The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Good night and good news.
30-year-old single Mary Richards moves to Minneapolis to start a new life after a romantic break-up. There she reacquaints with Phyllis who rents her a room, and meets her upstairs neighbor and new best friend Rhoda. Mary unexpectedly lands a job as associate producer at the TV station WJM, where she works alongside her bristly boss, Lou; the comical newswriter, Murray; and the newscast's often-incompetent anchor, Ted.
Seasons
1. Love is All Around
Air Date: 1970-09-19
The classic series begins its classic 7-year run in Mary's apartment. Mary Richards, a 30-year-old single woman, has left her long-time boyfriend, Bill, to be with her old friend, Phyllis Lindstrom, in Minneapolis. (Mary originally lived in Roseburg, MN.) Why did Mary leave Bill? After promising to her that he would marry her right after his internship at the hospital, he said, ""Why rush into things???"" Meanwhile, she's already having troubles with her new apartment--a bitter upstairs neightbor, Rhoda Morgenstern, insists that she owns Mary's apartment!
2. Today I Am a Ma'am
Air Date: 1970-09-26
Mary is worried now that she's outside the 15-29 demographic group which the station classifies as 'young', and the mailboy has called her 'Ma'am'. Rhoda persuades her into calling an old boyfriend for a get-together.
3. Bess, You is My Daughter Now
Air Date: 1970-10-03
When Phyllis's husband Lars takes ill, she asks Mary to babysit Bess for a few days. Bess decides she wants to stay permanently with Mary, to Phyllis's dismay.
4. Divorce Isn't Everything
Air Date: 1970-10-10
Mary and Rhoda find out that divorcees at the Better Luck Next Time club can get group rates on cruises and decide to join. However, Mary proves a hit with the club's members and gets elected to its board.
5. Keep Your Guard Up
Air Date: 1970-10-17
A football player turned insurance salesman applies for a job as a sportscaster and attaches himself to Mary. Mary and Rhoda discover that he hasn't had much success at anything and encourage him to pursue his dreams.
6. Support Your Local Mother
Air Date: 1970-10-24
Rhoda's mother, Ida, comes visiting and Rhoda refuses to see her. Ida stays with Mary but drives her crazy.
7. Toulouse-Lautrec is One of My Favorite Artists
Air Date: 1970-10-31
Mary begins seeing an author who appeared as a guest on WJM-TV's Scrutiny, and becomes extremely self-conscious after discovering he is several inches shorter than her.
8. The Snow Must Go On
Air Date: 1970-11-07
A snowstorm leaves Mary producing her first program, broadcasting the results of the local elections. The show has to remain on until a winner is declared and no word is received at the newsroom.
9. Bob & Rhoda & Teddy & Mary
Air Date: 1970-11-14
Mary is nominated for her first Television Editors' Award (the ""Teddies""), but at home Rhoda's boyfriend Bob takes more of an interest in Mary than in Rhoda.
10. Assistant Wanted, Female
Air Date: 1970-11-21
Mary's workload gets too much so Lou allows her to hire an assistant. She chooses Phyllis who hinders more than she helps.
11. 1040 or Fight
Air Date: 1970-11-28
Mary is audited by the IRS, and the shy auditor takes an interest in her. Unfortunately, he has great difficulty telling her how he feels.
12. Anchorman Overboard
Air Date: 1970-12-05
Ted loses his self-confidence after speaking at Phyllis's club and Mary has to find a way to get Ted back on a high.
13. He's All Yours
Air Date: 1970-12-12
After Mary invites Lou's nephew home for dinner, she must confront false rumors in the newsroom the following day.
14. Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid II
Air Date: 1970-12-19
Feeling sympathetic for a co-worker who hasn't spent Christmas with his family for years, Mary is forced to stay alone at WJM-TV on Christmas Eve.
15. Howard's Girl
Air Date: 1971-01-02
Mary begins seeing Paul Arnell, the brother of her former boyfriend Howard Arnell, and is shocked to discover that the brothers' parents still believe that she and Howard are an item.
16. Party is Such Sweet Sorrow
Air Date: 1971-01-09
Mary gets a tempting offer from a rival television station, but becomes reluctant to leave when her WJM-TV colleagues throw a farewell party for her.
17. Just a Lunch
Air Date: 1971-01-16
Mary reluctantly finds herself romantically involved with a married man.
18. Second Story Story
Air Date: 1971-01-23
Mary's apartment is burgled, with only her clothes, stereo and television taken but then next night the whole apartment is cleaned out.
19. We Closed in Minneapolis
Air Date: 1971-01-30
Murray's play, All Work and No Play, is finally produced but his happiness is short-lived when he discovers that the leading role will be played by Ted.
