I read that there was an unaired pilot of ODAAT shot and Mckenzie Phillips was the only child. Do you think it helped to add Valerie Bertinelli or would it have been okay with just Mack? Whenever I think of this show I always think of the mischief Julie caused and I hardly think about the Barbara character. I guess they wanted to add another member to the cast. Barbara should've been a boy because we would've been able to see the different problems caused by the kids in a single parent home.

Since it was a Norman Lear project, I have no doubts that the writing quality would be there. However, Valerie really added a spark to the show.

Well, since the a lot of the shows revolved around the "bad girl" that Julie was supposed to be, having a "good girl" ( To make Julie look worse by compairison ) helped make for more tension with the mother than if Julie was the only kid...so Id say the show wouldnt have been as good

absolutely not, she's my favorite character.

absolutely not, she's my favorite character.


It would be hard to think of One Day at a Time without Barbara.

It made for an excellent dynamic between Barbara and Julie.

No way. No how.

No way. No how.
I agree.

Wouldn't be the same show, Single mom and one daughter kills a lot of their storylines.
What would they have done once Mackenzie was having her drug issues? Then it's just Ann.



And considering how they kept beefing up the cast in the later seasons, it would have probably happened earlier.

No. I don't think it would have nearly been as good without her. If another actress had played Barbara from the start we would have got used to her, but it really needed two daughters, and I think Valerie was a good casting choice!

Val as Barbara is my favorite, too.

Barbara should've been a boy

I feel compelled to note that this would have really played havoc with my adolescence :)

I feel compelled to note that this would have really played havoc with my adolescence :)


I Know you wouldn't have liked that idea at all Opus! No Valerie and not even a chance that another girl casted in her place would be pretty too! :(

So have Julie and a brother. Ann having a son and daughter instead of two daughters? Hmm, nah. Because the show was supposed to be about "women's independence" It was Ann and two girls against the world! LOL!! A son wouldn't meet the dynamic of the show IMO!!!! Just like why Alex really never worked! ;)

If that did happen, I wonder what actor would have been casted as the son? It would have been a guy that was around 15 or so in 1975!! That would be a fun topic for us all to ponder? What do you all think? I vote for Matt Dillon!

Matt Dillon young!!!!!! YUMMY!!!! I fell in LOVE with him from the movie Little Darlings!!! :)


https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvI8t9QOklMbJWO-9r_iWDZXeNNGpPpnA7PCgwziH7jEYfjk2d

No. I don't think it would have nearly been as good without her. If another actress had played Barbara from the start we would have got used to her, but it really needed two daughters, and I think Valerie was a good casting choice!


This show without Barbara have been SUPER A$$:lol: :lol:

She was the only thing watchable on the show