The highest-rated show ever to be cancelled. It ranked fifth in the ratings of all shows that season.
Despite excellent ratings (it was the highest-rated new show of the 1972-73 season) this show was cancelled after only one season. The "official" reason for its cancellation was that it was scheduled between two mega-hits, All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and its ratings weren't strong enough considering its choice position in the line-up. Even series star David Birney conceded that, "They probably could have run rat races in that time slot and people would've tuned in." (This idea was debunked in 1974 when "Paul Sands in Friends and Lovers" debut in that position and was cancelled after five shows.)
The series' stars, Meredith Baxter and David Birney, met on the series and eventually married in 1974. They had three children before divorcing in 1989. In her 2011 memoir, "Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering", Baxter alleged that Birney was physically and mentally abusive throughout their marriage. Birney denied the allegations.
The idea of a Jew marrying a Catholic was highly controversial at the time. Reportedly, the show was cancelled because CBS executives were tired of the constant protests and hate mail.