20. Hi!
Air Date: 1971-02-06
Mary is admitted into the hospital to have her tonsils removed, and shares a room with a grouchy woman who refuses to get along with anyone.
21. The Boss Isn't Coming to Dinner
Air Date: 1971-02-13
Lou and his wife Edie separate and Mary becomes involved when she is asked for advice.
22. A Friend in Deed
Air Date: 1971-02-20
An irritating childhood friend drops by Mary's apartment, making use of her connection as Mary's former camp mate to introduce herself to the newsroom's staff.
23. Smokey the Bear Wants You
Air Date: 1971-02-27
Rhoda falls in love with a top executive, and is shocked to find that he wants to give up the high-flying lifestyle to become a forest ranger.
24. The 45-Year-Old Man
Air Date: 1971-03-06
When Lou is fired, Mary goes to confront the station owner, Wild Jack Munroe.
1. The Bird and ...Um ...Bess
Air Date: 1971-09-18
In the second-season premiere, after Mary Richards produces a ""What's Your Sexual IQ?"" documentary for the Six O'Clock News, Rhoda confesses to failing and Phyllis says that young Bess watched it. Phyllis calls on Mary to teach Bess the facts of life, but it turns out that Bess already had learned it from her friends. Meanwhile, the WJM-TV newsroom is shelled with phone calls responding to the documentary. According to Mary, more people are appalled by it than anything else.
2. I Am Curious Cooper
Air Date: 1971-09-25
Mary is intrigued by the voice of Lou Grant's friend, Mike Cooper, and asks to be set up with him. Lou breaks his policy of not matchmaking friends and colleagues.
3. He's No Heavy . . . He's My Brother
Air Date: 1971-10-02
Mary and Rhoda take an unplanned vacation to Mexico but have to do a strange favor for a Mexican restaurant owner for reservations.
4. Room 223
Air Date: 1971-10-09
Mary and Rhoda enroll in a night school course in journalism and Mary begins dating the lecturer.
5. A Girl's Best Mother Is Not Her Friend
Air Date: 1971-10-16
When Ida, Rhoda's mother, visits, she sees how well Phyllis and Bess get on, and how closely Mary appears to her mother when they chat on the telephone, that she tries to be Rhoda's ""friend"".
6. Cover Boy
Air Date: 1971-10-23
Jack Cassidy guest stars as professional model Hal Baxter, who comes to visit his brother Ted at WJM-TV. Immediately, the two engage in a heated battle of sibling rivalry about EVERYTHING -- salaries, cars, & even women. In an effort to size up his brother, Ted claims that Mary is his girlfriend. Ted & Hal decide to go on a double-date with Mary & Rhoda. At the restaurant, Ted doesn't know any etiquitte, and it shows. Back at Mary's apartment, Ted & Hal arm wrestle before Hal decides to go with Rhoda up to her apartment to look thru magazines for his picture. Ted stays with Mary to make Hal think that he spends more time with his girl than he does.
7. Didn't You Used to Be . . . Wait . . . Don't Tell Me
Air Date: 1971-10-30
Mary attends her high school reunion and meets up with her former boyfriend Howard Arnell, who continues to have feelings for Mary. Meanwhile, Rhoda tags along believing that people will ""remember"" her although she didn't attend Roseburg High.
8. Thoroughly Unmilitant Mary
Air Date: 1971-11-06
The writing and technical unions go on strike, leaving only Lou, Mary, and Ted in the newsroom. WJM-TV makes Lou be second cameraman on ""The Chuckles the Clown Show"". Because an upset Murray is on strike, Mary has to write the news stories. They are terrible, and when Lou criticizes them, she starts crying. Things take a turn for the worse: Ted's union strikes, and Lou has to fill in as anchorman! On his first brodcast, he has ""clammy hands"", and he bombs. At a local bar, Murray, Gordy, & Mary share a laugh over this. After drinking before his 2nd brodcast, he is ""as cool as a cucumber""--that is, until he falls asleep at breaktime. Herb fills in for Lou for the rest of the brodcast. The next day, the unions come to an agreement, and everything goes back to normal. Rhoda Morgenstern & Phyllis Lindstrom do not appear in this episode.
9. And Now, Sitting in for Ted Baxter
Air Date: 1971-11-13
Ted is forced to take a vacation and the anchorman hired to sit in for him becomes a huge success.
10. Don't Break the Chain
Air Date: 1971-11-20
Mary gets a chain letter from Lou, and she is persuaded to send it on. To her surprise, one of the recipients comes for a visit, giving Mary a less than pleasant time dealing with him.
