Damm, I been wanting to see this show forever and now thanks to Hallmark I will get that opportunity in the month of April. I just hope and pray that the show comes on at a time when I can see it with ease like

7pm to 11pm or 12am to 1am.


Can't Wait

For those who haven't read yet:

http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2012/02/hallmark-channel-acquires-mary-tyler.html

TV Fact Fan, not to throw cold water on the news but I wouldnt get too excited about this news. Hallmark has a way of chopping up episodes, skipping episodes or moving shows all over the place. Ex. I Love Lucy, Bob Newhart Show, Empty Nest.

TV Fact Fan, not to throw cold water on the news but I wouldnt get too excited about this news. Hallmark has a way of chopping up episodes, skipping episodes or moving shows all over the place. Ex. I Love Lucy, Bob Newhart Show, Empty Nest.


Well I'm just thrilled I get a chance to SAMPLE the show. Now I don't know if I will like it for sure. But BAD EDITS only matter to fans of the show. Right now I just plan to sample and see if I like it

Well I'm just thrilled I get a chance to SAMPLE the show. Now I don't know if I will like it for sure. But BAD EDITS only matter to fans of the show. Right now I just plan to sample and see if I like it

Well be sure to allow yourself proper sampling. What I mean by that is TMTMS is one of those shows that took time to develop into the classic that it is. It got better each season. I bought all the seasons on DVD except the first season because, frankly, there's not much I like about the first season. It was basically just a chick show in the beginning. It was cute but usually not terribly funny. The second season was okay, somewhat better as other characters (like Ted Baxter) were allowed to develop, but from the third season on, it was wonderful. By the third season, all the characters were fully developed and properly integrated, the writing was top notch, and it really hit its stride. It was never a bad show, it just took awhile to become a great show. And it truly became a superb (and hilarious) show. It deserved every one of the many Emmys it won.

Well be sure to allow yourself proper sampling. What I mean by that is TMTMS is one of those shows that took time to develop into the classic that it is. It got better each season. I bought all the seasons on DVD except the first season because, frankly, there's not much I like about the first season. The second season was okay, but from the third season on, it was wonderful. It was never a bad show, it just took awhile to become a great show. And it truly became a superb (and hilarious) show. It deserved every one of the many Emmys it won.

what's wrong with season 1?

Solomon, you won't be sorry. This show is fantastic!

It's one of the best shows of the 1970's.

It's one of the best shows of the 1970's.


I agree, it has everything Sol likes in a sitcom, a nice balance of home life and workplace comedy AND.....James Evans. LOL

So the poster above said I won't like the first season


why is that?

Well be sure to allow yourself proper sampling. What I mean by that is TMTMS is one of those shows that took time to develop into the classic that it is. It got better each season. I bought all the seasons on DVD except the first season because, frankly, there's not much I like about the first season. It was basically just a chick show in the beginning. It was cute but usually not terribly funny. The second season was okay, somewhat better as other characters (like Ted Baxter) were allowed to develop, but from the third season on, it was wonderful. By the third season, all the characters were fully developed and properly integrated, the writing was top notch, and it really hit its stride. It was never a bad show, it just took awhile to become a great show. And it truly became a superb (and hilarious) show. It deserved every one of the many Emmys it won.

That's good to know. A few years ago I blind bought Season 1 after hearing how great this show was and I was disappointed. It wasn't exactly awful, but it just didn't make me laugh and it felt like a chick show like you said. I have seen the Chuckles Bites the Dust episode from one of the later seasons and I liked that so I will give this show another chance.

That's good to know. A few years ago I blind bought Season 1 after hearing how great this show was and I was disappointed. It wasn't exactly awful, but it just didn't make me laugh and it felt like a chick show like you said. I have seen the Chuckles Bites the Dust episode from one of the later seasons and I liked that so I will give this show another chance.


So the 1st season feels more like a chick show?

So the 1st season feels more like a chick show?

To me it did. I was disappointed that most of the action seemed to take place at Mary's home than at the Station she worked at. Too many scenes with Mary, Rhoda and Phyllis and not enough scenes with Mary and her co-workers (Murray, Ted and Lou).

To me it did. I was disappointed that most of the action seemed to take place at Mary's home than at the Station she worked at. Too many scenes with Mary, Rhoda and Phyllis and not enough scenes with Mary and her co-workers (Murray, Ted and Lou).


Doesn't sound too good.

Well I'm just thrilled I get a chance to SAMPLE the show. Now I don't know if I will like it for sure. But BAD EDITS only matter to fans of the show. Right now I just plan to sample and see if I like it

I'm not a fan of this show, but you will have to watch it and form your own opinion. I don't care for the subject matter of the episodes, and to me the only likeable character in the show is Ed Asner as Lou Grant. There are just a small number of 70's sitcoms that I think are worth watching. All In The Family seasons 1-7, Brady Bunch all 5 seasons, Partridge Family seasons 1 & 2, Three's Company seasons 1-5, Welcome Back Kotter seasons 1-3, and the first two seasons of Sanford And Son. Alice and Odd Couple are decent shows too. But that's about it. I much prefer sitcoms from the 60's, that was the sitcoms decade while the 70's was the decade for police/detective shows.

