<P> One Day at a Time is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from December 16, 1975, until May 28, 1984 . It starred Bonnie Franklin as a divorced mother raising two teenaged daughters in Indianapolis . The daughters were played by Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli . </P> <P> The series was created by Whitney Blake and Allan Manings, a husband - and - wife writing duo who were both actors in the 1950s and 1960s . The series was based on Whitney Blake's own life as a single mother, raising her three children (including future actress Meredith Baxter) after her divorce from her first husband . </P> <P> Ann Romano, a divorced mother, moves from their home in Logansport, Indiana, to Indianapolis with her daughters, the rebellious Julie and the wisecracking Barbara . Ann frequently struggles with maintaining her role as mother while affording her daughters the freedom she never had as a young woman . Ann begins dating her divorce lawyer, David Kane (Richard Masur). They become engaged and call it off on their wedding day, when David says he wants kids, but Ann does not . Dwayne Schneider, the building's quirky superintendent (most often referred to only by his last name), provides usually unwanted advice to the tenants . </P> <P> After David takes a job in Los Angeles, the focus squarely rests on Ann's dilemmas as a single mother and career woman, as well as the girls' growing pains, with Schneider becoming a more welcomed part of the family . Ann's strained relationship with her ex-husband Ed slowly mends, as does the girls' relationship with his new wife, Vickie . Julie and Barbara advance through high school and into the working world, and Julie eventually marries flight attendant Max Horvath . Alex, the orphaned son of Ann's deceased boyfriend, moves in, changing the dynamics in the female - dominated apartment . Later in the series run, Julie gives birth to a daughter, "Little Annie" Horvath, Barbara marries dental student Mark Royer, and Ann's mother Katherine moves nearby . </P>

Who played david on one day at a time