11. The Six-and-a-Half-Year Itch
Air Date: 1971-11-27
Mary, Rhoda and Lou go to a John Wayne movie, where they spot Lou's son-in-law with an unknown woman.
12. . . . Is a Friend in Need
Air Date: 1971-12-04
Rhoda loses her job as a window-dresser and isn't in a hurry to find something new. When there is a job opening at WJM-TV, Mary lies to Rhoda and tells her the job has been filled, to Lou's surprise.
13. The Square-Shaped Room
Air Date: 1971-12-11
When Edie is out of town, Lou hires Rhoda to redecorate his living room. However, Rhoda's tastes are too modern.
14. Ted Over Heels
Air Date: 1971-12-18
After Ted appears on the Chuckles the Clown Show, he falls in love with Chuckles' daughter.
15. The Five-Minute Dress
Air Date: 1972-01-01
After volunteering some of her spare time for a worthy cause, Mary begins dating the Governor's aide. Unfortunately, the aide's duties cause him to break every date.
16. Feeb
Air Date: 1972-01-08
An incompetent waitress is fired after Mary complains about her poor service and Mary feels obliged to hire her when she applies for an assistant's job at WJM-TV.
17. The Slaughter Affair
Air Date: 1972-01-15
Murray takes on a night job as a cab driver in order to save up and buy his wife Marie a new car for their 10th wedding anniversary. However, Marie becomes suspicious about Murray's absences and fears that Murray is having an affair with Mary Richards.
18. Baby Sit-Com
Air Date: 1972-01-22
Mary agrees to babysit Bess for the weekend, but then a former boyfriend, in town for a few days, asks her out. When she can't find a babysitter for Bess on such short notice, she ends up asking Lou.
19. More Than Neighbors
Air Date: 1972-01-29
After being persuaded by Phyllis, Ted moves into a vacant apartment below Mary's but Mary and Rhoda are not thrilled by the prospect.
20. The Care and Feeding of Parents
Air Date: 1972-02-05
Bess gets top marks for a report she wrote for school, and Phyllis pressures her to write a book based on it, calling on Mary for help.
21. Where There's Smoke, There's Rhoda
Air Date: 1972-02-12
When Rhoda's apartment is destroyed by fire, she moves in with Mary. The two find that while they are best friends, they make awful roommates.
22. You Certainly Are a Big Boy
Air Date: 1972-02-19
Mary begins dating an architect and is astonished to learn that his son is only six years younger than she is.
23. Some of My Best Friends Are Rhoda
Air Date: 1972-02-26
Through a minor car accident, Mary befriends a young woman, Joanne. Rhoda becomes jealous when Mary spends more time with Joanne but Mary quickly ends the new friendship when she discovers Joanne is anti-Semitic and disapproves of Rhoda.
24. His Two Right Arms
Air Date: 1972-03-04
Mary gets city councilman Pete Peterson to appear on Face the People and discovers that he is completely incompetent. She and his aides try to bring him up to speed on current events so he can make a good impression on the show.
1. The Good-Time News
Air Date: 1972-09-16
Mary is given the task of making The Six O'clock News more upbeat, and her plans are on target to succeed until they're frustrated by Ted.
2. What is Mary Richards Really Like?
Air Date: 1972-09-23
Mary is interviewed by a newspaper columnist and ends up telling a little too much.
3. Who's in Charge Here?
Air Date: 1972-09-30
Lou is promoted to the position of program director but has to decide to whom his old job should go. Meanwhile, The Six O'clock News begins falling apart without him.
4. Enter Rhoda's Parents
Air Date: 1972-10-07
Ida Morgenstern, Rhoda's mother, mistakenly believes that her husband is seeing other women, so Rhoda and Mary try to clear things up between them.
5. It's Whether You Win or Lose
Air Date: 1972-10-14
When Lou's trip to Las Vegas is cancelled, Mary organizes a poker game at the office where Murray loses a substantial amount to Ted.
6. Rhoda the Beautiful
Air Date: 1972-10-21
After losing 20 pounds, Rhoda enters a beauty contest at work, but continues to put herself down.
7. Just Around the Corner
Air Date: 1972-10-28
Mary is worried that her parents, who have moved to the Twin Cities to be close to her, may pry into her life too much.
8. But Seriously, Folks
Air Date: 1972-11-04
Mary begins dating the writer of the Chuckles the Clown show, whose real ambition is to become a stand-up comedian.
9. Farmer Ted and the News
Air Date: 1972-11-11
Ted refuses to sign his contract renewal until Lou agrees to let him pursue other ventures, a decision he soon regrets when Ted begins appearing in commercials.
