We all can admit, there would be no Murphy Brown sitcom without the emergence of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. There are a lot of similarities in both shows. Murphy Brown eventually had a baby, what if Mary had one? Would it have ruined the show or added a certain depth to it?

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http://cdn.thegrindstone.com/files/2011/04/Who-Remembers-Murphy-Brown-1064776.jpg

Well, there is no way that would have happened in the '70's. I think with Mary, the question would be what if Mary got married (and got pregnant)?

Although there was that episode with dialog between Mary and her mother that alluded to the fact that Mary was on "the pill". :shocked:

Would it have ruined the show? In a word - YES!!!

I think there's a very good chance that a baby would've been a huge shark-jumping moment. B/c the premise would've changed. You would no longer have this independent woman making it on her own. There'd be a baby in the picture. And I don't see the single-mom thing happening here, either. Mary would probably have ended up marrying the guy if she was ever in that situation. There's actually a story about that very scenario on fanfiction.net. (I didn't write it, for the record, but it is very good!)

- Kristen

^ Yup, it would've ruined the whole dynamic and strayed from what the show had been all about.

Would it have ruined the show? In a word - YES!!!
I fully agree.

I can't quite get into this hypothetical because any "resemblance" between the two shows is so utterly superficial. Mary Tyler Moore is to Murphy Brown what this

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Mona_Lisa.PNG/401px-Mona_Lisa.PNG

is to this

http://www.oakridgehobbies.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/S/H/SHP-0511_1.jpg

I think there's a very good chance that a baby would've been a huge shark-jumping moment. B/c the premise would've changed. You would no longer have this independent woman making it on her own. There'd be a baby in the picture. And I don't see the single-mom thing happening here, either. Mary would probably have ended up marrying the guy if she was ever in that situation. There's actually a story about that very scenario on fanfiction.net. (I didn't write it, for the record, but it is very good!)

- Kristen


You said it so well! The idea of Mary getting pregnant like that would have been unthinkable -- so out of context -- the show surely would have taken a nosedive.

No I think it would have made the MTMS too issued based,like the Norman

Lear shows like "All In The Family" and "Maude".

The MTM company felt the episode when Mary's tennis "friend" was clearly

anti-Jewish,was a bit preachy so avoided similar "issue" storylines like that.

Agree with what everyone said. MTM was about a single woman making it on her own in the big city for the first time. It was not about a single mother on her own. Whenever you have a baby on a show, what seems to happen is that the baby kind of sucks all the oxygen out of the room and takes too much focus away from the adult characters. I am VERY glad this never happened on MTM.

They didn't even want Mary Richards to be divorced, with the perception being the viewers would think she had divorced Dick Van Dyke!! So no way would they have let Mary be pregnant out of wedlock. Plus, Mary wasn't the type of woman who wanted to have kids at that point in her life. So it's good all the way around that the plot never happened.

Definitely! Along with the things others have already mentioned, it would have ruined the spontaneity of the show. Mary was able to work, have dates, throw parties, go places and do things with friends, often at a moments notice. All that would be lost if she had the resposibility of a child. Every young girl wanted to emulate Mary Richards, her lifestyle and her freedom. There was no place in her life to be a single mother.

Thanks! I do think there's a slight possibility a baby could have worked, if handled well. But I can't really imagine it ever happening. Although it worked out pretty well for Murphy Brown! ;)

Definitely! Along with the things others have already mentioned, it would have ruined the spontaneity of the show. Mary was able to work, have dates, throw parties, go places and do things with friends, often at a moments notice. All that would be lost if she had the resposibility of a child. Every young girl wanted to emulate Mary Richards, her lifestyle and her freedom. There was no place in her life to be a single mother.

:yeahthat

I don't think it would have worked for all the reasons mentioned. Mary was an independent single woman who in the beginning wanted to eventually get married and have a family but as the show went on that changed. Her career became her focus. I, like many young women, wanted to be Mary Richards. Even if she had gotten married and had a family the show would have been ruined. Although those of us who write fanfic certainly find it fun to play around with these scenarios ;)

Although those of us who write fanfic certainly find it fun to play around with these scenarios ;)

Lol, yes. I think I'm the only one over there who has not done that yet. Haha, I will my next story just to fit in.

