The Mary Tyler Moore Show (TV)
"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" is a groundbreaking television sitcom that premiered in 1970, notable for featuring a single woman, Mary Richards, in its lead role. Portrayed by Mary Tyler Moore, Mary is a thirty-something television producer navigating life and career after ending a long-term relationship. The show is set in Minneapolis and focuses on Mary's interactions with a diverse ensemble cast, including her boss Lou Grant, co-workers Murray Slaughter and Ted Baxter, and friends Rhoda Morgenstern and Phyllis Lindstrom. While primarily comedic, the series also tackled serious social issues such as premarital sex, divorce, and press freedom, reflecting the evolving feminist ideals of the era.
Despite some critical debate about its portrayal of femininity, the show resonated with many viewers and achieved significant acclaim, winning twenty-nine Emmy Awards, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series. It also inspired successful spin-offs featuring beloved characters and paved the way for future ensemble comedies like "Taxi," "Cheers," and "Friends." The show's legacy endures, continuing to air in syndication and influencing the landscape of American television comedy.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (TV)
Identification Television situation comedy
Date Aired September, 1970, to September, 1977
This highly successful television show featured a single, professional woman as the lead character.
When it first aired in 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore Show was the only major television show featuring a single woman in the starring role. It was a situation comedy that relied on the relationships of the ensemble cast to develop the plots. Mary Tyler Moore portrayed the main character, Mary Richards, a woman in her thirties who had just ended a live-in relationship with a boyfriend. Richards was a television producer at WJM-TV, a mediocre television station in Minneapolis, and she lived alone in an apartment.
Richards’s emotional and social life revolved around the people with whom she interacted at work: news director Lou Grant (played by Ed Asner), newswriter Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod), anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight), and Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White), the man-hungry “Happy Homemaker.” She also shared experiences with two women in her apartment building: her best friend, Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper), and her landlady, Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman).
Although The Mary Tyler Moore Show was primarily a comedy, the show also dealt with a number of serious issues, including premarital sex, divorce, and freedom of the press. The character, in some ways, mirrored the desires of feminist women in the 1970’s. However, the show also stimulated disagreement among feminist critics because of its contradictory messages. Richards enjoyed her independence, liked her job, and led an active social life. At the same time, however, her character often seemed weak and childlike. For example, Richards was the only character on the show who referred to her boss as “Mr. Grant.” Her independent image seemed to wither when her character was confronted by strong characters on the show. At work, she acted more like a sister or mother than a producer when interacting with her male coworkers.
Impact
Despite having some critics, The Mary Tyler Moore Show was embraced by many Americans and earned twenty-nine Emmy Awards, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series and numerous others for the actors, writers, and directors. Three of the characters from the show became the stars of the successful spin-offs: Rhoda, Phyllis, and Lou Grant. The Mary Tyler Moore Show set the pace for the many ensemble comedies that would come after it, including Taxi, Cheers, and Friends. It continued to air in syndication years after its debut.
Bibliography
Douglas, Susan J. “The Rise of the Bionic Bimbo.” In Where the Girls Are. New York: Random House, 1994.
Dow, Bonnie. “Hegemony, Feminist Criticism, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Critical Studies in Mass Communication 7, no. 3 (September, 1990): 261-275.
Rabinovitz, Lauren. “Sitcoms and Single Moms: Representations of Feminism on American TV.” Cinema Journal 29, no. 1 (Fall, 1989): 3-19.