10. Have I Found a Guy for You
Air Date: 1972-11-18
Two of Mary's friends separate and Mary accepts a date from the husband.
11. You've Got a Friend
Air Date: 1972-11-25
Mary becomes concerned when her father, newly retired, appears to have no friends or hobbies in Minneapolis, and tries to take on the role herself.
12. It Was Fascination, I Know
Air Date: 1972-12-02
Bess's 15-year-old boyfriend falls in love with Mary and begins to surprise her with visits to her apartment and her work.
13. Operation: Lou
Air Date: 1972-12-09
Lou goes to hospital to have a piece of World War II shrapnel removed and, surprisingly, he and Ted become best friends.
14. Rhoda Morgenstern: Minneapolis to New York
Air Date: 1972-12-16
Rhoda decides to move back to New York but Mary is taking the whole thing with a grain of salt.
15. The Courtship of Mary's Father's Daughter
Air Date: 1972-12-23
Mary runs into her former boyfriend Dan Whitfield in an elevator by chance. Subsequently, Dan realizes he still has feelings for Mary, breaks off his engagement, and begins dating her again.
16. Lou's Place
Air Date: 1973-01-06
Lou spots an opportunity to buy a bar after realizing a lifelong dream. However, he is short of several thousand dollars and Ted is the only one who can come to his aid.
17. My Brother's Keeper
Air Date: 1973-01-13
Phyllis wants to set up her visiting brother with Mary, but instead he hits it off with Rhoda and begins spending time with her to Phyllis's disapproval.
18. The Georgette Story
Air Date: 1973-01-20
Mary and Rhoda try to encourage Georgette to take a stand for herself after seeing how Ted takes advantage of her.
19. Romeo and Mary
Air Date: 1973-01-27
Rhoda introduces Mary to a very irritating Warren Sturges, who tries everything including a giant billboard across the road from the WJM-TV offices to get her to accept his marriage proposal.
20. What Do You Do When the Boss Says, I Love You?
Air Date: 1973-02-03
The new station manager, an attractive woman, falls for Lou.
21. Murray Faces Life
Air Date: 1973-02-10
Murray becomes depressed when he realizes that the years are passing him by, after he learns that a contemporary has won a Pulitzer Prize.
22. Remembrance of Things Past
Air Date: 1973-02-17
A former boyfriend visiting Minneapolis calls Mary who, deep down, wants to see him again but she has been hurt by him too many times before.
23. Put On a Happy Face
Air Date: 1973-02-24
Everything goes right for Rhoda and everything goes wrong for Mary on a disastrous day when she is due to go to the Teddies.
24. Mary Richards and the Incredible Plant Lady
Air Date: 1973-03-03
Mary lends Rhoda almost $1,200 to start a new venture and worries she may never see her money again, after Rhoda postpones repayment, hires Georgette full-time and begins expanding her business.
1. The Lars Affair
Air Date: 1973-09-15
Phyllis finds out that Lars has been having an affair with Sue Ann Nivens, the star of WJM-TV's The Happy Homemaker show.
2. Angels in the Snow
Air Date: 1973-09-22
Mary's boyfriend is younger than she is and she and Rhoda discover there is a generation gap when they go and visit his friends at a party.
3. Rhoda's Sister Gets Married
Air Date: 1973-09-29
Rhoda and Mary fly to New York for Rhoda's younger sister's wedding. Rhoda's mother downplays the whole thing fearing that Rhoda is envious.
4. The Lou and Edie Story
Air Date: 1973-10-06
On the advice of their marriage counselor, Lou's wife, Edie, decides to move out. Lou is heartbroken by the prospect.
5. Hi There, Sports Fans
Air Date: 1973-10-13
In this episode Dick Gautier guest stars briefly as Ed Cavenaugh, a sleazy sportscaster. Have a look at his website at Dick Gautier.com. Gordon Jump, later of MTM Enterprises' ""WKRP"" is seen for a few minutes playing one of the sportscaster applicants. When Ted asks Mary to order tweezers and other assorted supplies for his personal use, she gets more than a little flustered and asks Lou to give her something challenging to do. At the drop of a hat, he assigns her the task of hiring a new sportscaster...and firing the old one. In order to let Ed Cavenaugh down easy, she invites him to lunch and he tries to mesmerize her with his suavity with the opposite sex. Then Mary learns a lesson: don't fire the current sportscaster until you've hired another one. After days of screening applicants, listening to demo tapes and perusing their eight-by-ten glossies, she decides on Andy Rivers.
6. Father's Day
Air Date: 1973-10-20
Ted meets his father, who deserted him as a baby.
7. Son of But Seriously Folks
Air Date: 1973-10-27
Mary's former boyfriend, Wes Callison, gets a job in the newsroom but his affection for Mary gets in the way of his work.
