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I never gave it much thought until recently. James L Brooks was actually a writer for both shows, so I guess I must pose the question, Is The Mary Tyler Moore Show' really a groundbreaking sitcom or a copy cat of an earlier classic? Thoughts? Opinions?

I don't really think so. B/c Ann Marie had a boyfriend, and Mary was basically unattached most of the time. Plus Mary had a serious career, whereas it seemed like Ann was mostly struggling.

Just my (admittdly biased!) 2 cents. :)

- Kristen

I don't really think so. B/c Ann Marie had a boyfriend, and Mary was basically unattached most of the time. Plus Mary had a serious career, whereas it seemed like Ann was mostly struggling.

Just my (admittdly biased!) 2 cents. :)

- Kristen

Thanks for the reply Kristen! :)

Granted, I personally wouldn't call it a complete copy of 'That Girl,' but I think there were some interesting similarities to each other.

Yeah, I would say that That Girl opened the door, so to speak. But TMTMS took things a lot further. And as for similarities, I can think of one right off the top of my head: Ted Bessell played a boyfriend in both!

Yeah, I would say that That Girl opened the door, so to speak. But TMTMS took things a lot further. And as for similarities, I can think of one right off the top of my head: Ted Bessell played a boyfriend in both!


Well said Kristen, I think you perhaps said it best by stating Marlo Thomas & 'That Girl' was the "prototype" to the much more well rounded 'Mary Tyler Moore Show' :)

Not to me. "That Girl" was more of a comedy; Mary Tyler Moore was far more serious. Ann had a very steady beau, Mary did not. Ann bounced between gigs, Mary had steady employment. Ann wasn't all that independent--whenever there was a problem she seemed to run to Daddy or Donald. Mary seemed to handle things herself. These are just 4 off the top of my head.

Ann Marie got herself into a lot of kooky situations, like getting her toe stuck in a bowling ball. Mary's situations were grounded more in reality.

MTM show was wayyyyyy better than That Girl. I watched all 5 seasons of That girl and some of the episodes were hard to get through. It's a show I won't watch again for some time. MTM show had one of the best overall casts for a sitcom in history. Marlo Thomas pretty much carried That girl on her own. Mary Richards and Ann Marie were both single working girls but that's where the similiarities end with me.;)

MTM show was wayyyyyy better than That Girl. I watched all 5 seasons of That girl and some of the episodes were hard to get through. It's a show I won't watch again for some time. MTM show had one of the best overall casts for a sitcom in history. Marlo Thomas pretty much carried That girl on her own. Mary Richards and Ann Marie were both single working girls but that's where the similiarities end with me.;)

Ditto to everything you said, except the part about watching all 5 seasons of That Girl. I could never do that; I can't get through a single episode, much less the entire series. I don't like TG at all, but I love TMTMS. One of the many great things TMTMS has going for it that TG doesn't is that it's funny and full of memorable characters. The only thing I see in common between those two shows is that the main character is single. Besides, before TG, Ann Sothern played single women living on their own in both her sitcoms, Private Secretary and The Ann Sothern Show, as did Gale Storm in The Gale Storm Show and Eve Arden in Our Miss Brooks and The Eve Arden Show. So the concept of a single woman on her own as the primary character in a sitcom wasn't all that groundbreaking. What was groundbreaking was a single woman more interested in her career than finding a husband or boyfriend, and pursuing a traditionally male-dominated career path.

I think "That Girl" paved the way for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". However, since MTMS was critically praised, won tons of Emmys and was shot before a live audience, it was considered much better than "That Girl".

At first I thought the who idea of TMTMS being a copycat of That Girl, was completely crazy. There's very little similarity in the shows, but I guess if your just comparing the characters of Ann Marie and Mary Richards, thats something to think about!