

But Tonal swings are sharp; can shift into melodrama suddenly, and some episodes feel like they're solving problems rather than exploring them.

Anita2013

Both are interested in women's autonomy, the cost of speaking up, and how you survive in a system that wasn't built for you.

A documentary about Anita Hill that unfolds her testimony during the Clarence Thomas hearings with patience and moral clarity. It captures what it means to speak truth when the world isn't ready to hear it—a theme One Day understands in its bones.

But Documentary-slow; painful to watch at times because it's about real harm and institutional failure. Not what you watch to feel good.

Scenes from a Marriage2021

Where One Day finds warmth and humor in the aftermath of divorce, Scenes finds existential weight. Same event, opposite registers—together they show the full spectrum of how people actually survive it.

Bergman's six-part series about a marriage dissolving and two people learning who they are apart. Shot like theater, acted like life. It's the serious version of the divorce and independence that One Day treats with comedy.

But Emotionally brutal and slow; no laugh track, no easy answers, no relief. Swedish, subtitled, and it will sit with you in ways that sting.