8. Lou's First Date
Air Date: 1973-11-03
Lou gives Mary the task of finding him a date for an awards' ceremony. A name mix-up means that Lou winds up taking out an 80-year-old woman.
9. Love Blooms at Hemples
Air Date: 1973-11-10
Rhoda begins dating the boss of Hemple's and falls deeply in love with him. She wants to tell him how she feels, but Mary warns her to take things slowly.
10. The Dinner Party
Air Date: 1973-11-17
Mary invites Congresswoman Geddes to a fancy dinner at her home, trying hard to ensure that everything is perfect.
11. Just Friends
Air Date: 1973-11-24
Lou is still heartbroken over Edie's departure and asks Mary to help them get back together.
12. We Want Baxter
Air Date: 1973-12-01
Phyllis persuades Ted to stand for local government. Ted agrees and goes so far as to quit his job at WJM-TV.
13. I Gave at the Office
Air Date: 1973-12-08
Murray's daughter, Bonnie, is looking for a job and Mary is persuaded into giving her one but Bonnie is not as efficient as everyone had hoped.
14. Almost a Nun's Story
Air Date: 1973-12-15
Georgette finds Ted making out with a woman in his dressing room. She then decides to enter a nunnery, but the head nun talks her out of it.
15. Happy Birthday, Lou!
Air Date: 1973-12-22
Lou is closing in on fifty and today is his birthday. Mary can't stand the thought of the now-separated Lou celebrating his birthday all alone, so she arranges a surprise party for him. That evening, she invites Lou over for a drink and the doorbell rings just as he tells her how much he appreciated her not throwing an office party for him that afternoon. Gordy is at the door with an envelope...full of hats. Others are out in the hallway, too. Lou is furious and tries to get out using the back door...but there is no back door. Mary asks Lou's permission to invite Murray in. He enters, miffed at Lou's actions. Next Rhoda, and finally Ted, get to come in. Lou admits that he hates displays of affection...then reluctantly agrees to let the remainder of the guests in. While they all file in, he files out and down to MacKluskey's bar where....they throw a surprise party for him. Later he returns to Mary's place to apologize...evidently the guests opened his gifts (at Ted's urging) and they a
16. WJM Tries Harder
Air Date: 1974-01-05
Mary begins dating the anchorman from Minneapolis's top news show and becomes ashamed of WJM-TV's smaller news operation.
17. Cottage for Sale
Air Date: 1974-01-12
Phyllis, who has gotten her real estate license, persuades Lou to sell his house. However, Lou hasn't really made up his mind whether he wants to move.
18. The Co-Producers
Air Date: 1974-01-19
Mary and Rhoda are given permission to develop a new show for WJM but their dreams begin to fade when they find out that the hosts will be Ted and Sue Ann, who both begin to interfere with their plans.
19. Best of Enemies
Air Date: 1974-01-26
Rhoda tells the secret of Mary's that she never graduated from college, as she claimed on her job application, and their friendship is suddenly put at risk.
20. Better Late . . . That's a Pun . . . Than Never
Air Date: 1974-02-02
To relieve her boredom, Mary jokingly writes a humorous obituary of one of the people in the WJM-TV file. Coincidentally, the same person dies the following day and the obituary is read on the air. Lou has no choice but to suspend Mary, but she threatens to quit in response.
21. Ted Baxter Meets Walter Cronkite
Air Date: 1974-02-09
After a heavy self-promotion campaign, Ted wins his first Teddy Award. When Walter Cronkite comes to the newsroom, Ted assumes that he will be hired by the networks.
22. Lou's Second Date
Air Date: 1974-02-16
Lou and Rhoda find they have a lot in common and begin seeing each other on a casual basis but everyone assumes that the romance is serious.
23. Two Wrongs Don't Make a Writer
Air Date: 1974-02-23
Ted joins Mary at a night-school class in creative writing, and winds up plagiarizing her assignment.
24. I Was a Single for WJM
Air Date: 1974-03-02
Mary goes to a singles bar to research a documentary, but on the night the crew arrives for filming, the same people who were willing to tell Mary everything don't want to be seen on camera.
1. Will Mary Richards Go to Jail?
Air Date: 1974-09-14
Mary refuses to reveal a news source for a story she produced and has to spend a night in jail.
2. Not Just Another Pretty Face
Air Date: 1974-09-21
Mary dates a man with whom she has nothing in common and becomes concerned that their relationship is superficial.
3. You Sometimes Hurt the One You Hate
Air Date: 1974-09-28
Lou finally loses his temper with Ted when he endorses a political candidate on The Six O'clock News and throws him through the office doors. Lou feels guilty, and Ted takes advantage of him.
