The cast of the classic mid-'70s sitcom "One Day At A Time" got together for a reunion Friday on "Good Morning America" (weekdays, 9 a.m. ET on ABC).
The show, which presented a light-hearted look at the lives of a divorced mother living with her two teenage daughters, ran for nine seasons and never shied away serious topics. "The truth of the matter was, we were reflecting what was out there; it had just never been on television before," Bonnie Franklin, who played mother Ann Romano, told "GMA."
"One Day At A Time" also launched the careers of Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli, who went in remarkably different directions after their time on the show.
Phillips, who played the rebellious daughter Julie Cooper, has spent years struggling with drug and alcohol abuse that began when she was a young girl. "My story is no different than any other kid who was going through addiction issues in America," she explained on "GMA." Phillips was a participant in Season 3 of "Celebrity Rehab" and has written a memoir about an incestuous sexual relationship she had with her father John Phillips, the lead singer of The Mama And The Papas.
Franklin said that she didn't fight for Phillips to remain on the show when producers fired her twice. "Bonnie said, 'We're not going to keep putting money in her pocket for her to go out and kill herself,"' Phillips remembered.
Bertinelli, on the other hand, has enjoyed a successful post-"One Day At A Time" TV career on shows like "Touched By An Angel" and her current sitcom "Hot In Cleveland." The cast beamed with pride when Lara Logan asked them about her latter-career success. "You made the most of the chance," said Pat Harrington, who played building superintendent Dwayne Schneider, told her.
"Valerie's a testament to what can happen if you have the proper kind of parenting," Phillips noted.
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