Solomon, sit back and enjoy. You are in for some FINE entertainment. IMO it's a fantastic show.

what's wrong with season 1?

It's like what Skywalker said: the first season won't make you laugh, or you won't laugh very often. But with the later seasons, it's impossible not to laugh. They seem like two very different shows to me. When TMTMS started out, it had the feel of a show like That Girl or Julia, very much oriented towards a female audience. There was a lot of girl talk between Mary, Rhoda, and Phyllis. The stories largely revolved around topics like Mary and Rhoda's dating life, or Mary babysitting Bess. As Skywalker noted, it was much more focused on Mary's home life. There was little feeling of deep relationships with the people in the office. Lou Grant was just a stereotypical grumpy boss, whereas later we saw many more layers to that character, and he became sort of a father figure/friend to Mary, in addition to being her boss. Ted in those early episodes didn't really have much to do. He was more caricature than character. He would walk into the office, make a stupid remark, then leave. We knew nothing about him or his life, or what made him tick. It was just a shallow, cartoonish character. If I had seen nothing but the first season episodes, I would have thought they should have gotten rid of the Ted Baxter character. But after a couple seasons, Ted became much more integrated into the story lines, had much more depth, and actually became one of the best parts of the show. He was ultimately hysterically funny, and seemed like an actual human being. And Mary, herself, was just too syrupy sweet in the beginning. Sweet characters aren't very funny. Mary had more bite later on, became more well-rounded and real (and funny).

The character Sue Ann was also added later and, besides being a genius character in her own right, she gave Murray something to bounce off of and made Murray more interesting. Murray in the early seasons was a completely boring character.

By the third or fourth season, TMTMS had evolved into a show like Taxi or Cheers. In fact, Taxi was created by James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis, and Ed. Weinberger, all alums of TMTMS. And Cheers was created by James Burrows, a former director and writer for TMTMS, and Glen Charles and Les Charles, former writers for MTM's The Bob Newhart Show. TMTMS is where they all got their education, and TMTMS was the prototype for Taxi and Cheers, and many other series.

So that's my long explanation. Put simply: it started out being That Girl, then turned into Cheers or Taxi. If you like That Girl, maybe you'll like the first two seasons (I don't like That Girl).

There are just a small number of 70's sitcoms that I think are worth watching. All In The Family seasons 1-7, Brady Bunch all 5 seasons, Partridge Family seasons 1 & 2, Three's Company seasons 1-5, Welcome Back Kotter seasons 1-3, and the first two seasons of Sanford And Son. Alice and Odd Couple are decent shows too.

I have to very strongly disagree here. All in the Family, yes, it was a brilliant show. I would say TMTMS was at least on par with AITF. But of those other shows, Sanford and Son and Three's Company come closest in terms of being funny. But they were pretty low brow, as were Kotter and Alice; none of them had the class of TMTMS. TMTMS was high calibre all the way, able to touch even the most delicate subject matters in a truthful way, and with sensitivity, and turn a serious topic into a laughfest without sacrificing truth and reality for even an instant. It was brilliant.

But The Brady Bunch? It was pure kitsch: predictable plots performed by mostly marginal actors. Robert Reed did the show only for the money and was famously embarrassed by it. I can assure people that no one involved with TMTMS was ever embarrassed by it. I will that admit as a kid I never missed The Brady Bunch; it was one of my favorite shows. But when I got older, I found I couldn't bear it. I don't think anyone in Hollywood ever had a fleeting thought about honoring TBB with an Emmy, but TMTMS set records for Emmy nominations and wins, all well deserved.

I recommend giving the first season a chance for those who haven't seen the show. Don't let the negative opinions of some posters stop you from giving the show a chance. I think the early seasons of the show were great. I liked all seven seasons, but I preferred the earlier years. Just my opinion.

But The Brady Bunch? It was pure kitsch: predictable plots performed by mostly marginal actors. Robert Reed did the show only for the money and was famously embarrassed by it. I can assure people that no one involved with TMTMS was ever embarrassed by it. I will that admit as a kid I never missed The Brady Bunch; it was one of my favorite shows. But when I got older, I found I couldn't bear it. I don't think anyone in Hollywood ever had a fleeting thought about honoring TBB with an Emmy, but TMTMS set records for Emmy nominations and wins, all well deserved.

