I mean that in a good way.

I'm not sure if "gimmick" is the word I'm looking for. But it seems like in the later seasons there were a lot of episodes that featured scenes in her apartment. And it included her coworkers a lot more, too.

I think it was a ploy used by the writers or producers, taking advantage of their Saturday evening time slot. At that time it was one of the highest rated shows, especially in the later seasons. I imagine that a lot of people would get together at friends' homes and watch the show. Maybe people would gather to watch the show before going out later.

I think that featuring "evening" scenes in the evening appeals to a viewer naturally. Like if a person were to watch a movie with both day and night scenes, the scenes with the most appeal would depend on what time of day he was watching. That's been something I have noticed personally.

What do you think?

Ed Asner said once that after Rhoda and Phyllis left for their own shows more scenes were filmed in the newsroom but it did give the other cast members more airtime. Early one the focus was a little more on Mary's home life than the newsroom.