I mean, the internet didn't exist yet when One Day at a Time was originally airing. So I wonder how much the general public knew about what was going on in her personal life. Did most viewers wonder why Mackenzie kept disappearing and reappearing on the series? I think that viewers only heard bits and pieces about what was really going on and that she had a major substance abuse problem.

Do you know about tabloid magazines?

You couldn't help but notice the crazy headlines when standing in-line at your grocery store checkout line.

Inquiring minds want to know!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsWDM8LqJUU

It was well publicized that she was failing to show up for the taping of episodes.

Do you know about tabloid magazines?

You couldn't help but notice the crazy headlines when standing in-line at your grocery store checkout line.

Inquiring minds want to know!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsWDM8LqJUU

It was well publicized that she was failing to show up for the taping of episodes.

Yeah! And the TV viewers could really see how she was really starting to look bad! She was getting much too thin and sickly looking !!!:(

March 17, 1980

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/wj0AAOSwEy1eIrU9/s-l400.jpg

Does anybody think that it was a tad harsh with how they pretty much made Julie a deadbeat mom at the end? It was like the producers wanted to just stick it to (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=362126) Mackenzie and her issues by taking one final dump on her character.

Does anybody think that it was a tad harsh with how they pretty much made Julie a deadbeat mom at the end? It was like the producers wanted to just stick it to (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=362126) Mackenzie and her issues by taking one final dump on her character.

It was a little harsh, but all the producers wanted was a nice final season to wrap things up and she went and screwed things up.

It's no secret (Val even mentions it in her first book) they were talking about a spin-off with her and Mac when Mac returned,but it never happened - clearly the producers and the network were worried about the risk if Mac relapsed - and she did in the end.

The whole "Two Couples Sharing a House" is so obvious what was salvaged from the spin-off concept. The entire 9th Season plays like two separate interconnected series - the "couples" and their story-lines and then Ann & Sam.

As I look at the People cover, is Bonnie wearing any upper undergarment?. She looks to be braless!!

As I look at the People cover, is Bonnie wearing any upper undergarment?. She looks to be braless!!


Yeah, she does look a bit revealing !! :eek:

believe me, we knew.

Does anybody think that it was a tad harsh with how they pretty much made Julie a deadbeat mom at the end? It was like the producers wanted to just stick it to (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=362126) Mackenzie and her issues by taking one final dump on her character.They did it this way because Michael Lembeck was well-liked, and they didn’t want him to be out of a job (again) because of Mackenzie’s issues. So the writers had them split up.

We did know about the drug issues when she was originally fired, though when she relapsed in the final season, it was said that she was suffering from anorexia.

I heard (https://www.quora.com/Whats-a-terrible-TV-show-that-is-not-talked-about-enough-when-discussing-bad-shows) that depending on what condition Mackenzie was in when she got to the studio—if she showed up at all—scripts were often extensively rewritten at the last minute to seriously minimize her screen-time (or write her out entirely when she passed out on set). You can see the other actors’ frustration, anger, and genuine concern in the actual show.