One Day at a Time

The series was created by husband-and-wife writing duo Whitney Blake and Allan Manings, and was based on Whitney Blake's own life as a single mother raising her three children (including future actress Meredith Baxter) after her divorce.

Two pilots were filmed for the series; the first, made in 1975 under the working title 'Three to Get Ready', featured Ann working as a nurse and having only one daughter, before a major reworking produced the pilot that actually launched the show.

The series was taped before a studio audience throughout its run, starting at CBS Television City for its first four episodes, then moving to Metromedia Square until 1982, and finally to Universal Studios from 1982 to 1984.

Richard Masur, who played Ann's love interest David Kane, left the show after clashing with Norman Lear over the character's direction, particularly Lear's insistence that David and Ann's romance remain unconsummated despite David repeatedly proposing marriage.

After Masur's departure, actress Mary Louise Wilson was cast as new neighbor Ginny Wroblicki, but the casting was unpopular all around: ratings declined, the character was disliked by viewers, and Wilson herself disliked the role and did not get along with star Bonnie Franklin, prompting her to leave the show after 14 episodes at her own request.

Lead actress Mackenzie Phillips struggled with real-life drug addiction during the 1979-1980 season and entered rehab in 1980, an ironic echo of the show's title, which references the Alcoholics Anonymous sobriety saying 'One Day at a Time.'

Mackenzie Phillips was fired from the show after its fifth season due to substance abuse issues, later returned in a recurring role, but was let go again shortly after the start of the final ninth season.

The theme song, 'This Is It', was composed by Brill Building songwriter Jeff Barry and his wife Nancy Barry, and performed by recording artist Polly Cutter.

A 2017 Netflix remake developed by Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce reimagined the series with a Latino cast led by Justina Machado and Rita Moreno, with Norman Lear returning as executive producer; several original cast and crew members also contributed, including Mackenzie Phillips in a recurring role and Michael Lembeck directing an episode.