I have a question about the three-part episode Maude's Big Move: Was this episode a proper series finale or just a season finale? Can a series that has been cancelled because of extremely low ratings have a proper series finale like this? I know lots of shows with those kinds of ratings don't have formal finales.

I have a question about the three-part episode Maude's Big Move: Was this episode a proper series finale or just a season finale? Can a series that has been cancelled because of extremely low ratings have a proper series finale like this? I know lots of shows with those kinds of ratings don't have formal finales.


Maude wasn't canceled directly for low ratings--Bea Arthur chose to stop doing the show. The season finale was a set up for the show's proposed seventh season.

^^ I never heard of Maude getting a 7th season.

Actually if there was a seventh season, there would be a number of changes. The maids, the Harmons and Carol would all be gone and Maude and Walter would move to Washington, DC. But Bea Arthur decided to leave the show and Maude came to an end.

Maude wasn't canceled directly for low ratings--Bea Arthur chose to stop doing the show. The season finale was a set up for the show's proposed seventh season.

I don;t think she had a choice to stop doing the show since it finished #78 after that season-lol I dare her be so arrogant as to act like she was going out on top-lol

I don;t think she had a choice to stop doing the show since it finished #78 after that season-lol I dare her be so arrogant as to act like she was going out on top-lol

Actually, you are wrong. CBS did offer to give Maude a 7th season with a revamped cast and move to Washington DC, as mentioned above. It never happened because Bea Arthur decided to stop doing the show. No one knows if the changes would have improved the ratings in a 7th season or not.

I know that wikipedia isn't the most authoriative source for information (however, it is a bit more reliable than imdb) but here is a bit of information that I wasn't aware of:

"...after just four episodes in the new format, when Bea Arthur decided she no longer wanted to continue the role of Maude. The idea was revamped repeatedly and in 1979 led to a short-lived CBS sitcom, Hanging In, starring Bill Macy; the show bore almost no resemblance to the original idea (Macy even played a different character)."

My question is, how was Bea Arther able to just up and quit 4 episodes into the 7th season without any legal repercussions? Could it be that she had a deal with the producers to call it quits if she didn't like the new format?

In light of CBS cancelling the series at the end of the 6th season, it's obvious that these 4 episodes never hit the airwaves. Were they ever shown in syndication?

I know that wikipedia isn't the most authoriative source for information (however, it is a bit more reliable than imdb) but here is a bit of information that I wasn't aware of:

"...after just four episodes in the new format, when Bea Arthur decided she no longer wanted to continue the role of Maude. The idea was revamped repeatedly and in 1979 led to a short-lived CBS sitcom, Hanging In, starring Bill Macy; the show bore almost no resemblance to the original idea (Macy even played a different character)."

My question is, how was Bea Arther able to just up and quit 4 episodes into the 7th season without any legal repercussions? Could it be that she had a deal with the producers to call it quits if she didn't like the new format?

In light of CBS cancelling the series at the end of the 6th season, it's obvious that these 4 episodes never hit the airwaves. Were they ever shown in syndication?



A show with only 4 eps is never in syndication.

I know that wikipedia isn't the most authoriative source for information (however, it is a bit more reliable than imdb) but here is a bit of information that I wasn't aware of:

"...after just four episodes in the new format, when Bea Arthur decided she no longer wanted to continue the role of Maude. The idea was revamped repeatedly and in 1979 led to a short-lived CBS sitcom, Hanging In, starring Bill Macy; the show bore almost no resemblance to the original idea (Macy even played a different character)."

My question is, how was Bea Arther able to just up and quit 4 episodes into the 7th season without any legal repercussions? Could it be that she had a deal with the producers to call it quits if she didn't like the new format?

In light of CBS cancelling the series at the end of the 6th season, it's obvious that these 4 episodes never hit the airwaves. Were they ever shown in syndication?
the episodes aired as the final episodes of Maude. I remember watching them when they originally aired. Those final episodes were at the end of the sixth season. They were going to revamp it for the seventh season but the ratings were so low and Bea Arthur just decided to quit after filming those episodes. No episodes were filmed for a seventh season.

Ah, so those 4 episodes with the new format had already been filmed and aired during the end of the 6th season?

The wikipedia article made is sound as if production had begun on a 7th season and that Bea quit after 4 episodes were filmed for what would have been the 7th season.

A show with only 4 eps is never in syndication.


I think you misunderstood my original post. I was asking if those 4 episodes were just tacked onto the end of the syndication package for Maude. Not if they aired independently.

For example, CBS cancelled Rhoda without airing the final 4 episodes. Those episodes were not seen until the show went into sydincation in the 1980's.

The wikipedia article made it sound as if a 7th season had begun when Bea quit. If that had been the case, I was asking what became of those 4 episodes.

But now I know they were filmed for and aired in season 6. A 7th season never materialized because Bea decided she wanted to move onto other things.

I think you misunderstood my original post. I was asking if those 4 episodes were just tacked onto the end of the syndication package for Maude. Not if they aired independently.

For example, CBS cancelled Rhoda without airing the final 4 episodes. Those episodes were not seen until the show went into sydincation in the 1980's.

The wikipedia article made it sound as if a 7th season had begun when Bea quit. If that had been the case, I was asking what became of those 4 episodes.

But now I know they were filmed for and aired in season 6. A 7th season never materialized because Bea decided she wanted to move onto other things.


OH Ok, I thought you was talking about a short-lived show Hangin In that only lasted 4 eps.

Speaking of Hangin' In, does anyone remember it? Was it a decent show? How many episodes were produced?

Speaking of Hangin' In, does anyone remember it? Was it a decent show? How many episodes were produced?


Total of 4 eps,

Aug 8, 1979 to Aug 29, 1979