I was going to ask if Mary Richards had sex in the series? I think it was hinted but that was it.

People in the 1970's were basically hip to the fact that 35 year old single women have sex and boyfriends, but the 1970's are more conservative than now, with a lot of religious people frowning upon the fact that a 35 year old woman is single and working and not married with children. It was still a dividing line.

Mary having a kid in the series I dont think would of worked. For one thing, I dont think Mary Richards is someone who wants children. I have never heard her character's desire having a kid, and I think for it to work would have had Mary fall in love with someone, have a marriage for sweeps week, and then have the last season with Mary pregnant, which would of been a cute storyline, especially if Mary can do that crying bit she can so hilariously do.

Yes it was hinted at. I think early on Mary might have wanted children but as the series went on and she stayed single, her career became her focus. The episode in season 1 when Murray writes a play she and Lou are talking about how everyone has dreams of something bigger. She says she's perfectly happy with her job and the only other thing she wants is hopefully to be a wife and mother. But I personally when watching the show I have a hard time seeing her as wife and mother. I could see her married but childless because of her age. She would be married to someone successful and they would live kind of an upscale life but have a lot of freedom.

I was going to ask if Mary Richards had sex in the series? I think it was hinted but that was it.

It was hinted at here and there. Since it was supposed to be a family show though, I don't think they were actually allowed to come out and say it. I do however remember one episode where Mary is dropped off at her apartment and the man wants to stay and then she goes and talks to Rhoda asking her if she "under sexed"? I believe she uses a different term, but either way, she said she asked because she was thinking about letting him stay. I would have to look up the episode, but I'm pretty sure that that conversation took place.

The most used example I'm sure is the one where her mother, who is actually talking to her father, tells him not to forget to take his pill. Both he and Mary say I won't at the same time. This of course is hinting at the fact that she takes birth control.

I vaguely recall an episode like that but for the life of me can't remember which one.

The episode is "What is Mary Richards Really Like?". Mary is interviewed for a newspaper and the guy twists everything and makes Lou look bad but Mary goes out with him. He brings her home and asks to stay. She says no and he leaves. Rhoda comes down and she asks her if she is under sexed.

The episode is "What is Mary Richards Really Like?". Mary is interviewed for a newspaper and the guy twists everything and makes Lou look bad but Mary goes out with him. He brings her home and asks to stay. She says no and he leaves. Rhoda comes down and she asks her if she is under sexed.

Thank you! Haha, I just got back from my friend's house and we were trying to figure out which ep that was. I was starting to think that maybe it just didn't exist.

This question made me think of another one. What if Mary Tyler Moore had gotten pregnant in real life? I know she had a miscarriage in 1969 right around the time they started talking about doing the show and the baby would have been born before filming started. I guess while she was on the show she and Grant Tinker were probably purposely making sure she didn't.

This question made me think of another one. What if Mary Tyler Moore had gotten pregnant in real life? I know she had a miscarriage in 1969 right around the time they started talking about doing the show and the baby would have been born before filming started. I guess while she was on the show she and Grant Tinker were probably purposely making sure she didn't.

If she had gotten pregnant in real life, I'm sure that if they were determined to keep going with the show, that they would find ways to try and hide it. It was would be extremely considering how thin she is and the fact that she was the main character, but they could do things like give her looser clothing, have her stand behind furniture. Most likely though, they probably would have ended the show.

They could have done something similar to what Frasier did when Jane Leeves got pregnant in real life. They did a storyline involving Daphne becoming a compulsive eater and eventually going to a "fat farm" to help cover her maternity leave. I'm not sure if it would've been in character for Mary to do something like that, but I think it would've worked better than hiding it. B/c sometimes hiding it just makes it more apparent, LOL!