the new apartment has actually been a fairly easy adjustment for me.
I'm a bit more ambivalent about it and find the change to by symbolic of all the many changes on MTM. Mary moving to a new apartment is entirely organic to the story and character. With Rhoda and Phyllis gone, there was nothing keeping Mary in the same apartment. Being more successful, it makes sense that Mary would want a bigger place. The original apartment set was cozy, distinct and personal. The new apartment set was none of those things; I find it generic, cold and functional. Each evolution of MTM just slowly chipped away at what made the earlier seasons magical.
Some stories feel a little repetitious or familiar.
I have long felt that the ideal duration of a scripted TV show is 5 years; after that, it's either going to be repetitious and/or change too much. Some shows can hold the quality together for a few additional seasons, even if the repetition and/or changes start to become slightly problematic. After that, it's all downhill.
Sadly, this was also another strike against Murray who I just struggle to “get” as a character.
I've never really thought about Murray in a negative light, but I also can't disagree with any of your objections to the character. I suppose Gavin McLeod's inherent likability did some heavy lifting to make Murray seem like a good guy, even while his actions often said otherwise.
But you've touched on what was my thematic premise in discussing the show originally: the characters evolve and I don't always find the evolution to be all that enjoyable. So here's my hot take about MTM: I often dislike Mary Richards in the last two seasons. This is mostly due to a shift in Moore's performance; she added a sour quality to Mary that I find unlikable. I suppose as the character evolved, her earlier comedic aces-in-the-hole -- fumbling, stammering insecurity and occasionally even crying -- weren't as appropriate. I think Moore went too far in the opposite direction. In the early seasons, Mary always responded to Ted, Phyllis and Sue Ann with bemusement. In seasons six and seven, Mary often responded to Ted and Sue Ann with a sneering attitude that I dislike immensely.
Please don't hold back on comments or reviews on my account. I'm not overly worried about spoilers with this kind of series, and I have read about the basic premise. I can always skip what's read and come back to it later.
I'm six or seven episodes in and there's much less to potentially spoil than I imagined. And that's part of the problem, I think; the show isn't really about anything. I think sitcoms succeed based on two qualities: the premise and the cast. PHYILLS fails on both.
The show starts with a solid idea: Phyllis as a widow, making her more sympathetic. And then the character immediately moves in with her very well-to-do in-laws, removing any comedic/dramatic challenges of Phyllis trying to "make it on her own". Neither her homelife nor job offer any potential. The two characters are home at vague and pleasant; the two characters at work are vague and less pleasant. Unlike a TV newsroom, a photography studio doesn't open up many story possibilities. I'm already tired of these characters bickering over how to photograph an inanimate object.
Barbara Colby, in the first three episodes, at least offered some personality even if she seemed muted compared to her two appearances on MTM. Even though I knew the recast was coming, I still found it jarring. Although I have enjoyed Liz Torres in other TV shows, I've disliked her in every appearance on PHYLLIS so far.
The biggest frustration with PHYLLIS is they had a great premise staring right at them, and they skipped it: the eccentric, irresponsible mother and the level-headed teenage daughter. The show seems to go out of its way to avoid the Phyllis-Bess relationship. Even the episode ostensibly about Bess still managed to under-utilize Lisa Gerritsen.
Alternately, the show might have learned some lessons from MAUDE, which PHYLLIS slightly resembles; a manic, over-the-top central character surrounded by a supporting cast mostly there to react. But somehow PHYLLIS takes all of MAUDE's weaknesses and makes them worse.
Heavy criticisms aside, the show isn't really bad. I've certainly seen much worse American sitcoms. But it's not good either. One thing I will say in the show's defense: every episode has built up to and ended with one big laugh (always Phyllis', naturally; even when she was off-screen for one of them). I'm not sure if this will continue, but so far it seems like a deliberate story structure to climax the episode with a solid punchline, even while the rest of the episode was tepid.
I suppose I'll keep watching, but my pace has already slowed.
Along similar lines, one of my bugbears is when there's one person (or a couple of people) with a particularly loud, annoying or distinguishable laugh (or any combination of these).
Like a film score, I think the best audience reaction / laugh tracks are the ones you don't quite notice. I just watched all seven seasons of MTM and I was barely aware of the audience laughter; it mostly just seamlessly blended into the show.
The only exception I make are the various LUCY sitcoms, which has a very distinct woman's laughter in the audience. It was Lucy's mom who was at the filming of every episode, which I find sweet.
