The biggest problem this show had, and it was unavoidable, was the casting of the central character, July Kavner was Rhoda not Valerie Harper. Everything we know about Rhoda is Judy, the looks, the sound, the various complexes about her weight and attractiveness to men screams Judy, not the urbane, confident look of the beautiful Valerie Harper. It would have been better to have Valerie cast as the more successful sister to add to Rhoda's (Judy Kavner) woes.

Now of course none of this is possible because of the MTM show. It was ironic that they found the perfect actress to play Rhoda but it was impossible for her to play the part.

Well, you make an interesting point, but, Rhoda was cast long before the idea of the spinoff; ironically, originally, on MTM, Rhoda had a different sister who was actually nothing like Brenda!

Excellent thread topic...and you are right! Julie Kavner WAS Rhoda in every way. As a matter of fact, she stole the show from Valerie Harper as far as I'm concerned.

I agree, Julie Kavner does fit the Rhoda description better than Valerie Harper. But Valerie did an excellent job as a Rhoda.

What also happened was Rhoda's character evolved in her time on TMTMS, so she went beyond her original characterization. Enter Brenda to become the "new" Rhoda. (whether you want to think Rhoda was now a Rhoda/Mary hybrid, I'll leave to you)

But regardless of how good Julie would have been, or who would have been "better," I wouldn't ask for anyone else but Valerie to have been Rhoda regardless :-)

Who's Judy?

To me, Valerie Harper was and is Rhoda. However, if she'd left TMTMS and never gone on to the spinoff, I think she would've been a great choice to play Ann Romano on One Day at a Time. Though it is hard to imagine anyone else other than Bonnie Franklin in that role as well.

I do see a lot of the early MTM Rhoda's insecurity in Brenda. As time went it, it really does seem like Rhoda became more confident, and that the kind of "woe is me/eternally suffering/bad luck" stuff was captured more by Brenda.

Then again, when Rhoda got married, it was hard to continue to characterize her as the "loser at love" we had seen for years. Her life got a lot better, so the character had to evolve.

Good points by everyone, though.

It's kind of hard listening to Brenda without hearing Marge Simpson instead. :lol:

It's kind of hard listening to Brenda without hearing Marge Simpson instead. :lol:


I hear ya! :)

It's kind of hard listening to Brenda without hearing Marge Simpson instead. :lol:
It's also hard to listen to Carlton without hearing Garfield!

What also happened was Rhoda's character evolved in her time on TMTMS, so she went beyond her original characterization. Enter Brenda to become the "new" Rhoda. (whether you want to think Rhoda was now a Rhoda/Mary hybrid, I'll leave to you)

But regardless of how good Julie would have been, or who would have been "better," I wouldn't ask for anyone else but Valerie to have been Rhoda regardless :-)

:yeahthat There's a line in the pilot where Rhoda says to Brenda, "I feel like I'm looking in an old mirror," meaning that even SHE saw the similarities between them. I've always thought Brenda is who Rhoda would've been had she not had those four years in Minneapolis. And she tried to "pay it forward" by helping Brenda the way Mary did with her. Although I think Brenda was probably a bit worse off than Rhoda was, b/c even when Mary and Rhoda met, Rhoda had already put several thousand miles between herself and her mother, LOL.

- Kristen

It's also hard to listen to Carlton without hearing Garfield!
Exactly - since I grew up on Garfield and never saw Rhoda until I was an adult. :lol:

To me, Valerie Harper was and is Rhoda. However, if she'd left TMTMS and never gone on to the spinoff, I think she would've been a great choice to play Ann Romano on One Day at a Time. Though it is hard to imagine anyone else other than Bonnie Franklin in that role as well.
I can see Nancy Dussault playing Ann Romano. Nancy Dussault was better known as Ted Knight's TV wife Muriel Rush of Too Close for Comfort.

Yes, I can see Nancy Dussault in the role of Ann. She did look quite a bit like Bonnie Franklin, ironically.

The creator of the show should have had Valerie Harper and Julie Kavner switch their on-screen roles as an April Fool's Joke.

To me, Valerie Harper was and is Rhoda. However, if she'd left TMTMS and never gone on to the spinoff, I think she would've been a great choice to play Ann Romano on One Day at a Time. Though it is hard to imagine anyone else other than Bonnie Franklin in that role as well.
I do see a lot of the early MTM Rhoda's insecurity in Brenda. As time went it, it really does seem like Rhoda became more confident, and that the kind of "woe is me/eternally suffering/bad luck" stuff was captured more by Brenda.

Then again, when Rhoda got married, it was hard to continue to characterize her as the "loser at love" we had seen for years. Her life got a lot better, so the character had to evolve.

Good points by everyone, though.

Well, you make an interesting point, but, Rhoda was cast long before the idea of the spinoff; ironically, originally, on MTM, Rhoda had a different sister who was actually nothing like Brenda!

Wasn't her name Debbie, and she was getting married? Mary went with Rhoda to the Bronx to go to the wedding if I remember correctly?

I think Debbie was thinner than Brenda and had curly hair if my memory serves me right?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Rhodas_sisters_wedding_1973.JPG/200px-Rhodas_sisters_wedding_1973.JPG

Mary and Rhoda with Debbie Morgenstern