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Global Telly Talk
Classic US TV
Mary Tyler Moore Show and Its Spin-Offs
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<blockquote data-quote="Crimson" data-source="post: 401494" data-attributes="member: 5079"><p>MTM is rare among American sitcoms in that it contains genuine growth of characters and scenarios. The drawback to evolution is, well, it's no longer the same. MTM is a top notch sitcom from beginning to end, but some of the magic of the first season starts to fade. The wistful, melancholy vibe doesn't carry too far into the series. Maybe it was very era-specific, but it also reflects Mary's development. In the first season, she was hesitantly starting a new life. By the second season, she was settled with a solid career and good friends. Perhaps they were a tad premature in tweaking the lyrics to be more upbeat and confident or maybe, as Snarky suggests, the lyrics should have continued to evolve along with Mary.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Child actors are often the bane of a TV series, even when they're the star. Lisa Gerritsen was an unusually at-ease and amusing child performer, so it's a shame she wasn't utilized more often. But, of course, she was tied to Phyllis, who was a "special guest star" and best in small doses anyway.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It was confirmed in the book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Lou-Rhoda-Ted-Brilliant/dp/B00CFQF9NK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1V4IT7XS7VY7E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JePg8Fw9Kj4fRpAEvj7X_Z2WpR2JRXmuBmJwqf7bNkLlJrcaDzwX-AcYI5Wtgqpl5pkrs4N_SLcZftKZHZyeuiZ-Rt0oExa06fnjEZS2G1jrH2jLUsX30PTaXfANBiNhH5Xv51TzC5UQAXtbAW232wooFb4YxghW8jsisFFrOrVGcyVw8qJwej18TNkyJisGx6gdqwBfs39sY16ordG_eZ-fLQIkLy358hJyf69zcpY.08aW9EWv_2MfZE_eTvdGG5hzOdLhyx6T3_A_bSbSh_s&dib_tag=se&keywords=mary+tyler+moore+show+book&qid=1717673601&sprefix=mary+tyler+moore+show+book%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And All the Brilliant Minds Who Made the Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic</a>, which contained interviews with most key players related to the series. The role of Ted was written with Cassidy in mind but he turned it down as being too similar to the role he played in the short lived sitcom HE & SHE. (Lyle Waggoner was also considered.)</p><p></p><p>Although I like the episode because it gave insight and focus to Ted, I did not care for Cassidy or the role. We dodged a bullet with the possibility of Cassidy playing Ted, as I don't think he could have brought any of the bumbling insecurity to the role Ted Knight did. I'm also not wild about guest stars playing siblings who are more or less carbon copies of the main characters; I never see the point. I feel the same about Nancy Walker on GOLDEN GIRLS; her Angela was too similar to Sophia for me to find all that funny. And not to rile up the DYNASTY folks, but one of the few instances where I dipped into that series was when Kate O'Mara was in the cast. I failed to see the reason for having a poor man's Alexis when Alexis was standing right there.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Crimson, post: 401494, member: 5079"] MTM is rare among American sitcoms in that it contains genuine growth of characters and scenarios. The drawback to evolution is, well, it's no longer the same. MTM is a top notch sitcom from beginning to end, but some of the magic of the first season starts to fade. The wistful, melancholy vibe doesn't carry too far into the series. Maybe it was very era-specific, but it also reflects Mary's development. In the first season, she was hesitantly starting a new life. By the second season, she was settled with a solid career and good friends. Perhaps they were a tad premature in tweaking the lyrics to be more upbeat and confident or maybe, as Snarky suggests, the lyrics should have continued to evolve along with Mary. Child actors are often the bane of a TV series, even when they're the star. Lisa Gerritsen was an unusually at-ease and amusing child performer, so it's a shame she wasn't utilized more often. But, of course, she was tied to Phyllis, who was a "special guest star" and best in small doses anyway. It was confirmed in the book [URL='https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Lou-Rhoda-Ted-Brilliant/dp/B00CFQF9NK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1V4IT7XS7VY7E&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JePg8Fw9Kj4fRpAEvj7X_Z2WpR2JRXmuBmJwqf7bNkLlJrcaDzwX-AcYI5Wtgqpl5pkrs4N_SLcZftKZHZyeuiZ-Rt0oExa06fnjEZS2G1jrH2jLUsX30PTaXfANBiNhH5Xv51TzC5UQAXtbAW232wooFb4YxghW8jsisFFrOrVGcyVw8qJwej18TNkyJisGx6gdqwBfs39sY16ordG_eZ-fLQIkLy358hJyf69zcpY.08aW9EWv_2MfZE_eTvdGG5hzOdLhyx6T3_A_bSbSh_s&dib_tag=se&keywords=mary+tyler+moore+show+book&qid=1717673601&sprefix=mary+tyler+moore+show+book%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-1']Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And All the Brilliant Minds Who Made the Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic[/URL], which contained interviews with most key players related to the series. The role of Ted was written with Cassidy in mind but he turned it down as being too similar to the role he played in the short lived sitcom HE & SHE. (Lyle Waggoner was also considered.) Although I like the episode because it gave insight and focus to Ted, I did not care for Cassidy or the role. We dodged a bullet with the possibility of Cassidy playing Ted, as I don't think he could have brought any of the bumbling insecurity to the role Ted Knight did. I'm also not wild about guest stars playing siblings who are more or less carbon copies of the main characters; I never see the point. I feel the same about Nancy Walker on GOLDEN GIRLS; her Angela was too similar to Sophia for me to find all that funny. And not to rile up the DYNASTY folks, but one of the few instances where I dipped into that series was when Kate O'Mara was in the cast. I failed to see the reason for having a poor man's Alexis when Alexis was standing right there. [/QUOTE]
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Mary Tyler Moore Show and Its Spin-Offs
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