Natalie Decleve

February 12, 2003

Com 290

 MWF 2:00

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

I.         It was produced by MTM productions, and aired on CBS for 7 seasons, from 1970-1977. 

II.                 It was an ensemble series that focused on the character of Mary Richards, played by Mary Tyler Moore.  Mary Richards was a single thirty-something woman who moved to Minneapolis to get away from a recently ended long-term relationship.  She begins work as a news producer at WJM-TV station.

III.               Other important characters to the show included Rhoda Morganstern, and her neurotic landlady, Phyllis Lindstrom.  At work there was her secretly kindhearted boss, Lou Grant, the cheery head writer, Murray Slaughter, and the egotistical Ted Baxter.

IV.              As soon as the show debuted, it was apparent that it was not like any before it because for the first time, it featured as the main character, a single woman leading a successful life and not necessarily looking for “the right man.”  The show was successful too in handling serious issues such as freedom of the press, divorce, and premarital sex in an honest and funny way without making the audience feel that they were being preached to. 

V.                 Immensely popular mostly due to the believable nature of the characters.  They were all very natural and realistic and they made viewers feel like they were visiting a group of friends every time they watched the show.  The character ensemble was perfectly detailed to make each character seem three-dimensional. 

VI.              The success of the show created spin-offs such as the show Phyllis and Rhoda as well as Lou Grant.  These shows left gaps to be filled by new characters such as Georgette Franklin, Ted Baxter’s ditzy blonde girlfriend and eventual wife, as well as Sue Ann Nivens, who was perpetually out to land a date with Lou. 

VII.            The show remained successful throughout its seasons and ended on September 3, 1977 while it was still high in the ratings.  The final episode featured the WJM-TV station being bought out and firing everyone except Ted Baxter; which was ironic because he was the one noted to be the reason for the unsuccessful news stations’ low ratings.  Everyone was sad to see the show end because they felt as if they were saying goodbye to old friends. 

VIII.         The show continues to do well in syndication, and was voted in Entertainment Weekly as #1 on the 1993 list of “101 Most Important Prime Time Shows Of All Time”.  And in its seven seasons of airtime, the Mary Tyler Moore show was awarded a record twenty-nine emmy’s.  It is a show that has made its way into the hearts of previous and current generations, and will probably last through many “moore.”