4. Lou and That Woman
Air Date: 1974-10-05
Lou begins seeing a cocktail lounge singer but becomes uncomfortable about her past.
5. The Outsider
Air Date: 1974-10-12
WJM-TV hires a young business consultant, who demands certain changes for The Six O'clock News, offending every member of the news team.
6. I Love a Piano
Air Date: 1974-10-19
Murray meets an attractive woman at one of Mary's parties and considers having an affair. On the pretext of buying her old piano, he goes to see her.
7. A New Sue Ann
Air Date: 1974-10-26
A young fan, Gloria, persuades Sue Ann to hire her for The Happy Homemaker. Sue Ann is less than pleased when Gloria plays up to the station manager and gets a larger role on the show at the expense of her own.
8. Menage-a-Phyllis
Air Date: 1974-11-02
Phyllis dates a man on a platonic basis, but he is attracted more to Mary and begins seeing her.
9. Not a Christmas Story
Air Date: 1974-11-09
The entire newsroom staff is arguing with each other, and when they are trapped at the office due to bad weather, Sue Ann decides to serve her Christmas dinner early.
10. What Are Friends For?
Air Date: 1974-11-16
Mary and Sue Ann go to a convention in Chicago and Mary finds out that Sue Ann leads a lonely life.
11. A Boy's Best Friend
Air Date: 1974-11-23
Ted is shocked when he finds out his mother does not intend to marry her boyfriend, but will live with him.
12. A Son for Murray
Air Date: 1974-11-30
Murray, who has three daughters, wants a son, but his wife Marie doesn't want to have another child. The couple decide to adopt instead.
13. Neighbors
Air Date: 1974-12-07
Lou wants a smaller place and moves in to Rhoda's old apartment but can't help interfering in Mary's private life.
14. A Girl Like Mary
Air Date: 1974-12-14
Lou wants to hire a female newscaster 'like Mary', so Mary decides to audition for the job herself.
15. An Affair to Forget
Air Date: 1974-12-21
Now that Mary is producer, Ted thinks that he can make his move on her. He convinces the rest of the newsroom that they are having an affair.
16. Mary Richards: Producer
Air Date: 1975-01-04
Mary doesn't feel she deserves the title of producer and asks Lou that she be given the chance to produce The Six O'clock News alone.
17. The System
Air Date: 1975-01-11
When Ted's formula for betting on football games works, Lou goes into partnership with him. He winds up betting all of the season's winnings on the Super Bowl without telling Ted.
18. Phyllis Whips Inflation
Air Date: 1975-01-18
Phyllis and Lars have a dispute and she finds her credit cards cut off. She looks for a job but finds that she has no relevant skills.
19. The Shame of the Cities
Air Date: 1975-01-25
Lou wants to research his own news story now that Mary's producer and decides to launch a major investigation on a city councilor only to discover that he is completely honest.
20. Marriage Minneapolis Style
Air Date: 1975-02-01
Ted pops the question to Georgette at Murray's 20th wedding anniversary party and then gets cold feet.
21. You Try To Be a Nice Guy
Air Date: 1975-02-08
Mary agrees to help a troubled crime prone girl go straight and find a job.
22. You Can't Lose 'em All
Air Date: 1975-02-15
Lou wins the Albert Mason Award, which he had once said was for broadcasting veterans who couldn't chew their own food.
23. Ted Baxter's Famous Broadcasters' School
Air Date: 1975-02-22
A con-man tricks Ted into setting up a broadcasters' academy. When he finds out he's been had, he asks Lou, Mary and Murray to be the faculty and give the semester's opening lectures.
24. Anyone Who Hates Kids and Dogs
Air Date: 1975-03-08
Mary likes her new boyfriend but finds his son absolutely intolerable.
1. Edie Gets Married
Air Date: 1975-09-13
Lou puts on a brave face when he learns that his ex-wife Edie is remarrying.
2. Mary Moves Out
Air Date: 1975-09-20
Mary, wanting some change in her life, makes the decision to move to a new apartment.
3. Mary's Father
Air Date: 1975-09-27
Mary researches a documentary with the help of a priest. He eventually decides to leave the Church, and Mary thinks that he has fallen in love with her.
4. Murray In Love
Air Date: 1975-10-04
Murray realizes that he's always been in love with Mary and wants desperately to tell her.
5. Ted's Moment of Glory
Air Date: 1975-10-11
Ted's jocular nature is ideal for hosting a game show in New York, and he successfully auditions for the job. But Mary and Lou wonder if they really want to see him go.
