Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

mhubbard-54657 MTM was a great program that reflected the changing lifestyles and social mores of the 70's. Mary Richards, indeed, was a spunky young woman, learning how to make it on her own, with optimism, humor, an adorable apartment, and the help of some friends and co-workers.How well I remember the Saturday night TV line-up. MTM was the highlight of my week as a young teenager. Each week we got to see the opening scenes of Mary driving into the city, and walking in the beautiful city parks in her gorgeous coats. Each week we shared Mary's excitement in starting a new life for herself, even though there was the inevitable humorous glitch.Time moves along and so do people. Five years later, Mary was clearly middle-aged and no longer believable as the slightly naive young lady. Several of the original characters had left to pursue their own thing. They were replaced by characters not as good, in my opinion. In particular, I did not care for Betty White as the horny homemaker, I just didn't find her funny at all. Mary Richards was intriguing because her sexuality was subtle. The homemaker was just disgusting.At any rate, the first several seasons were excellent. Towards the end, the writers were starting to run out of good ideas, so the show was wisely canceled.

lois-lane33 This show is the great "sacred cow" of the TV entertainment business. Unlike anything that people like Bob Hope and the like did back then-it remains contemporaneous by virtue of its popularity-even today- and even though it was made years and years ago. I'm not much for sacred cows and I believe that credit should go where it is due. Fundamentally I think this show is odd. There are instances when I think the script could have been easily modified to send a better message than it did send. The lead actress is of course someone that everybody knows and probably watched even if they were born in the 1960's since the show ran in syndication until around 1980 and then basically vanished off the grid. The show vanished possibly due to the untimely death of MTM's only son-who died at his own hands in a tragic firearms accident that could have been easily prevented. You don't see any indication that this show even existed anymore even with cable packages that include many older films predating the MTM show by decades. The acting was well done but I think there were 'things' that cropped up on the show-like an episode where MR hides a job listing from her best friend and then the best friend rejects the job whole heartedly as 'crap' even though it wasn't a crap job. Such stuff would wreck most friendships because hiding a job listing is a decidedly unfriendly thing to do-even more surprising was her friends rejection of a job that was basically a sinecure as a 'crap job'-as if to say-'in your face all you artists.' Thats about as funny as a Volkswagen filled to the brim with thousands of baked beans. I found that script coy-impossibly saved by the dry wit of the character of Lou-MR's boss. Sometimes people write about how MTM got started in showbiz-doing "leggy" ads-the thing about that is the one thing you do notice about MTM is that she is skinny-and has very skinny legs. Legs that wouldn't look great in a "leggy" type of ad. That being said-I think the show enjoyed such a high level of 'connectivity' to luminaries of the era the show was filmed in- Presidents of the USA-people like Frank Sinatra-it doesn't allow space for any kind of constructive criticism of it-a show that featured a character that was frequently one of the most annoying characters to watch by way of the characters waffling way of dealing with things generally & then agreeing with anything at all type of attitude. The main character also smiled constantly. The shows best moments were when the character of Ted Baxter messed up his cue-cards on TV. Apparently MTM's real life son didn't like his mothers absorption into working on the show. I can see how a thing like that might be a real problem. It would have bothered me. I prefer the Carol Burnett Show in terms of comedy shows from that particular era. In over 20 of the MTM shows earliest episodes they never once mentioned either the Vietnam War, the NASA space program, or rock music-all things that were always in the news back then circa 1970. It begs the question-who are these people? Anyway-I think there's not much else to say about it. Bare pass only territory generally awarded excellence status.

happipuppi13 When I tell people ,what I'm about to tell you here,they look at me and go "You can't be serious!" "You're kidding right?" or "No way!" What it is,is that before this summer,when "Me-TV" came to channel 7.2 here in Phoenix,I had literally in my 43 years of living,had only seen "10" episodes of this series! Why? Well,from 1970 to 1977 I was only age 2 to 9,so it was beyond me then (I did see the opening credits but that's all.) In 1980/1981,the show was rerun here in Phoenix & I saw only the pilot show,and about 4 others. The film then was scratchy with lines and age & the sound was terrible. It was then gone from local TV here for 20 years & I had no cable.Fast forward to Aug. 2001,and I caught 5 shows on TV Land (at 6am!) on my apt. complex's clubhouse TV. Got to see Ted & Georgette get married,Lou's apt. get decorated badly by Rhoda,Murray shove Sue Ann into a big cake and Chuckles bite the dust and the finale.Now,2011. Ten years later,thanks to ME-TV having the show on 5 nights a week (formerly 7),I'm finally getting to really appreciate what a fine work of sitcom art this show was and still is. Some humor might be a touch dated but it's still funny and in terms of Ted Baxter,just downright hilarious.Mary Tyler Moore made the seamless transition from wife Laura Petrie to independent professional woman Mary Richards. (4 years between helped also.) Mary is not just this but also holds very natural human qualities and frailties as well. This makes her character 100% likable and relatable. Not just to women but anyone. I love her in the early 1970 Christmas show where she has to work alone at the station on Christmas Eve.Rhoda is the perfect counterpart & friend to Mary. The two compliment each other greatly on screen. Behind the scenes and on the show,the chemistry of friendship is very real. Seems too bad in a way that they took her to her own show but people watched that too.Murray is delightfully sarcastic to Ted and a great friend to Mary and Lou. Lou Grant is the epitome of the boss but with a heart (despite trying to hide it). From Show #1,Ed Asner made it apparent what his character is all about.Ted Baxter (the brilliant,late Ted Knight)is a pompous,egotistical,self loving egomaniac with the maturity of a high school boy . He's also a blundering buffoon on the air. As only Ted Knight could have played it. Why Georgette loves him is mystery but as she said,"Someone has to" .Georgia Engel is fantastic here too. I always did like that unique voice of hers. You gotta love & hate Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens "The Happy Homemaker". Always pretty much on the make for Lou and always acting like a perfect 1950s TV housewife who escaped from a TV,only to land in 1974.Part time character Phyllis (also got her own series) is one half snob and second half know it all. Before Sue Ann,she also had a tendency to needle Mary about her single status and sense of style.Even though I've now only seen about 50 of these shows,I can honestly see why it won so many Emmys in the 1970s. Every actor is true to their character and every character has the "real" or "human" side to them,that makes them likable. Yes....even Ted Baxter.Anyone who feels this is "not" a classic,does not know all that goes into making a sitcom. Not just making it funny but making it believable to the audience (and the critics). The actors have to believe themselves as these people as well and for what little I've seen,it's all A+ acting,writing and producing & great comic timing.It may have started 41 years ago and ended in 1977 but quality (in any form of entertainment) never goes out of style. 10 stars for the whole cast and crew,bravo....and Meow. (END)Edit : On July 2nd,2012,finished viewing all shows on DVD.

Flups21 Seriously! 30+ years later you still have to reference this show when discussing the Great American Sitcom. And, this is it. After all of these years, there is nothing quite Mary as Mary. No show has ever been better casted than this one. Each and every character was nailed to a tee by the actor/actress chosen for his/her role. Could Mary been played by anyone other than Mary Tyler Moore? Ted Baxter by anyone other than the late Ted Knight? Lou Grant! By anyone other than the oh-so-perfect Ed Asner? Murray? Gavin MacLeod pre-Love Boat! Rhoda!!!! Could anyone have nailed this better? Thank you Valerie Harper. No other faux-Jew could have matched you.