That's unfortunate if you don't care for The Brady Bunch, perhaps you have outgrown it. I enjoyed it as a kid and still enjoy it today, except now I look at it from an adult perspective. It's a fun and lighthearted show, some episodes might come off a little flat but the majority of them tell a good story. It might not have won any awards, but I don't pay any attention to that it's completely meaningless to me, if I enjoy a show I'll watch it awards or not. Awards shows are nothing but rigged popularity contests anyway, it has nothing to do with good quality. Whether it's music, movies, or TV shows, in my opinion some of the worst stuff gets these awards, they're all popularity contests and bear no merit for me whatsoever.

That's unfortunate if you don't care for The Brady Bunch, perhaps you have outgrown it. I enjoyed it as a kid and still enjoy it today, except now I look at it from an adult perspective. It's a fun and lighthearted show, some episodes might come off a little flat but the majority of them tell a good story. It might not have won any awards, but I don't pay any attention to that it's completely meaningless to me, if I enjoy a show I'll watch it awards or not. Awards shows are nothing but rigged popularity contests anyway, it has nothing to do with good quality. Whether it's music, movies, or TV shows, in my opinion some of the worst stuff gets these awards, they're all popularity contests and bear no merit for me whatsoever.
Yea I agree. Awards don't mean anything to me. I can't stand most of the shows that keep getting nominated in the comedy categories anymore. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is a great show though. As for The Brady Bunch, It might not be sophisticated like MTM but it's always been entertaining. It's also had a more popular syndicated life than MTM so somebody must like it.

Yea I agree. Awards don't mean anything to me. I can't stand most of the shows that keep getting nominated in the comedy categories anymore. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is a great show though. As for The Brady Bunch, It might not be sophisticated like MTM but it's always been entertaining. It's also had a more popular syndicated life than MTM so somebody must like it.

The Dick Van Dyke Show is where Mary really shines, but her show has never appealed to me. Just my opinion, the world would be a dull place if everyone liked the same thing. You're correct about The Brady Bunch being more popular in syndication, it's been more successful in syndication compared to it's original run on ABC.

The Dick Van Dyke Show is where Mary really shines, but her show has never appealed to me. Just my opinion, the world would be a dull place if everyone liked the same thing. You're correct about The Brady Bunch being more popular in syndication, it's been more successful in syndication compared to it's original run on ABC.


Brady Bunch don't have to compete with Sanford and Son in syndication like did during it's original run
LOL

I have to very strongly disagree here. All in the Family, yes, it was a brilliant show. I would say TMTMS was at least on par with AITF. But of those other shows, Sanford and Son and Three's Company come closest in terms of being funny. But they were pretty low brow, as were Kotter and Alice; none of them had the class of TMTMS. TMTMS was high calibre all the way, able to touch even the most delicate subject matters in a truthful way, and with sensitivity, and turn a serious topic into a laughfest without sacrificing truth and reality for even an instant. It was brilliant.

But The Brady Bunch? It was pure kitsch: predictable plots performed by mostly marginal actors. Robert Reed did the show only for the money and was famously embarrassed by it. I can assure people that no one involved with TMTMS was ever embarrassed by it. I will that admit as a kid I never missed The Brady Bunch; it was one of my favorite shows. But when I got older, I found I couldn't bear it. I don't think anyone in Hollywood ever had a fleeting thought about honoring TBB with an Emmy, but TMTMS set records for Emmy nominations and wins, all well deserved.


I agree with you totally. These shows can't hold a candle to TMTMS in brilliance, esp. The Brady Bunch. Thought TBB was way too formulaic although I really like Florence Henderson. Robert Reed was also a good actor but I was put off by all his whining and criticism of the show.

Brady Bunch don't have to compete with Sanford and Son in syndication like did during it's original run
LOL

That might be true, but some shows just become more popular once in syndication. Leave It To Beaver for example, had good enough ratings to keep it on the air for 6 seasons, but the shows popularity didn't really take off until it went into syndication. I like the first couple seasons of Sanford And Son, then they started introducing too many secondary characters and strayed away from the original premise of the show and I lost interest in it.

I agree with you totally. These shows can't hold a candle to TMTMS in brilliance, esp. The Brady Bunch. Thought TBB was way too formulaic although I really like Florence Henderson. Robert Reed was also a good actor but I was put off by all his whining and criticism of the show.

Robert Reed should have been glad to have a job, if he didn't approve of the scripts he didn't have to accept the role of Mr. Brady, no one forced him to do it. He was critical of the show, but I'm sure he had no problem depositing his paychecks.

There is nothing wrong with The Brady Bunch scripts. They are the type of stories you'd expect with a blended family of 3 boys and 3 girls. Sure some of it is cheezy, but that's part of the shows appeal, it wouldn't be The Brady Bunch without that dose of 70's cheese. I'll take it over Mary Tyler Moore every day of the week and twice on Sundays. :)