6. Mary's Aunt
Air Date: 1975-10-18
Mary's high-flying journalist aunt comes for a visit, and Lou finds that he has a rival in her.
7. Chuckles Bites the Dust
Air Date: 1975-10-25
Chuckles the Clown is crushed to death by a rogue elephant in a parade, which leaves all the newsroom staff in hysterics except Mary.
8. Mary's Delinquent
Air Date: 1975-11-01
Mary joins a Big Sisters scheme and tries to bring a teenage shoplifter to the side of good. Sue Ann, pursuing an award, decides to "adopt" a little sister as well but finds herself getting influenced.
9. Ted's Wedding
Air Date: 1975-11-08
Out of pity for Ted, Mary invites him & Georgette over for brunch. While he as an onion ring in his mouth, he proposes to Georgette...again. When, for the first time, Georgette says no, she & Ted have a talk and decide they want to get married now. They invite all their friends: Lou, Murray (with mud on his sweatshirt from his son's football game), and Sue Ann (who, in a spectacularily comedic enterance, brings a veil, flowers, and rice, among several other things). Ted's mom can't make it (she's washing her hair), but the incompetent minister comes straight from his tennis match. Best man Lou helps Ted calm his wedding day jitters. When the minister asks Ted if he takes Georgette to be his lawfully wedded wife, he pauses for a moment. Finally, with a smile on his face, he says, ""I do."" When they are pronounced husband & wife, Sue Ann sings the wedding march...very poorly, of course. Once the wedding ends and Lou, Murray, & Sue Ann leave, Ted asks, as if nothing had happened,
10. Lou Douses an Old Flame
Air Date: 1975-11-15
Lou meets up with a woman who had sent him a 'Dear John' letter during World War II but is disappointed to learn her motives for doing so.
11. Mary Richards Falls in Love
Air Date: 1975-11-22
Mary is convinced she has really fallen in love, but her boyfriend seems reluctant in saying those three magic words, 'I love you'.
12. Ted's Tax Refund
Air Date: 1975-11-29
Ted is overjoyed when he gets a tax refund and splurges out on everyone at the newsroom, but is later shocked when the IRS informs him that he will be audited.
13. The Happy Homemaker Takes Lou Home
Air Date: 1975-12-06
Sue Ann gets Mary to ask Lou out on a date on her behalf. Lou accepts, not realizing who Mary's 'friend' is.
14. One Boyfriend Too Many
Air Date: 1975-12-13
Mary's old flame Dan Whitfield, who once proposed to her, returns to Minneapolis and she's forced to choose between him and her current boyfriend.
15. What Do You Want to Do When You Produce?
Air Date: 1975-12-20
Initially delighted at the chance of producing the Happy Homemaker show, Murray quickly becomes miserable when he realizes the menial tasks he has to do for Sue Ann.
16. Not With My Wife, I Don't
Air Date: 1976-01-03
Ted and Georgette face marital problems, but Ted refuses to see a counselor unless Lou goes with him.
17. The Seminar
Air Date: 1976-01-10
Lou and Mary go on a press junket to Washington, DC. Lou was once a correspondent there, but Mary has difficulty believing him about his contacts.
18. Once I Had a Secret Love
Air Date: 1976-01-17
Lou has spent the night with Sue Ann, and confides in Mary. Their friendship is almost ruined when Mary is unable to keep the secret.
19. Menage-a-Lou
Air Date: 1976-01-24
Lou almost ruins one of Mary's parties when his old girlfriend, Charlene Maguire, arrives with a date. He tries to make her jealous by taking out one of Mary's neighbors.
20. Murray Takes a Stand
Air Date: 1976-01-31
Murray is unhappy with the new station owner's policies and tells him off over the phone one evening. However, the station owner fires him the following day.
21. Mary's Aunt Returns
Air Date: 1976-02-07
Mary's Aunt Flo and Lou both prepare competing ideas for a TV documentary.
22. A Reliable Source
Air Date: 1976-02-21
Mary learns that an old friend seeking re-election to Congress had financial help from the mob. Lou threatens to use the story on the air.
23. Sue Ann Falls in Love
Air Date: 1976-02-28
Sue Ann has fallen in love, but her new boyfriend is less scrupulous than he first seems.
24. Ted and the Kid
Air Date: 1976-03-06
Ted and Georgette decide to adopt a son after Ted is informed he cannot have children.
1. Mary Midwife
Air Date: 1976-09-25
Georgette gives birth at Mary's dinner party. With the hospital and doctor too far away, Lou and Mary help deliver the baby.
2. Mary the Writer
Air Date: 1976-10-02
Mary decides to take a creative writing course, and is less than delighted with the criticism Lou levels at her efforts.
