can someone please tell me why rhoda left? i was reading the episode guides and it said the last one she appeared as a regular was when she and lou started going out. rhoda is my fav. i love her. but why was valerie harper no longer a regular? :confused:

because she went off to star in her own show, a spin-off named "Rhoda".

Originally posted by DayTripper
because she went off to star in her own show, a spin-off named "Rhoda".

I remember, before I knew there was such a show as Rhoda , I used to think Valerie must've left on bad terms or something b/c it was never dealt with on the show. I thought she and Mary had had some kind of falling out.

Kristen

Valerie left because the network wanted to spinoff her character Rhoda into her own series. Valerie was content to stay on MTM. Mary urged her to take the series knowing that this is an once of a lifetime thing. She told Val that if the show does not work she can come back. There was no falling out because Mary made numerous appearances on Rhoda. Rhoda's wedding would not have been the same without Mary being there.

I loved when Mary called her boss Mr. Grant, but Rhoda would call him Lou.

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Back in the '70s and '80s, one way to create hits was to spin off supporting characters from existing hits.

All in the Family spun off the Jeffersons and others. Mayberry RFD had a few, even Diff'rent Strokes spun off The Facts of Life.

That practice has mostly stopped in recent years as there were enough bombs (like The Ropers from Three's Company) that people felt it was no longer worth the risk of losing a popular supporting actor from the original show.

Now, you're more likely to have to wait until a show ends before there's a spinoff (Frasier from Cheers, Joey from Friends).