Saturday Nights Have Never Been The Same Without ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’

Technically, the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on CBS was telecast on March 19, 1977. But, as a die-hard fan, then and now, I remember as a teenager thinking I still had about five months to bask in the repeats. And then came this day 45 years ago, September 3, 1977, when the encore telecast of the series finale of the beloved MTM meant that Saturday nights in TV land would never be the same again.

It never was.

Debuting on Saturday, September 19, 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a stark contrast to Petticoat Junction, the sitcom occupying the Saturday 9:30 p.m. ET time period where MTM was introduced. Don’t get me wrong, Petticoat Junction was another personal favorite. I still watch it every Saturday morning on MeTV. But at a time when CBS wanted to shed its then rural-themed comedy presence (The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres and Mayberry R.F.D., were also among them), this tale of an independent single woman who moves to Minneapolis after a failed relationship marked a new beginning for more adult-driven comedic storytelling.

At the time of its premiere, Mary Tyler Moore, of course, was known as the happily married Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show (”Ohhh…Rob!!!). So, to not tarnish her image, Mary Richards on MTM was single and not necessarily in search of a husband like her new best friend Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper). She was both independent and relatable; the woman we all knew would “make it after all.”

While the common consensus points to Mary as Mary Richards as the first single woman to be featured in a sitcom, that honor actually goes to Marlo Thomas on ABC’s That Girl, which debuted in 1966 and was in its last season when The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted. But no one can deny the impact this groundbreaking TV comedy made, where the laughter underscored social points that are still relevant today.

From The Beginning

Debuting at a time when there were just three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS and NBC), no computers, no cell phones, no cable or digital streamers, and no social media, it was the proverbial “water cooler” and positive reviews that initiated the early buzz for The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Initially airing immediately following comedy Arnie, starring Hershel Bernardi, and into drama Mission: Impossible, viewers gravitated to the complex characters and storylines (in contrast to the simplistic characters and plots often visible in the aforementioned rural comedies). By season two, then with recent entry All in the Family anchoring Saturday, The Mary Tyler Moore Show rose into the Top 10.

Fun factoid: The comedy leading into The Mary Tyler Moore Show in season two was The New Dick Van Dyke Show, featuring Hope Lange as his new TV wife Jenny Preston.

By season three, The Mary Tyler Moore Show populated the Saturday 9 p.m. half-hour on a night of television considered by many as the best comedy line-up in TV history. The CBS schedule consisted of All in the Family, M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show.

“MTM” Through the Years

Given the complexity of the initial cast (Ed Asner as gruff but lovable father figure Lou Grant, Ted Knight as wacky WJM-anchor Ted Baxter, Gavin MacLeod as sensible Murray Slaughter, Valerie Harper as single and insecure Rhoda Morgenstern, and Cloris Leachman as the self-absorbed Phyllis Lindstrom), it was inevitable a spin-off series was on its way. And along came Rhoda, headlined by Harper, who moves to New York City and gets married, effective in the fall of 1974. By that time, Betty White as man-hungry co-worker Sue Ann Nivens and Georgia Engel as ditzy Georgette Franklin, Ted’s future wife, were also part of the cast.

“There I was, minding my own business and having breakfast with Allen (Ludden) on a Sunday morning and there was a knock at my door,” Betty White once told me. “It was Mary and Grant Tinker, and they invited me to join the cast of Mary’s show after I did one guest spot. It was one of the happiest moments of my life and my career.”

When Rhoda broke of the box as an immediate hit, next was Phyllis, starring Cloris Leachman, in the fall 1975. With Mary’s two best buds on their own, Rhoda in New York and Phyllis now in San Francisco, it was time for Mary to exit her cozy studio apartment in that old house that served as her abode, into a one bedroom high rise building in season six.

By the 1975-76 TV season, all three comedies from the MTM stable finished the season in the Top 20: Phyllis at No. 6; Rhoda tied at No. 7 (with Sanford and Son); and The Mary Tyler Moore Show at No. 19.

Leaving While Still Ahead

With the Emmy Awards mounting year after year (29 in total for its seven season run, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series in the final three seasons), the forces behind The Mary Tyler Moore Show followed in the footsteps of Moore’s first big hit, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and exited while the series was still at the top of its game creatively. While there was talk of a spinoff featuring Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens, White opted for a new self-titled comedy co-starring Georgia Engel in the fall of 1977. But Ed Asner kept his character alive in drama Lou Grant, which was set in the newsroom of a Los Angeles newspaper and aired for five seasons.

In that now classic final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, heads begin to roll when the new station manager (Vincent Gardenia) fires Lou, Mary, Murray, and Sue Ann. Ted, surprisingly, is kept on. And, in the last scene, the five characters, plus Georgia Engel as Georgette, exit the newsroom while singing “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary.” When a very emotional Mary looks back, then bucks up and smiles before turning off the lights and closing the door, it was the end of an era on the small screen.

In 2000, Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper reprised their roles in a two-hour ABC TV-movie, Mary and Rhoda (which served as a pilot for a new potential series that never went into production). Now in their 60s, Mary was a widow, Rhoda was divorced, each had a young adult daughter, and both were facing similar situations at their more advanced ages. But, even today, and sadly with the cast of MTM now all gone, we can still revisit these TV characters who felt like personal friends.

Mary, Rhoda, Phyllis, Lou, Murray, Ted, Sue Ann and Georgette…

It’s a long way to Tipperary

It’s a long way to go.

It’s a long way to Tipperary

To the sweetest girl I know!

Goodbye Piccadilly

Farewell Leicester Square!

It’s a long long way to Tipperary

But my heart’s right there.