3. Sue Ann's Sister
Air Date: 1976-10-09
Sue Ann becomes deeply depressed when her sister arrives and gets an offer to do a competing homemaker show in Minneapolis.
4. What's Wrong with Swimming?
Air Date: 1976-10-16
Mary hires a new sportscaster who refuses to cover any sports but swimming and is faced with the prospect of firing her.
5. Ted's Change of Heart
Air Date: 1976-10-23
Ted suffers a heart attack on the air and for the next few days becomes conscious of how precious life is.
6. One Producer Too Many
Air Date: 1976-10-30
Lou promotes Murray to co-producer against Mary's wishes to prevent him from accepting a producer's job at a rival television station.
7. My Son, the Genius
Air Date: 1976-11-06
Ted and Georgette are initially disturbed to find that their son, David, is not doing well at school, but a psychiatrist's test shows that he is a genius. Unfortunately, David lets this go to his head and takes advantage of Ted.
8. Mary Gets a Lawyer
Air Date: 1976-11-13
Mary faces a contempt charge for not revealing her news source. Lou recommends a lawyer friend who takes a romantic interest in Mary.
9. Lou Proposes
Air Date: 1976-11-20
Lou realizes that he has feelings for Mary's Aunt Flo, a journalist with a similar pride and passion in the news profession.
10. Murray Can't Lose
Air Date: 1976-11-27
Lou learns from a source on the Teddy Award's panel that Murray will finally win an award for his news writing.
11. Mary's Insomnia
Air Date: 1976-12-04
Mary is having trouble sleeping and resorts to pills, which has Lou concerned that she's become addicted to them.
12. Ted's Temptation
Air Date: 1976-12-11
Mary and Murray find it hard to believe that an attractive young journalist has tried to seduce Ted while they are at a convention in Hollywood.
13. Look at Us, We're Walking
Air Date: 1976-12-25
Mary and Lou threaten to quit after the new station manager refuses to give them a raise.
14. The Critic
Air Date: 1977-01-08
A pompous but renowned critic is hired to provoke controversy on The Six O'Clock News, but the newsroom thinks he has gone too far when he begins attacking Minneapolis and its residents.
15. Lou's Army Reunion
Air Date: 1977-01-15
Lou wants to return a favor to an old Army buddy, but balks when he asks for a date with Mary.
16. The Ted and Georgette Show
Air Date: 1977-01-22
Ted and Georgette successfully audition for their own variety show, which becomes a big hit, but Georgette eventually finds that she would prefer being a wife and mother.
17. Sue Ann Gets the Ax
Air Date: 1977-01-29
Sue Ann's Happy Homemaker show is canceled but she is determined to stay at WJM and asks Mary to give her a job in the newsroom.
18. Hail the Conquering Gordy
Air Date: 1977-02-05
WJM's former weatherman, Gordy Howard, returns to visit Minneapolis after becoming a highly successful network presenter in New York. Ted is desperate for a chance to join Gordy.
19. Mary and the Sexagenarian
Air Date: 1977-02-12
Mary happily accepts a date from a charming older man without realizing that he's Murray's father, but everyone else has difficulty coming to terms with the difference in their ages.
20. Murray Ghosts for Ted
Air Date: 1977-02-19
Ted offers Murray $200 to write an article on his behalf. The article becomes a success, but Ted refuses to share the credit with Murray.
21. Mary's Three Husbands
Air Date: 1977-02-26
Murray, Ted and Lou fantasize about being married to Mary.
22. Mary's Big Party
Air Date: 1977-03-05
Mary has planned a fancy party at her apartment, with a mystery guest of honor, but the power in the building goes before he arrives.
23. Lou Dates Mary
Air Date: 1977-03-12
Mary has another disastrous date and worries she'll never meet the right man, until Georgette points out that every quality she seeks can be found in Lou Grant.
24. The Last Show
Air Date: 1977-03-19
WJM-TV has some personnel changes in the executive department (again), and everyone except Ted Baxter is fired. The new station manager wants to see the WJM News the highest-ranked in Minneapolis, and for some reason feels that Ted can help him make it happen. (Seems a little odd, eh?) The gang says goodbye to each other in the form of a long, hard cry. Mary thanks them all for being her surrogate family, and Lou finally sentimentally says, ""I cherish you people."" They bravely march out the office doors singing, ""It's a long, long way to Tipperary."" At the last moment, Mary leans back through through the WJM-TV doors and turns out the light. So long, WJM-TV.
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Rating
7.5/10
Release Date
1970-09-19
Episodes
168 (7 seasons)
Status
Ended
Cast
Production Companies
MTM Enterprises