‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ Turns 55

LOS ANGELES – JANUARY 1: THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, featuring cast members (clockwise from top left): Valerie Harper (as Rhoda Morgenstern); Edward Asner (as Lou Grant); Cloris Leachman (as Phyllis Lindstrom); Ted Knight (as Ted Baxter); Mary Tyler Moore (as Mary Richards) and Gavin MacLeod (as Murray Slaughter). Image dated 1972. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)

CBS via Getty Images

In the fall of 1970, CBS was in the midst of a major shift. The Eye network, long synonymous with the innocent rural-themed sitcoms like The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and Mayberry R.F.D., was looking for something more modern. It was a time of cultural change.

Enter The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which premiered on Saturday, September 19, 1970. This groundbreaking sitcom centered on Mary Richards, an independent, single woman who moved to Minneapolis after a failed relationship, seeking a fresh start. It was a stark contrast to the simple comedies that had dominated CBS for years, and it quickly became apparent that it was also a show of great cultural significance.

Earlier, Mary Tyler Moore had become a household name playing the lovable, happily married Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. But for her new role, CBS wasn’t ready to have her play a divorced woman and to distance her from the “Laura Petrie” image, Moore even wore a long-haired wig in the show’s first season.

While many credit Mary Richards of The Mary Tyler Moore Show as the first single woman to lead a sitcom, the true pioneer was Marlo Thomas, whose character Ann Marie in That Girl made history when it premiered on ABC in 1966. By the time The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted, That Girl was in its final season. Still, the lasting impact of MTM cannot be overstated. With its sharp and warm humor, it tackled independence and social issues in ways that resonate even today.

From the Beginning

When The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted in an era of just three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC), no computers, no cell phones, and no social media, it became the ultimate “water cooler” show. Initially airing right after the comedy Arnie (starring Hershel Bernardi) and before the drama Mission: Impossible on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET, MTM quickly drew viewers with its complex characters and more modern day storylines.

By season two, The Mary Tyler Moore Show had climbed into the Top 10, thanks in part to All in the Family anchoring the Saturday night lineup.

Fun fact: In its second season, The New Dick Van Dyke Show was the comedy that preceded The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

By season three, The Mary Tyler Moore Show had secured its place at 9 p.m. on Saturday — during what many consider one of the best comedy lineups in television history. CBS’ schedule featured All in the Family, MASH, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. We’re so glad we had this time together, Archie, “Hawkeye”, Mary, Bob, and Carol!

The Mary Tyler Moore Show Through the Years

With its beloved ensemble cast — including Ed Asner as the gruff yet lovable Lou Grant, Ted Knight as the bumbling WJM anchor Ted Baxter, Gavin MacLeod as the steady Murray Slaughter, Valerie Harper as the single and insecure Rhoda Morgenstern, and Cloris Leachman as the self-absorbed Phyllis Lindstrom — it was only a matter of time before a spin-off was born. In 1974, Rhoda, starring Harper, followed Rhoda’s move to New York City and her journey to marriage. By that point, Betty White had joined the cast as the man-hungry Sue Ann Nivens, and Georgia Engel stepped in as thwe quirky and a bit kooky Georgette Franklin, Ted’s future wife.

When Rhoda became an instant hit, the next spin-off followed in the fall of 1975 with Phyllis, starring Cloris Leachman. With Mary’s two best friends now leading their own shows — Rhoda in New York and Phyllis in San Francisco — Mary moved out of her cozy studio apartment in hat oversized house and into a one-bedroom high-rise apartment (which, unfortunately, lacked the charm of that first place). Not even Mary’s oversized “M” on the wall felt all that cozy.

Leaving While Still Ahead

With The Mary Tyler Moore Show accumulating an impressive 29 Emmy Awards over its seven-season run – three of which were for Outstanding Comedy Series in its final three seasons — the decision to end the show came at its creative peak. The producers, following the example set by Moore’s first major hit, The Dick Van Dyke Show, chose to exit while they were still at the top.

While there was talk of a spin-off starring Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens, White ultimately chose to star in her own self-titled comedy, which premiered in the fall of 1977 and co-starred Georgia Engel. It lasted just 13 episodes. However, Ed Asner continued to portray Lou Grant in the drama Lou Grant, which centered around a Los Angeles newspaper newsroom and ran for five seasons.

Asner is one of the few actors to win an Emmy for playing the same character in both a sitcom and a drama.

In 2000, Moore and Harper reunited for a two-hour ABC TV movie, Mary and Rhoda, which served as a pilot for a potential series that, unfortunately, never came to fruition.

In 2013, the cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show reunited for an episode of comedy Hot in Cleveland. Betty White, who played Elka Ostrovsky, welcomed her former co-stars Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, and Georgia Engel. The appearance brought together the iconic cast from the show that had become a cornerstone of TV history.

Today, 55 years after meeting the gang from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the influence of its groundbreaking characters and memorable moments continues to resonate, and reminds us why great television comedy is truly timeless.

Good ol’ Mary – she really did make it after all!